Page 2660 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 2013
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Excellency the Governor-General, I was given a tour of one of the units by a parent of one of the prospective tenants. She was so proud that she could see an opportunity for her son to grow up in that specific intentional community. But not only was it important that he had those around him of perhaps similar needs and concerns, but also that the construction of the unit itself was specifically designed for his needs. She commented particularly on what you would call the family room close to the kitchen and said it was big enough and secure enough for him to dance in his wheelchair in that location. That was quite a moving experience.
The benefits of the intentional community were recognised recently by the Real Estate Institute of the ACT which awarded the Community Services Directorate a community services award for the project. The ACT government can be proud of its many services and initiatives to help address homelessness and disadvantage. These other services include initiatives such as the supportive tenancy service, the street to home program and support for the early morning drop-in centre.
The supportive tenancy service is an example of how early intervention can be effective in preventing homelessness by working with vulnerable people who are experiencing specific challenges and difficulties.
Street to home provides assertive outreach with the aim of addressing the causes of homelessness and assisting people to move into stable accommodation when the time is right for them. The program not only helps to move people off the streets but also seeks to address the underlying issues that may have contributed to them becoming homeless in the first instance. Over $1 million has been invested in the street to home program.
The ACT government has also invested close to $700,000 in the early morning centre, which is located at Pilgrim House in Civic. The early morning centre provides warmth, food and shelter during the day as well as showers and locker facilities. It also provides the opportunity to link homeless people with further supports as required. The early morning centre complements the free food service which is run from the Griffin Centre. The free food service provides a free meal to people experiencing homelessness or those in crisis most nights of the week. I look forward to the ACT’s future continuing success in supporting affordable housing options in Canberra.
I just want to come back to the free food service at the Griffin Centre. Prior to the election last year I had served for four years as a board member of the Canberra Men’s Centre. I was frequently aware of the wonderful odours that would come up from the service during the morning when they would provide services for those people in need, and also in the late afternoon and evening when they were taking homeless people off the streets and providing services. It is a fantastic service for those in need in the ACT.
The Common Ground project is an important and exciting initiative by the ACT government. It is a core element of the parliamentary agreement for the Eighth Assembly. Combined with the ACT government’s additional range of services to address homelessness, its provision of community housing through Housing ACT and its initiatives to increase the supply of affordable housing, Common Ground adds another element to address housing needs in the ACT.
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