Prevention of Homelessness. What does it mean for the Salvation Army?

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Prevention of Homelessness. What does it mean
for the Salvation Army?
Netty Horton Territorial Social Programme
Director
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Salvation Army Social Programmes

• Southern Territory
• 600 social programmes including emergency relief,
  housing and homelessness, drug and alcohol,
  children and family services
• 300 million
• Every night providing 600 crisis and 4,000 non
  crisis beds and over 80,000 meals

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Homelessness Prevention

• Often used term
• Prevention vs early intervention vs crisis
  response
• Saving
• Saving costly impact on lives of individuals and
  families

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Government White Paper 2008 The Road Home

• Turning off the Tap A Focus on Prevention
• Prevention and early intervention are the most
  effective and efficient ways to reduce
  homelessness.
• Prevention strategies need to be given a greater
  focus in the future homelessness response.
• Prevention strategies should be focused on key
  transition points and life events.
• There are many examples of successful prevention
  strategies at the local level.
• Over the next 10 years, effort should be focused
  on delivering evidence-based prevention at scale
  across the country.
• Specific responses are required for different
  cohorts.

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Turning off the Tap Initiatives

• Initiatives under this strategy include
• Increasing support for people in public and
  private rental housing to maintain their
  tenancies (HA 8/10)
• Assisting up to 9,000 additional young people
  between 12 and 18 years of age to remain
  connected with their families (HA 6/10)
• Assisting up to 2,250 additional families at risk
  of homelessness to stay housed (HA 10/10)
• No exits into homelessness from statutory,
  custodial care, health, mental health and drug
• and alcohol services (HA /10)
• Helping women and children who experience
  domestic violence to stay safely in the family
• Home (HA 5/10)
• Delivering community based mental health services
  under the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program
  (PHAMs) to 1,000 difficult to reach Australians,
  including people who are homeless (HA 7/10)
• Establishing a network of 90 Community Engagement
  Officers to improve access to
• Centrelink services for people at risk of
  homelessness. (HA 9/10)

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Victorian Homelessness Action Plan

• The Government, through the Victorian
  Homelessness Action Plan, will
• support innovative approaches to homelessness
• investigate models that focus specifically on
  early intervention and prevention
• better target resources when and where they are
  most needed and where they will make the biggest
  difference.
• We will build a service system that meets a range
  of needs where people are able to access help,
  advice and assistance where and when they need it.

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Key Issues

• Causes of homelessness are structural and should
  be addressed as part of a partnership approach
  between and across Governments, and between and
  across service providers.
• National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness
  Existing and Future

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Key Issues continued

• Difference between early intervention and
  prevention and does it matter?
• Yes
• And
• No!

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What does TSA do already?

• Prevention (little)
• Early Intervention (some)
• Crisis (most)

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The Economic Social Impact SurveyWhat people did
and felt in response to their financial
situations.
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• I have never struggled this much before.
• There are times I think I am better off not
  alive.
• Thought about selling my stuff, but there is not
  much to sell. Im poor.
• Everything is so expensive now I feel
  helpless.
• Feel like I have hit lowest point and no one is
  there to help.
• Im trying so hard not to be in this position
  it makes me cry some nights.
• The rising cost of living and no change in
  income makes living week to week (let alone day
  to day) and feeding my family very difficult.

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Findings 2The essentials of life what I dont
have.
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Findings 3Multiple deprivations
Saunders et al (2007) note that severe levels of
deprivation correspond to missing our on at least
5 or more area simultaneously
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Prevention

• Advocacy
• Big Picture, income, affordable housing,
  education, community building
• Implications Diverting Mission Support Funding

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Conclusions

• Homelessness appears as TSAs core business.
• Prevention is our ultimate goal
• Should prevention be our service goal, or is it
  one of many?