Inquiry into homelessness in Australia - Queensland Government submission August 2020
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Inquiry into homelessness in Australia Queensland Government submission August 2020
Inquiry into homelessness in Australia
Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................................. i
1 Addressing homelessness in Queensland ...................................................... 1
1.1 Queensland’s commitment ....................................................................................... 1
1.2 Transformation through the Queensland Housing Strategy ...................................... 1
1.3 A snapshot of homelessness in Queensland .......................................................... 11
2 Foundations for our COVID-19 response ....................................................... 13
2.1 Immediate responses to deliver relief to the housing and homelessness sectors ... 13
2.2 A shift away from congregate settings .................................................................... 14
2.3 Supporting housing outcomes across the housing continuum ................................ 15
3 Working together to reset housing and homelessness strategies .............. 16
3.1 Learning from COVID-19........................................................................................ 16
3.2 Commonwealth-State approach to housing and homelessness ............................. 16
3.3 Coordination, collaboration and commitments across the housing continuum ........ 17
Appendix A – Homelessness in Queensland Insights ........................................ 19
Appendix B – Snapshots of Queensland’s homelessness response ................ 23Inquiry into homelessness in Australia Executive Summary The Queensland Government is taking action to address homelessness Many people are only a few unexpected life events away from experiencing homelessness. The Queensland Government recognises that it takes care, capital commitment, collaboration and coordination across Government to prevent and reduce homelessness. The $1.8 billion Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027 (the Queensland Housing Strategy) established Queensland’s strategic framework for investment and reform across the housing continuum; ensuring those most in need are supported by a safety net of targeted services and products, flexible packages of housing and support, long-term housing and person-centred services. We respond to homelessness on several fronts, backed by an original targeted funding commitment for specialist homelessness services (SHS) and other homelessness responses totalling $239.7 million in 2019-20 alone. Of this, $77.5 million was derived from Commonwealth funding under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) while $162.2 million was State funding allocation. Since the launch of the Queensland Housing Strategy in 2017, significant progress has been made in building new social and affordable homes in priority locations across the state through the $1.6 billion Housing Construction Jobs Program. This commitment to capital investment over 10 years has seen construction commence on 1,949 new social homes, with 1,061 of these completed as at 30 June 2020. This exceeds the first three-year target by 249 dwellings. A further 473 commencements are targeted by 30 June 2021. By Partnering for Growth with the community housing sector, Queensland is further increasing the supply of social and affordable housing, with 923 new dwellings approved so far, supported by over $75 million of government investment. Of these, 58 new dwellings have been completed with an investment of $11 million. Queensland is tailoring responses to ensure people get the supports they need, in the right place at the right time The Queensland Housing Strategy has also transformed our approach to addressing homelessness; recognising that stable, affordable, long-term housing combined with appropriate supports is critical to helping people to stay in their homes, reduce reliance on other government services and achieve improved whole-of-life outcomes. Queensland is Partnering for Impact with non-government service providers to reduce homelessness by improving joint responses across the state. In 2019-20, $1.93 million was invested in the Coordinated Housing and Homelessness Response – Integrating Services (integrating services approach) in nine key locations. Place-Based Response Teams work with funded outreach providers to proactively identify and engage people experiencing homelessness and link them with the housing and support services they need. Funded Care Coordination Facilitators increase capability of local care coordination groups to deliver integrated housing with support for people with complex needs. Queensland is delivering targeted early interventions for people at higher risk of homelessness, such as young people, older women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and women and children experiencing or at risk of domestic and family violence. For example, frontline staff have received domestic and family violence training and specially trained staff work with people experiencing domestic and family violence to source appropriate and safe housing and develop long-term housing pathways. Executive Summary
Inquiry into homelessness in Australia Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Action Plan 2019-2023 puts local decision making at the heart of culturally responsive housing and homelessness investment and service design. In partnership with communities, local housing plans are being developed in urban, regional, remote and discrete communities to identify local needs and priorities, including strategies to reduce homelessness. Queensland is also targeting upstream interventions to prevent homelessness, including by supporting people to obtain and sustain homes in the private market through an expanded suite of flexible private rental assistance and private home ownership assistance. Homelessness is a chronic issue for all states and territories and no government holds all the levers Despite these interventions, more work needs to be done. Queensland’s rate of homelessness at the 2016 Census was 46 persons per 10,0001, and on any given day in 2019 nearly 9,200 people were supported by SHS2. Homelessness in Queensland is driven in part by housing affordability pressures, increased cost of living, stalling wages growth and the inability of welfare payments to keep pace with the cost of living3. Successive Australian and State and Territory Governments have worked together for more than 50 years to address homelessness and deliver effective housing systems, with both levels of government providing funding for programs delivered mainly by States and Territories. Although homelessness in Australia increased by 4.62 per cent between 2011 and 2016 (factoring for population growth 4), Commonwealth housing and homelessness funding has not increased in real terms to meet growing demand or improve performance outcomes. In addition, funding for wages supplementation for the social and community services sector (SACS) has not been determined by the Commonwealth Government beyond June 2021. Continued wages supplementation will help to maintain homelessness sector service delivery and jobs at current levels. Queensland faces unique challenges in responding to homelessness Queensland is Australia’s most decentralised state 5 with highly dispersed population centres and multiple regional economies and remote communities. Queensland’s regionalised nature creates unique challenges for delivering housing and homelessness services. There are significant additional costs in Queensland for land development, housing construction, maintenance and upgrades, and service delivery. Current population-based general funding allocation approaches from the Commonwealth Government do not adequately account for service delivery challenges and costs. Queensland has a large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population with many remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Social housing is the predominant tenure in these communities and overcrowding, including due to cultural and kinship responsibilities, is an ongoing challenge. Queensland records the second highest proportion of overcrowding in state- owned and managed Indigenous housing nationally6 and this makes a significant contribution to 1 2016 Census of Population and Housing: Estimating homelessness, Table 1.5 2 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Specialist Homelessness Services Infographic: On any given day, Queensland 2019 3 Pawson, H., Parsell, C., Saunders, P., Hill, T. & Liu, E. (2018) Australian Housing Monitor 2018, Launch Housing, Victoria 4 Calculated from rate of homeless persons data from data source: 2016 Census of Population and Housing: Estimating homelessness, Table 1.5 5 Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation, Queensland Regions, 13 November 2019. 6 ROGS-2020 Table 18A.28 however data is not available for NSW, Tas or NT Executive Summary
Inquiry into homelessness in Australia Queensland’s homelessness count. Continued investment is needed to provide enough housing in remote communities where construction costs are highest. Queensland’s population growth places further pressure on service systems and housing markets as private rental markets fail to deliver enough affordable and appropriate housing. Queensland has a disproportionately large number of private renters and the second highest population of low-income rental households in rental stress outside a capital city7. It is estimated that by 2036, Queensland will require an additional 254,300 social and affordable dwellings to prevent more people from experiencing homelessness8. Under the recently launched new National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the Agreement) all jurisdictions including Queensland have committed to reducing overcrowding. The new target in the Agreement is: “by 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent”. New approaches are delivering successful outcomes – Queensland’s immediate COVID-19 response The strong foundations laid through the Queensland Housing Strategy enabled an effective response to the housing challenges of COVID-19, with a focus on delivering built-form housing responses along with specialised tenancy management and multi-agency supports. Immediate funding was required and $24.7 million was repurposed by the Queensland Government to deliver the COVID-19 Immediate Respond Fund. Leveraging the existing integrating services approach, Queensland delivered additional brokerage services, outreach, accommodation rental grants and other support for people impacted by COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the inadequacy of outdated congregate (shared facilities) accommodation models that do not enable individuals to self-isolate and highlighted the importance of addressing overcrowding in remote communities to support health outcomes. The Queensland Government acted quickly to assist people experiencing homelessness and living in congregate settings into self-contained short-term accommodation. This safeguarded the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable group and helped to reduce the risk of outbreaks and community transmission. In inner Brisbane, the Queensland Government partnered with a student accommodation provider to lease an under-utilised building to relocate up to 300 vulnerable Queenslanders who were residing in congregate facilities (e.g. homelessness shelters) into safe, secure, self-contained accommodation. As restrictions ease, tenants are offered access to supports such as financial assistance, legal services and independent living skills training to assist them to transition to longer-term accommodation over time. The Emergency Housing Assistance Request (EHAR) tool was also activated. EHAR supports at-risk and vulnerable people who require emergency housing assistance to access appropriate accommodation. The EHAR response helped to support social-distancing requirements and keep people safe; and linked people with additional relevant supports. As at 9 July 2020, 2,414 households have been assisted, including emergency accommodation for approximately 1,700 households. 7 ABS Housing Occupancy and Costs, Australia, 2017-18 Table 21. Rental Affordability, Lower Income Renter Households, National Housing and Homelessness Agreement basis. 8 UNSW City Futures Research Centre (2019). Estimating need and costs of social and affordable housing delivery, UNSW, Sydney. Executive Summary
Inquiry into homelessness in Australia The Queensland Government also supported people impacted by COVID-19 in the private housing market. Special regulatory measures were quickly introduced to support tenants suffering excessive hardship to sustain their tenancies during the emergency period. This included extending fixed-term agreements, preventing evictions and tenancy database listings of rent arrears, and facilitating negotiated rent adjustments. Additionally, rental grants worth $5.2 million, including $2 million as part of the $24.7 million Immediate Response Fund, were provided to more than 3,200 Queensland households who experienced severe financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. To support economic recovery, and in recognition of the continued demand for new social housing supply, in June 2020 the Queensland Government announced a further commitment of $100 million for construction of 215 homes for vulnerable Queensland families as part of Queensland’s Unite and Recover for Queensland Jobs plan. Resetting housing and homelessness strategies across the housing continuum can improve access, stability and affordability While homelessness has been an important issue for all Australian jurisdictions, the impacts of COVID-19 have illustrated the population-wide benefits of safe and secure housing for all. The approach taken by the Queensland Government in response to COVID-19, has required the use of short-stay commercial accommodation, such as hotels and motels, through additional brokerage funding, with longer term accommodation in private and social housing sourced wherever possible. While this response has supported immediate public health outcomes, many of these arrangements are not sustainable in the longer term. COVID-19 has presented an opportunity to challenge traditional thinking about housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Contemporary solutions require a move away from congregate housing towards delivering housing solutions that are integrated into the community, encourage a mix of residents within a housing development or apartment block, offer people choice and control over the provision of their supports, and provide people with their own private space to focus on their own goals and improve their life outcomes. Additional ongoing investment is required to deliver new social and affordable housing supply to meet existing demand and future-proof government crisis responses. The system lacks capacity to transition all of those recently supported into temporary accommodation into long term social and affordable housing. New supply is needed to ensure these people aren’t exited into homelessness or other inappropriate settings. Investment in social housing and urban renewal can deliver both responsive and enduring social and economic dividends. Of all infrastructure initiatives, social housing investment has one of the shortest delivery lag times. Building social homes benefits local economies directly by supporting construction workforces, and indirectly through supply chains networks across the state and country. Australia has an opportunity to drive new investment in housing and homelessness, and reform and integrate service systems to reduce and prevent homelessness through nationally coordinated efforts. A national commitment to a co-ordinated, multi-agency, integrated and aligned strategy adopted across jurisdictions would strengthen responses and facilitate stimulus for the housing and construction sector that will deliver broad benefits well beyond the immediate health crisis. Executive Summary
Inquiry into homelessness in Australia
1 Addressing homelessness in Queensland
1.1 Queensland’s commitment
The Queensland Government is invested in addressing homelessness and partnering with
the homelessness and community sectors to deliver real and sustainable outcomes for
Queenslanders experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Many people are only a few unexpected life events away from experiencing homelessness. With a
focus on stable and appropriate housing, combined with access to the right supports at the right
time, Queensland is working to ensure everyone has access to a safe, secure and affordable place
to call home. The Queensland Government recognises that stable housing is a prerequisite for
other life outcomes and acknowledges the importance of housing and homelessness services in
building community resilience and wellbeing and responding to critical social and economic issues
including domestic and family violence (DFV), child safety and youth justice.
Commonwealth, State and Territory governments have worked together since 1945 to respond to
homelessness and deliver an effective housing system. Housing and homelessness programs and
services are funded by Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments, and delivered mainly
by State and Territory governments.
Policy settings and investment decisions relating to income support, taxation, immigration and
settlement, Indigenous affairs, and land use and planning systems impact demand for housing and
homelessness services. Coordination and collaboration across all levels of government and non-
government organisations can support optimal responses to homelessness.
1.2 Transformation through the Queensland Housing Strategy
Through The Queensland Housing Strategy 2017-2027 (the Queensland Housing Strategy)
the Queensland Government is taking decisive action on supporting better housing
outcomes, with a $1.8 billion commitment to build a safety net for the most vulnerable,
boost housing supply, improve private housing market products and secure better
coordination of services.
The Queensland Housing Strategy is broadening the focus of housing assistance across the
housing continuum, from homelessness to social and affordable housing, private housing and
particular accommodation models such as retirement living, manufactured homes and residential
services. It acknowledges that early intervention responses for people living in both private and
social housing reduces the demand for social housing and other human services, and delivers
significant cost savings to governments, particularly through service use reduction in the health,
emergency services and criminal justice domains.
In the first three years of the Queensland Housing Strategy, the Queensland Government has
made significant progress in delivering on the intent of the strategy. Highlights include:
• Launching Partnering for Growth (November 2018) to unlock $2 billion of previous investment
into the community housing sector to boost the supply of community and affordable housing
and develop new person-centred and flexible housing responses.
• Construction for additional services included expansion of the Logan Youth Foyer from 22 to
40 home units, construction of shelters for women and children experiencing DFV in
Cherbourg, Pormpuraaw, Coen, Roma, Caboolture and Gold Coast, and the NRL Cowboys
House Girls Campus in Townsville.
• Delivering new flexible private rental market assistance packages, including the Helping Hand
Headlease, Rental Security Subsidy, RentConnect enhancements, No Interest Loans,
Regional Discretionary Fund and Bond Loan Plus.
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• Launching the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Action Plan 2019–2023 in June
2019, outlining a shared vision and approach to improving housing outcomes for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people. $40 million for a capital program in remote and discrete
communities was also committed.
• Partnering for Impact to establish the Queensland Homelessness Compact and Workplan in
partnership with the homelessness sector and providing funding certainty for specialist
homelessness services (SHS) with five-year funding agreements.
• Improvements to customer experience through Service Delivery Transformation, including
Housing Service Centre redesign, opening the Toowoomba Housing and Homelessness Hub,
new online services for customers, and improved customer management systems.
• Legislative reform to provide new protections and safeguards for residents of residential
services, retirement villages and manufactured homes.
In order to continue to address overcrowding in remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities, an ongoing commitment of investment from the Commonwealth is required.
The Queensland Government will continue to advocate for such a commitment.
1.2.1 Housing with timely support – the key to housing success
The Queensland Housing Strategy is transforming our approach to addressing homelessness, and
recognises that stable, affordable, long-term housing combined with appropriate supports is critical
to helping people to stay in their homes, reduce involvement in other government systems, and
achieve improved whole-of-life outcomes.
For people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, there is a need to ensure appropriate housing
is delivered in tandem with appropriate supports. Housing should meet the needs of the family or
individual, including location, number of bedrooms, and accessibility. Supports are provided where
needed to initially obtain and then maintain housing over the longer term. Provision of integrated,
multi-agency supports (such as DFV or family counselling, mental health services, or independent
living skills training such as cooking and budgeting) is more cost efficient for governments and
promotes better life outcomes than people being in repeated contact with the justice and health
systems. This has been proven in Queensland through the operation and evaluation of initiatives
such as Brisbane Common Ground (refer to case study) and Sustaining Young Tenancies, which
educates young people about housing processes such as inspections and reviews and teaches
them about tenancy rights and responsibilities and other practical life skills.
For some people, appropriate integrated, multi-agency supports can include targeted, short-term
services such as independent living skills training. Others may require more support services over
a longer period, for example people who have been rough sleeping, experienced homelessness
over a sustained timeframe, or young people experiencing inter-generational cycles of
homelessness and housing need or other disadvantage.
The Queensland Government is working in partnership with Q Shelter and other key industry
bodies to implement a new approach to reducing the rate of homelessness in Queensland which
provides people with appropriate housing and links them with the services they need in their home.
The overall goal is for people to be supported to attain and maintain the greatest level of
independence possible for them, promoting self-direction for individuals and families and ensuring
the more costly, intensive supports are available for people who most need them.
1.2.2 Partnering to deliver real and sustained change
Through Partnering for Impact, Queensland has locked in five-year funding agreements with SHS
to give existing providers and their workforce the certainty and stability they need to deliver
effective housing and homelessness responses, while encouraging new innovations. Innovations
include work underway to co-design a new evidence-based approach to outcomes-focused
investment in SHS and to streamline and integrate referrals and data collection.
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Through Partnering for Growth, Queensland is A model response to
increasing the capacity of the community housing
sector to deliver affordable community housing and
homelessness
better respond to homelessness. By modernising Brisbane Common Ground’s Specialist
funding arrangements, community housing Homelessness Service demonstrates
providers can leverage growth from existing purpose-built opportunities.
government investment and leverage private sector
Opened in July 2012, Brisbane Common Ground
funding to increase the supply of community and
(BCG) is the first purpose-built housing model of
affordable housing in Queensland. Through these its kind in Queensland and contains 146 units
arrangements, as at June 2020, 923 new social (135 studio and 11 one-bedroom units), onsite
and affordable dwellings have been approved, offices for the service provider (Micah Projects)
supported by over $75 million of government and commercial and retail space for lease on the
investment. Of these, 58 new dwellings have been ground floor.
completed with an investment of $11 million. BCG supports a mix of social groups, including
people who have experienced chronic
1.2.3 Transforming housing services
homelessness and people on low-to-moderate
Through Service Delivery Transformation, incomes. It provides person-centred supports
Queensland is modernising housing assistance to that assist each tenant to maintain secure
make it simpler for people to access services and housing, improve their health and wellbeing, and
to better understand and respond to customers’ improve social and economic outcomes.
holistic needs. Service responses go beyond In 2018-19, 116 people were assisted through
housing alone. Tailored Pathway Planning ensures BCG. Of these, 37 have exited to long-term
individual solutions are developed with the person housing. In the first three quarters of 2019, 99
to support their housing goals and delivered people were assisted through BCG.
through multi-agency responses. People are An independent evaluation* found that BCG is
connected with the support and community an effective and efficient housing and
services they need to improve their health and well- homelessness service that succeeds in assisting
a high proportion of its clients to improve their
being, social and economic participation and overall
lives, many of whom have experienced
life outcomes.
persistent disadvantage.
1.2.4 Building more social housing and urban The evaluation found that, on average, BCG
renewal projects saves governments $13,100 per person, per
year through reduced use of health services and
Social housing is critical social infrastructure and reduced contact with the criminal justice
vital for preventing homelessness. Through the system*.
$1.6 billion Housing Construction Jobs Program,
the Queensland Government is delivering 1,034 The evaluation estimated total savings of
new affordable homes and 4,522 social homes, $832,335 to the health system and $122,904 to
creating 450 full time construction jobs a year for the criminal justice system*.
ten years. *Institute for Social Science Research, The University of
Queensland (2015), Brisbane Common Ground Evaluation:
Adopting a partnership approach to renewing and Final Report prepared for the Queensland State
Government, Department of Housing and Public Works
repurposing government land and delivering more
social and affordable housing is creating jobs,
economic growth and better community outcomes.
As at 30 June 2020, 1,949 new social housing
dwellings have had contracts awarded for commencement, of these 1,061 have been completed.
This exceeds the first three-year target of 1,700 commencements by 249 dwellings. A further 473
commencements are targeted by 30 June 2021.
The Housing Construction Jobs Program delivers homes for vulnerable Queenslanders, while
supporting the building industry with a pipeline of construction opportunities, supporting local jobs
and helping build local economies.
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1.2.5 Support for people to access and sustain housing in the private market
Queensland’s social and affordable housing investment is supported by upstream interventions in
the housing continuum to prevent homelessness. Through actions from the Queensland Housing
Strategy, new services to an expanded group of low-income households have been introduced to
support entry into the private rental market or to maintain an existing tenancy.
This includes enhancements to the RentConnect service which assists people to find an affordable
and appropriate private rental property, no interest loans, extended Community Rent Scheme
funding enabling community housing providers to make properties available to people in housing
need, and Skillsets for Successful Tenancies – Dollars and Sense which provides tenancy training
to support better tenancy outcomes. A new Rent Security Subsidy has been introduced to help
Queenslanders overcome unexpected, short-term life events (such as illness or relationship
breakdown) which result in sudden reduced income and increased risk of homelessness.
The Helping Hand Headlease overcomes barriers for
households that have not been successful in securing a
private market tenancy for non-financial reasons. For
example, available housing may not be suitable to meet a
People in the criminal
person’s needs relating to mental health or disability. In justice system
these circumstances, the Queensland Government can
People in the criminal justice system
headlease a suitable property with the goal of the tenant
(those exiting prison or under the
taking over the tenancy after 6-12 months.
supervision in the community) may face a
1.2.6 Strong investment in homelessness services range of challenges that affect their ability
to obtain and sustain long-term housing.
The Queensland Government’s response to
Issues include access to identification, poor
homelessness is backed by a strong original funding
rental history and financial management,
commitment for 2019-20 of $239.7 million funding for SHS
substance abuse and mental health issues.
and other homelessness responses. Of this, $77.5 million
This combination of factors leads to both
was derived from Commonwealth funding under the
recidivism and repeat episodes of
National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA)
homelessness.
and $162.2 million in State funding allocation.
In 2019-20 the Queensland Government
Recognising the need for homelessness responses across
provided $1.911 million (GST exclusive) in
broader human services systems, some of this funding is
housing and support funding for the
invested in homelessness programs and initiatives
innovative Next Step Home – Women on
managed by non-Housing agencies, such as the
Parole pilot program, delivered by the
Homeless Emergency Department Liaison initiative
Department of Housing and Public Works in
(Queensland Health), Supported Independent Living
partnership with Queensland Corrective
Services (SILS) for Young People under Child Protection
Services, Sisters Inside, MARA Re-entry
Orders (Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women),
Service (delivered by SERO4). The program
and Re-entry Support Services (Queensland Corrective
fills a critical gap in the support needs and
Services).
systems for vulnerable women exiting prison
Commonwealth funding provided under the NHHA has through the delivery of wrap-around tenancy
enabled the Queensland Government to implement a management and re-entry support which
range of programs and initiatives to reduce homelessness. empowers women to build their capacity to
These programs and initiatives aim to provide vulnerable reform their lives. Since its inception, the
Queenslanders with a range of supports and interventions three-year pilot program has delivered
to prevent homelessness, including women and children coordinated housing and support services to
experiencing DFV, older Queenslanders, people exiting or more than 200 women who were homeless
under supervision of corrective services or the youth or at risk of homelessness following their
justice system, young people with a care experience, release from prison in South East
people with a disability, people experiencing mental health Queensland and Townsville.
or alcohol and drug use issues, and people living in
inappropriate and unsustainable settings, such as long
stay health facilities.
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Queensland is investing to ensure those most in need are supported by a safety net
of targeted services and products, flexible packages of housing support, long-term
housing and person-centred services.
All Government Queensland Government Commonwealth Government
Budget - 2019-2020 Budget - 2019-2020 Budget - 2019-2020
$239.7 million $162.2 million $77.5 million
Investing in specialist homelessness services is achieving long-term stable
housing solutions for people
Through partnerships with non-government organisations, Queensland invests in SHS to help
people to obtain housing, maintain their housing, and maximise their capacity to be independent,
self-reliant and connected to appropriate social and community supports. SHS take a case
management approach to delivering a range of services including outreach, temporary supported
accommodation, centre based and mobile support.
In 2019-20, $114 million in funding was provided by the Department of Housing and Public Works
to 86 non-government organisations for the operation of 168 SHS. On any given day in
Queensland in 2019, nearly 9,200 people were being supported by SHS 9. Of these clients, 1,200
were young people and over 3,100 were children in families 10.
Investing in place-based, person-centred integrated service responses
To deliver real and sustained change to the homelessness system, Queensland is adopting place-
based approaches that consider and respond to local contexts and needs. Since August 2019, the
Queensland Government has provided $1.93 million through a one-off investment to deliver the
Coordinated Housing and Homelessness Response – Integrating Services (integrating services
approach) in nine locations: Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Brisbane,
Redlands, Logan and the Gold Coast.
The integrating services approach addresses homelessness issues and uses place-based on-the-
ground teams and networks of services to respond to local contexts and needs. In 2018-19, 74 per
cent of all SHS (including DFV-specific SHS) assistance in Queensland was sought in these priority
areas11.
Place Based Response Teams (PBRT), comprised of government and non-government
representatives, work with funded outreach providers to proactively identify and engage people
who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness (particularly rough sleeping) and directly link
people with the housing and the support services they need. Funded Care Coordination Facilitators
increase capability of local care coordination groups to deliver integrated housing with support to
people with complex needs to assist them to obtain and sustain their housing and improve their life
outcomes.
9 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Specialist Homelessness service 2018-19: Queensland
10 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Specialist Homelessness service 2018-19: Queensland
11AIHW Specialist Housing Services Collection (SHSC) 2018-19 Client and Support Periods files and Homelessness
Program Mega database
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Investing in dignity that lasts
To complement specialist homelessness responses, Queensland is investing in dignity that lasts
through the Dignity First Fund (DFF). Since DFF was established in 2016, five annual funding rounds
have been delivered, providing $12.4 million to 158 organisations across Queensland to deliver 162
projects.
Over this time, DFF has evolved to respond to emerging homelessness need. DFF rounds one to
three (delivered over 2016-2018) aimed to meet immediate needs that could not be addressed
through existing SHS funding sources, such as provision of food and hygiene products.
In 2019, DFF round four funding shifted focus towards targeted investment in longer-term dignity
outcomes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, such as building life and tenancy skills,
improving connections to community, and providing opportunities for training and employment. To be
eligible, initiatives needed to support sustainable improvements to a person’s situation to prevent a
return to homelessness and offer dignity that lasts. In 2020, DFF was tailored to respond to the
immediate needs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness during COVID-19.
Investing in ensuring people experiencing domestic and family violence are safe
Women and children experiencing domestic and family violence are vulnerable to homelessness and
many women continue to live with violence because they fear becoming homeless and lack
affordable housing options. As at May 2020, of the 25,000 applications made to the Housing register,
more than 2,200 were clients experiencing DFV12.
In 2019-20 the Queensland Government invested $33 million for 47 organisations to deliver 60 SHS
specifically aimed at providing temporary accommodation, mobile support and centre-based services
for women and children experiencing DFV. Through Queensland’s Crisis Accommodation Program,
DFV shelters across Queensland deliver 320 places of accommodation for women and children each
night.
Queensland’s integrated service approach establishes a structured and collaborative multi-agency
mechanism across service systems that ensures the safety of people experiencing DFV, while
holding perpetrators to account for their violence. Multi-agency High Risk Teams provide
collaborative, integrated, culturally appropriate safety responses in eight locations across
Queensland – Logan/Beenleigh, Mount Isa, Cherbourg, Brisbane, Ipswich, Cairns, Mackay, and
Caboolture.
Specialist response teams support frontline housing staff to tailor, plan and coordinate housing
assistance in conjunction with DFV specialists, DFV integrated service responses and mainstream
services. People who are at-risk of homelessness, or at risk from a safety perspective, receive an
immediate service response including specialist DFV service referral, relocation and/or financial
assistance. Housing Service Centres will perform pathway planning to ensure people experiencing or
at risk of homelessness as a result of DFV receive an integrated and tailored service.
Between 2017 and 2020, new shelters have been delivered in Caboolture, Roma and the Gold
Coast, with replacement shelters delivered in Cherbourg and Pormpuraaw. Two additional units of
accommodation have been delivered in the Redlands and shelter replacement projects are underway
in Woorabinda and the Gold Coast. A further new shelter is programmed for Charters Towers.
Through a funding agreement with the Australian Government, the Queensland Government has
implemented the Keeping Women Safe in their Homes initiative, which allocates technology products
to people experiencing DFV as part of a safety plan. This includes installation of CCTV, mobile
phones and personal safety devices linked to an external monitoring service that notifies police
should the device be activated. While not appropriate for all victims, these measures can enable
women experiencing DFV to remain in their own home, thereby reducing the risk of homelessness.
12Housing Register, Queensland: Number of applications by level of need, as at 30 May 2020, Department of Housing
and Public Works, May 2020.
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Queensland’s COVID-19 Response for Residential Tenancies includes special measures to give
tenants experiencing DFV more options to manage their tenancy arrangements and enact plans to
end the violence. These measures include allowing tenants experiencing DFV to end their interest in
a tenancy agreement with seven days’ notice of their intention to leave supported by appropriate
evidence. These tenants can leave immediately after providing notice and their liability for break
lease costs will be capped at the equivalent of one weeks’ rent.
State and Commonwealth COVID-19 DFV funding packages have been announced to address the
impacts of the pandemic on people experiencing DFV. This includes an additional $1.7 million in
Queensland Government funding for crisis accommodation, including transitioning women to
alternative accommodation to keep shelters available.
National Partnership on COVID-19 DFV Responses also include $824,000 for enhanced crisis and
post-crisis accommodation and support; $546,000 for existing services to assist women from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, prioritising those on temporary visas with crisis
accommodation and other services (recognising their ineligibility for many supports available to
permanent residents); $50,000 to support domestic violence services in the area of tenancy law,
empowering them to advocate for women in the private rental market to access safe, supported
accommodation options; and $114,000 for services that provide practical support for women and
their children, including the provision of household goods for women establishing new homes free
from violence.
Investing in housing to support positive health outcomes and enable older
Queenslanders to age in place
Older Queenslanders experiencing homelessness have increased 46.7 per cent since 2006 13. In
2018-19, approximately 2,676 older people accessed SHS in Queensland14.
The department is committed to ensuring that 50 per cent of public housing dwellings are
constructed to Livable Housing Design Guidelines to increase accessibility and adaptability and
support ageing in place. Home Assist Secure provides subsidies to older people and people of any
age with disability towards works that assist them to continue to live safely and accessibly in their
own homes.
The Queensland Government has enhanced the Home Assist Secure program with an additional
$10 million to allow for grants of up to $5,000 to support older Queenslanders and people of any age
with disability to help them stay safe and secure in their own home.
The department’s expanded suite of private market products and flexible assistance packages
support people, including older people, to access private rental properties and to sustain existing
private market tenancies. The Queensland Government is investing in new solutions, including
$365,000 in the award-winning Better Together Housing (BTH) model for older women who are
finding it difficult to secure affordable housing. Through BTH, vulnerable women have choices
regarding how to manage their housing needs so they can be self-directed, age in place in their
community of choice and make positive social connections. BTH brings together older women who
are looking to share private rental properties so they can meet and consider forming co-tenancies.
The model is currently being supported in the Sunshine Coast and Mackay.
Poor access to suitable housing options for homeless people, and people at risk of homelessness,
places pressure on the health system, can lead to unnecessary or prolonged stays in hospital and
divert medical resources. For older Queenslanders and those with disability it also places them at
risk of experiencing a hospital acquired complication.
Queensland’s population continues to age and live longer. A focus on maintaining health and
supporting older people to age in place, with appropriate accommodation, will lead to better
outcomes for older people, their families, and carers and ensure the capacity of the health and
hospital systems are maintained.
13Housing situations of older Queenslanders by Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors.
14AIHW Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC) 2018-19 Client and Support Periods files and
Homelessness Program Mega database, June 2020.
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Investing in improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders make up 23 per cent of the homeless population
and are six times more likely to experience homelessness than other Queenslanders 15.
The Queensland Government is partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to
respond to the unique housing experiences and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Queenslanders, close the gap in housing disadvantage, and deliver culturally appropriate, person-
centred responses that consider the impacts of colonisation and intergenerational trauma.
Launched in 2019, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Action Plan 2019-2023 is driven
by a new way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It places local
communities at the forefront of decision-making, delivering place-based responses that empower
communities to develop local solutions.
In partnership with communities, local housing plans are being developed in urban, regional, remote
and discrete communities to identify local needs and priorities. Where homelessness is identified as
a priority, the housing plans consider the local contexts and promote community involvement and
engagement in the development and delivery of programs.
Currently, a Queensland Government review is being undertaken into the situational challenges of
street homelessness in Cairns and Mount Isa, including how homelessness intersects with issues of
drug and alcohol use. Once the review is completed, work will be undertaken to agree and
implement an improved model for service delivery for people experiencing homelessness and other
vulnerable people.
Through Local Thriving Communities (LTC), the Queensland Government is operationalising its 2018
response to the Queensland Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into service delivery in remote and
discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. At the centre of LTC is the need for
staged and meaningful change to create the enabling environment for local decision making.
Investing in reducing overcrowding in remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities
Queensland has a large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population with many remote and
discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities where social housing is the predominant
tenure and overcrowding is an ongoing challenge.
Poorer environmental health conditions and overcrowding in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities is contributing to higher levels of communicable diseases and hospitalisation rates. The
high level of severe overcrowding significantly contributes to Queensland’s homelessness count.
Appropriate, well-maintained housing is critical to Closing the Gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples’ social and economic disadvantage.
In addition to cultural factors that contribute to overcrowding, such as kinship obligations, there are
underlying factors that also play a role, including the lack of freehold land in discrete Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities, communal title, 99-year leases and the inability to own and sell a
home in the same way as other Queenslanders due to land tenure arrangements.
A 2017 independent report on remote housing commissioned by the Australian Government
estimates that by 2028, approximately 1,100 new homes will be required in Queensland’s remote
communities to address long term housing demand16.
15 ABS Census of Population and Housing: Estimating homelessness, 2016 Table 1.3. Note, 23% is calculated when
‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status ‘Not stated’ is removed. When the ‘Not stated’ category is included,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders make up 21 per cent of the homeless population.
16 Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, (2017) Remote Housing Review: A
review of the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Housing and the Remote Housing Strategy (2008-2018)
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The Queensland Government remains committed to addressing issues of homelessness and
overcrowding in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. When the National
Partnership on Remote Housing ceased in 2018, the Queensland Government committed $40 million
of State funds for an interim remote housing capital program. Communities have been placed at the
centre of decision-making, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mayors deciding how funding
will be allocated.
Queensland has accepted an offer of $105 million from the Commonwealth Government for remote
housing investment. Queensland will use this investment to deliver new housing construction in 17
Indigenous Local Government Authorities.
In order to continue to address overcrowding in remote and discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities, an ongoing commitment of investment from the Commonwealth is required.
The Queensland Government will continue to advocate for such a commitment.
Investing in preventing homelessness in young people
Queensland is investing in new and expanded Youth Foyers (including in Logan, the Gold Coast and
Townsville) to provide young people with immediate stable housing and support to gain essential
practical life skills to help them transition into mainstream accommodation and live independently.
Youth Foyers are an internationally recognised pathway for young people to develop the skills they
need to achieve independence and reduce their risk of homelessness, while pursuing their
employment and career goals.
Several supports are provided for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in
Queensland. This includes the delivery of Youth Support Services in 90 locations across the State.
The Youth CONNECT social benefit bond is working with young people aged 15 to 25 exiting
statutory care or custody and at risk of homelessness in Logan, Ipswich and Townsville, to access
safe, stable, affordable and appropriate housing, and build the life skills they need to successfully live
independently in the future.
Research indicates that around 63 per cent of young people experiencing homelessness have a
state care history17. Transition to Adulthood initiatives include Next Step Plus services to support
young people transitioning or who have transitioned from care. Queensland has eight Next Step Plus
services which work in partnership with the Queensland Government to support young people with a
child protection care experience aged 15-25 years to transition to adulthood. The Next Step Plus
service works to build a young person’s skills, knowledge and connections required for adulthood,
including the skills to maintain appropriate housing.
The Queensland Government also provides hands-on support for young people transitioning from
care who have complex and extreme behavioural, psychological, emotional, disability and mental
health needs and who are most at risk of homelessness. Through the Transition and Post Care
Support Program managed by the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women, Transition
Officers provide direct support to young people to plan their transition to adulthood. Transition
Officers continue to provide post care support to ensure the young people live safely, are well
supported in and connected to their community, are involved in work or appropriate daytime
activities, and build and maintain relationships. The Program aims to support at least 300 young
people each year.
In spite of this investment there remain some key service gaps, particularly for children under the age
of 16 who are in need of safe, age-appropriate housing and for whom a child safety intervention has
either been considered unnecessary or the child has rejected the placement offering.
17The Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia, Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Social Impact,
Charles Sturt University, The University of Western Australia in partnership with the Salvation Army, Mission Australia
and Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn
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Young people in the youth justice system are at high risk of homelessness as demonstrated in the
annual Youth Justice Census in Queensland which shows that 15 per cent of young people under
supervision in the community or in detention met the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definition
of homelessness on the annual Youth Justice census date of 28 June 2019. The rates for girls, and
for younger children aged 10 to 13 years, are each 20 per cent18.
Young people in the youth justice system are at high risk of homelessness due to factors including
family and domestic violence, parental substance abuse, family transience, lack of family support,
substance abuse, use of violence, and challenging behaviours associated with mental illness or
intellectual disability.
These young people typically have complex needs that cannot be readily met by mainstream youth
homelessness services. They may be excluded from the limited services available to their age cohort
due to their perceived high risk associated with their criminal justice involvement. They may also fail
to meet a service’s definition of homelessness if they are able to stay with friends of extended family,
even if this home is overcrowded or otherwise unsuitable, which is a particular issue for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander young people.
A limited range of accommodation is currently provided specifically for young people in the youth
justice system through the Supervised Community Accommodation program in Brisbane and in
Townsville. Adequate planning for transition from detention is essential, so that appropriate
arrangements for young people’s accommodation are in place and they are linked with education
and support services before they exit.
Investing in emergency relief and individual support for people seeking asylum and
people with a temporary protection visa
Vulnerable migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum are vulnerable to housing stress, housing
insecurity and homelessness and may experience challenges accessing homelessness prevention
and transition services, including navigating the service system and availability of culturally safe
services.
Under the Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance program, the Queensland Government provides
funding to a non-government organisation to deliver emergency relief and individual support,
including employment, housing and mental health assistance to people seeking asylum and people
with a temporary protection visa. Appropriate accommodation options are identified, including short-
term accommodation made available by charities or provision of a subsidy for rental costs.
Supporting mental health and addiction
People with mental health or drug and alcohol issues can have greater housing instability and are
often subject to tenuous housing and risk of homelessness due to their mental health and or drug and
alcohol issues. Poor housing circumstances can have a significant effect on mental state and substance
misuse.
SHS are delivered through a case management approach which connects clients to wrap around support
services including mental health services and drug and alcohol services as required, with some SHS
having health workers on site or integrated into their outreach teams. Since June 2018 Queensland
Government has funded a program to provide support to participants of the Queensland Drug and Alcohol
Court, a diversionary program for drug and alcohol dependent adult offenders, while eligible participants
are sentence to a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order rather than being incarcerated.
18 Youth Justice Census 2019, Department of Youth Justice Queensland, June 2020.
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1.3 A snapshot of homelessness in Queensland
Queensland is Australia’s third most populous
state, with a rapidly growing but decentralised
population. The state’s population is set to
New Australians face
increase from approximately 5.1 million people challenge finding home
in 2019 to almost 7.2 million people by 204119,
Gaps in support services for migrants, refugees
placing increasing pressure on service systems
and asylum seekers is leading to increased risk
and housing markets.
of homelessness
Queensland’s regionalised nature presents
Beyond the usual barriers to securing affordable
challenges for creating appropriate local
rental housing, people experiencing socio-economic
responses to housing and homelessness.
or other disadvantage may also face discrimination in
Considerable costs are incurred providing
the private rental market when their income is from
equitable services for people outside South
government payments, in low paid jobs, if they are
East Queensland.
sole parents, if they have a large family, if someone
The vast distances between regional centres in the household has a disability, if they are from a
and outer regional and remote communities diverse cultural background, or have limited English
create challenges in delivering the necessary language skills.
supports to assist people to obtain and sustain
appropriate housing. While the Queensland For many new migrants, refugees and asylum
Government operates 21 Housing Service seekers, these barriers can be acute and may lead to
Centres across the state, Housing Service insecure housing outcomes, extreme housing stress
Centre staff can be required to travel upward of and homelessness.
1,300 km to deliver services and support. In some cases, suitable accommodation is
Additionally, access to the broader range of unavailable, such as large homes that consider
human services can be limited in more remote cultural norms such as large families or multi-
locations, which can exacerbate challenges for generational households.
people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Refugees and people seeking asylum, many of whom
Homelessness in Queensland is driven in part
have encountered hardship and trauma prior to
by national economic factors, including housing
entering Australia, are especially vulnerable to
affordability pressures, combined with stalling
housing stress, housing insecurity and
wages growth and income support that has not
homelessness.
kept pace with the cost of living20. While efforts
to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People on a bridging or temporary protection visa
disadvantage, improve outcomes for people often rely on charitable support or short-term
experiencing mental health issues and prevent employment to make a living and cannot afford high
DFV have been the focus of action for all rental costs for bigger or appropriately sized
governments, these factors continue as key risk accommodation.
factors for homelessness.
The most vulnerable people seeking asylum may
In Queensland, the top three reasons for have work rights, access to Medicare, provision for
people seeking homelessness assistance were school-age children to access education, but are not
financial difficulties (47 per cent), housing crisis eligible for other accommodation or income support
(41 per cent) and housing affordability stress benefits. The result is that vulnerable people seeking
(35 per cent). These themes are consistent with asylum may face extreme financial, emotional and
housing stress, including homelessness risks. These
risks are exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19.
19Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (QGSO) Queensland Regional Profiles
20Pawson, H., Parsell, C., Saunders, P., Hill, T. & Liu, E. (2018) Australian Housing Monitor 2018, Launch Housing,
Victoria
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