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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 805 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

improve linkages between housing programs and other ACT and Commonwealth programs. We have a bilateral agreement to ensure that that happens.

Already, for example, ACT Housing has entered into a number of memoranda of understanding with support services-for example, with the mental health service. Of course, using one of the examples that Mr Stanhope cited for us, it seems clear that often these are not just issues of drug and alcohol but of a complex question of drug and alcohol, mental health, and a range of other issues that combine to make the task of dealing with them particularly difficult.

We are looking at a boarding house study. Government subsidised, community run, medium to long-term boarding house accommodation is one of several housing solutions for people on low incomes. Hopefully that will have the effect of leading to somewhat earlier intervention in order to deal with young people who do not fit within the examples given by Mr Stanhope.

A study which is to be completed in March 2001 is examining target populations who might benefit from boarding house accommodation. It may well be that one of the nominated target groups is older women in particular escaping family breakdown. We are also looking at flexible use of crisis accommodation program funds, which are developed under the Commonwealth/State Housing Agreement to meet emerging needs.

The applicant services centre, which is operated by the ACT, also provides entry into public housing. We are looking to see if we should expand its role as a common entry point into all government housing, including community housing and other government programs.

Another new proposal, which has already been included in the draft budget, is short-term crisis accommodation, sometimes referred to as a doss house. This accommodation is also there for people who are at risk of being homeless for a range of reasons or who are intoxicated. The proposal will enable intoxicated people to sober up safely as an alternative to being placed in police custody, and provide individuals at risk of homelessness with overnight accommodation and a brief intervention to access other health and social services.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I have to say that, of course, one could not be anything but moved by the anecdotes that Mr Stanhope used in order to illustrate the fantastic work that people here in the ACT do. I would like to use this opportunity to thank those-and I see a representative from Toora here-who put a huge amount of effort into looking after women in particular in crisis. It is not just those who run our community services in this area. There are also volunteers. There is a huge number of people who make a valiant effort to case manage people with extraordinarily complex problems and to ensure that they have an effective service. The government supports those efforts and will continue to do so. I have just illustrated a range of ways in which the government does this. We will continue, as is clear from the draft budget, to try to expand those services. I would encourage members to look at those services and, of course, the government will look with great care at any recommendations that they might have flowing from the draft budget.

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