$15m vision to transform SA’s homelessness services to the city and southern regions of Adelaide
‘Toward Home’, a new Alliance comprising some of the nation’s leading agencies in the community services sector, has won a $15 million State Government tender to reform homelessness services in South Australia.
Led by Lutheran Care, the Alliance will bring together for the first time Aboriginal Community Services, Baptist Care SA, Mission Australia, Sonder and The Salvation Army and focus on shifting homelessness services from crisis management to early intervention and prevention.
“Our successful strategy represents the most significant service reform in the sector for many years,” says Rohan Feegrade, CEO of Lutheran Care, the lead agency for the Alliance.
“This new vision places the client at the heart of an innovative approach to the delivery of homelessness services, ensuring the voices of those experiencing trauma and displacement are heard loud and clear,” Mr Feegrade says.“
Our vision aims to prevent homelessness in the city and Southern Adelaide region. We are looking forward to working collaboratively to swiftly implement system reform. Alliance members have valuable expertise and a strong track record in providing services and supports to South Australians who are experiencing homelessness. The need to implement a suite of effective early intervention programs to shift the curve once and for all is urgently required.”
Distinctive attributes of the new approach include:
- A more tailored response to people’s specific situations of homelessness, including ‘Prevent’ for those at risk of homelessness, ‘Divert’ for people who have newly become homeless, ‘Toward Home Wardli-ana’ for Aboriginal people experiencing homelessness and ‘Resolve’ for people who have been homeless long term
- Capturing the voice of people with lived experience of the homelessness system
- Better access to modern, affordable and sustainable housing including exciting redevelopments
- The ability to complement government funding through philanthropic support above and beyond SA’s public purse
- Expertise in the design and delivery of an innovative model based on national and international best practice.
“We applaud the State Government for their ambitious reform agenda,” Mr Feegrade says.
“Working collaboratively with them will be critical to the successful implementation of the reforms needed to achieve the end of homelessness within the city and Southern Adelaide region.”
Please see the attached Media Release and link to Lutheran Care’s Toward Home webpage.