Page 2137 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 May 2013
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working with the sector on developing new costing models, exploring outputs and outcomes and reviewing services streams. One underlying intention of the reform is that there will be no reduction in accommodation places—actual beds for people experiencing homelessness—and we will work closely with services to achieve this.
The directorate has now met with all organisations regarding the funding offer for their services. The directorate is committed to continue working with organisations on the effect reduced funding will have on programs, staff and service delivery over the coming three years as the funding reductions are applied in a transitional or step-down method.
Additionally, organisations will be supported to access a financial and governance health check through the community sector development program. It is anticipated that new service funding agreements will be finalised by November 2013. In addition to the shift in the national affordable housing agreement, the national partnership agreement on homelessness expires on 30 June 2013. However, the commonwealth announced in November 2012 it will extend the current agreement for 12 months and negotiate a new agreement in the near future based on matched funding.
The ACT became a signatory to the transitional national partnership agreement on 14 May 2013, continuing funding for support and early intervention services. In line with “The Road Home”, the national white paper on homelessness, the national partnership agreement on homelessness was a $20 million matched-funding agreement over five years—$10 million in commonwealth funding and $10 million in matched ACT funding. It enabled the ACT to provide new service approaches to respond to service gaps that had been identified in the community.
The commonwealth has offered the ACT $1.48 million for a 12-month continuation of the national partnership agreement on homelessness. The new agreement will continue to be framed by the core principles of prevention, early intervention and breaking the cycle of homelessness. To date, under the national partnership agreement on homelessness, initiatives have been introduced to address these three key strategies, including the Supportive Tenancy Service; FirstPoint, the centralised intake service for those needing to access homelessness services; a place to call home and OurPlace, the youth foyer service.
The Supportive Tenancy Service is an example of how early intervention can work to prevent homelessness in the ACT. The service works with people in all tenures who are experiencing difficulties in their lives that may place their tenancies at risk. From July to December 2012, 357 families across the ACT were supported to prevent the loss of their home.
The introduction of FirstPoint has enabled the ACT government to have a collation of data to understand the demand for homelessness services better than ever before. A place to call home was established as a core output of the national partnership agreement on homelessness. The program uses a housing-first approach which sees accommodation provided and then supported services put in place. The national partnership agreement on homelessness enabled a focus on participation with OurPlace, the youth foyer model that has participation in education, training and/or employment opportunities as the centre of its service delivery.
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