potential reforms to homelessness and social housing presentation to homelessness agencies 18...

Potential reforms to homelessness and social housing

Presentation to homelessness agencies

18 November 2015

What we want to discuss today

• Re-cap the presentation delivered to a smaller sector forum on the 7th September

• Place the homelessness reform in the larger context of an emerging Integrated Community Care system

• Give you the opportunity to ask questions and clarify the content through a panel and Q and A discussion

• Later this morning we will start to workshop the detail for some of the proposals

An integrated system to address disadvantage

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• Access - Entry points to the system that are connected, and provide a clear, highly visible ‘front end’ that is easy for people to access and navigate.

• Assessment - A consistent and comprehensive approach to assessing peoples’ needs in holistic ways.

• Early intervention and identification - Improved ability to identify and assess people at risk (of family violence, homelessness etc.) across the system.

• Person-centred support - Tailored to addressing a person’s particular needs and circumstances in a seamless and coordinated way.

• Information sharing - More collaborative practice and improvements to information systems.

• Outcomes focus - Having a clear focus on shared outcomes, including their measurement through a common outcomes framework.

• Workforce and skill building - Support for the workforce to operate effectively within an integrated system.

An integrated system will be easier for people to access and navigate, and service pathways will be organised around the actual needs of people and their families.

The case for change – homelessness services

• The current response is primarily focused on addressing housing crisis

• There is limited capacity to tailor supports and housing assistance to individual needs, resulting in blockages and churn within the system

• People need to engage with multiple service systems to get the help they need, and there are limited assistance options at some entry points

• Despite examples of best practice, they are not at scale to make a real impact on homelessness and housing need

• The current service system does not effectively measure whether services are making a difference in people's lives

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The case for change – supply

• Home ownership rates levelling off

• Private rental supply is tight for our cohorts

• Social housing supply constrained

• Lack of affordable and available supply one driver of homelessness, many others

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Affordable lettings by LGA in Metropolitan Melbourne, June Quarter 2015

Government is taking action on broader housing affordability

Government has started work that focuses on better housing outcomes for both renters and buyers, including:

• The Housing Affordability Taskforce

• The Residential Tenancies Act Review

• Release of Plan Melbourne housing discussion paper

• Inclusionary housing pilot

We are engaging with the community housing sector on renewal and growth of social housing:

• Redevelopment of public housing land and precinct renewal

• Management transfers to the community housing sector

• Fast tracking development process

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Emerging themes for homelessness and social housing reform

Improving the sustainability of the housing assistance

program

A strong and sustainable public housing business

that can be maintained for the longer term benefit of

Victorians

An integrated homelessness and social

housing service that delivers better outcomes

for people

Reform to current responses to

homelessness and housing need

Disadvantaged Victorians can access and keep

housing as independently as possible with

responses tailored to individual needs

Growing and renewing social

housing

A long term asset strategy to grow social housing in the medium to longer term

Meet demand from Victorians in housing need and support engagement in

social and economic life

Ongoing provision of housing services with

existing finances

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A more integrated and holistic response to people’s needs – a conceptual model to test with sector partners

Housing supports provided as part of a coordinated, holistic

service response

Expansion of products and support services to support flow through the system

Crisis Accommodation

Public Housing

Community Housing

Private Rental with government

assistance

Affordable Housing Initiatives

Persons presenting with housing (and support) needs

Statewide Housing Register

Greater flexibility of funding for short

term interventions that deliver long-

term outcomes and rapid rehousing

Common access -

intake and streaming process

Divert people from crisis services and public housing through rapid rehousing in private rental

Better supported transition from crisis accommodation to other options

Referral to comprehensiv

e needs assessment

where appropriate

Assertive outreach to key cohorts to prevent and address housing crisis

Choice Based Letting

Entry to service response

Front End Access

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With this in mind, we’d like to talk about front end access

Housing supports provided as part of a coordinated, holistic service response



Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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A consistent and comprehensive approach to needs assessment

Integrated access would ensure…

• At any access point, regardless of the nature of the service, people will be able to receive a basic but broad assessment to understand risk and level of need, enabling streaming and referral for more comprehensive assessment for people identified as

o having complex and/or multiple needs

o requiring an early intervention response

• Those with multiple needs will receive a more comprehensive needs assessment, enabling multidisciplinary support where necessary

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A statewide housing register




Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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Better access: statewide housing register

• The vision is that all social housing providers work together to create a single register of social housing applicants, a common application form, and coordinated housing information and advice

• The register will be rolled out through staged implementation across the state

Allocations framework• To make the register work, an allocations framework will be

developed in consultation with the sector to guide allocations

Referral protocol• During the implementation of the register a referral protocol will

remain in place for organisations until joining the register

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Choice-based letting




Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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Better entry: choice-based letting

• The vision is to introduce choice and create more sustainable social housing outcomes through choice-based letting – an alternative system of housing allocation, whereby social housing applicants express an interest for advertised vacant properties rather than being offered properties selected for them by the department

• Choice-based letting will be trialled to assess the benefits

Choice-based letting will:

• Encourage people to become actively involved in property selection and the allocation process

• Contribute to a system that puts people at the centre

• Contribute to a more effective and transparent allocation process

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Improve crisis accommodation




Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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Improved responses to housing crisis

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• The vision is to position crisis accommodation and related services to divert people from long-term homelessness and better respond and resolve episodic and chronic homelessness

• We propose to look at the crisis accommodation service models and related services (e.g. day centres) and how these services can be augmented or reconfigured to deliver better outcomes.

• Our focus needs to be on providing the quickest possible path to long term sustainable housing rather than the ‘emergency accom>crisis>transitional>social housing’ pathway

• We want to explore an approach where a primary worker can deliver support that follows the person through a range of accommodation settings where necessary

• The overall aim is to release pressure from the system as a whole by reducing churn through homelessness services and social housing

Next, how we can improve our approach to transition support to get people housed and equip them to stay housed




Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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Individualised, better targeted and outcome focused supports

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• The vision is for people to get the supports they need not just to get housed but to equip them to stay housed

• We propose to:

• Break down the current structural and program barriers

• Introduce a stronger focus on outcomes and adopt best practice, targeted approaches that have long-term impact

• Increase the emphasis on social and economic participation outcomes

• Build off learnings from the Service Connect Partnerships, the Innovation Action Projects and other innovations across the system

• Leverage investment in other support services and facilitate partnerships and service integration that has meaningful impact on the lives of people

xOlder people and people

w/disabilities

Targeting supports to reduce homelessness and prevent and addressing housing need

Adults and families

Adults and families with

complex needs

Vulnerable youth

Complex youth

People who are

chronically homeless

Early intervention and rapid rehousing needed for people who are homeless/ at risk of, for short-term, first-time homeless, through availability of flexible brokerage, and private rental advocacy and social housing where appropriate.

More tailored support and housing options: not just getting people housed but keeping them housed.

Intervening earlier, engaging with young people exiting institutions, to provide integrated, intensive and step-down supports with extended transitional housing response including foyers, lead tenant models, studios, supported housing options.

Integrated step-down supports with extended transitional supportive housing options or supported housing. Includes immediate response to institutional exits.

Early intervention where possible with youth-appropriate housing responses with integrated supports.

x x

Easier application and transparent allocations of SH

Includes FV services and a focus on helping children.

x xx

xTime homeless = harm. Mitigate progression of complexity by

providing services when people need them.

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Finally, better private rental assistance




Public Housing

Community Housing


assistance







Common access -





e needs assessment

where appropriate




Front End Access

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• We have trialled and learnt what works and what doesn’t work through individual bespoke models.

• Now have an opportunity to ‘mainstream’ our approach and trial a comprehensive product by:

• Designing a more standardised rental assistance product that delivers for a broader range of groups to build on successful examples in the sector

• Integrating the approach to test better front end access

• Providing more dedicated support centrally to share knowledge of the rental market, rental data, and good practice interventions

• Establishing a performance, measurement and evaluation framework to test whether our interventions achieve sustainable outcomes.

Better service response: redesigning private rental assistance for better outcomes – opportunities

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Testing these ideas

• Today’s workshops will help to refine these ideas and the mechanisms needed to connect them to a broader integrated community care system

• There is an ideal opportunity to further test these ideas in three selected areas across Victoria before any wider roll-out

• Place-based testing could occur where there are the following elements available:

• Supportive homelessness access point(s) and local area networks that are willing to test the model

• Strong engagement from DHHS area office

• Registered housing agencies and providers that are keen to engage

• Reasonable access to affordable private rental properties

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Thank you