Together Home update

Meet Ruby, one of Hume’s Together Home customers.

 

As most of us in the industry know, a silver lining from the COVID-19 pandemic is that it put homelessness in the spotlight, highlighting the importance of access to safe and secure housing.

COVID-19 resulted in the NSW State Government rolling out the Together Home Program, which started in July 2019.  Together Home is an extension of the Community Housing Leasing Program (CHLP). Community Housing Providers (CHP) across NSW have been engaged to head lease properties in the private rental market in order to house people who are or have been sleeping rough.

In line with Housing First principles, Together Home is premised on a separation between housing and support functions. In addition to tenancy supports, program participants also receive trauma-informed, wrap-around support to address underlying risk factors associated with homelessness.

The implementation of the program was a task that had to be executed speedily to keep people with high levels of vulnerability safe.  This was successfully achieved through a collaborative approach between CHP’s and Department of Communities and Justice. The Together Home program again demonstrates how experienced and capable CHP’s are in delivering agile solutions to support people with complex support needs.

Hume Community Housing are very pleased to be part of this program, receiving $1.1 million over two years to house and support people sleeping rough in South West Sydney.

We valued the intent of the program recognising the importance of housing first principles and wrap around supports in order to create opportunities for those with complex needs and who have been sleeping rough to prosper knowing they have safe and secure housing. 

Hume were able to successfully find suitable accommodation for the 14 customers referred to us from Department of Communities and Justice in accordance with the program guidelines.  Our customers had been sleeping rough in Liverpool and Fairfield and now have long term housing, with intensive support coordination by Hume.

Hume was able to house 86% of customers within six weeks of entry into the program.  All received immediate practical support which initially focused on identifying suitable properties which met their needs and preferences. 

The Together Home Program is based on Housing First principles which includes minimising the barriers to housing and enabling choice.  Hume has worked hard to adhere to the Housing First principles by: 

• Including customers in all the decision-making processes with the right to choose a property and reject it.  They pick the location and viewed properties before signing leases.
   
• Ensuring needs are met.  For example, one customer with mobility issues needed a wheelchair accessible property, so it took time to find the right home, but eventually this took place. And it was worth the wait.
   
• Providing support. Hume recruited two experienced Customer Support Coordinators to provide intensive support at the Housing First recommended 1:7 ratio.  This has enabled highly proactive engagement tailored to the individual’s needs.  For example, one of Hume’s customers is a 41 years old Aboriginal man with complex challenges, Hume is focusing on helping him reconnect with family and country. He was sleeping rough and in a vulnerable state, having mental health issues following time in prison where he lost connection to his people. Hume is working in partnership with Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation to support this customer receives a culturally appropriate service.
   
• Ensuring fidelity to the Housing First Principle of separation of support and housing, Hume has clearly defined scope within the key positions of Property Coordinator for all property related needs; Housing Independence Officer for all tenancy related matters, including improving the customers understanding of their rights and responsibilities; and Customer Support Coordinators who link and coordinate the customers with wrap around supports.  At the same time, Hume works as an integrated team to ensure the best outcome for the customer. 

Key learnings:  

• Hume says that on top of this list is persistence and working with customers at their own pace. Customers need time to adjust to their new environment and to build trust with their supports. Hume puts the customer in the driver’s seat. At Hume we understand that many people have experience of trauma which influences levels of engagement. One customer left his property for four weeks and despite every effort to locate him, he could not be found.  He was reported missing but soon after returned to collect his keys and return to live in his property. 
   
• Safety is a very important component and customers need to feel safe before they can open-up and talk about their needs. For those customers who have experienced severe hardship and lived in isolation for a long time, there is no quick fix, so you need to listen to them and hear their needs.
   
• Focusing on an individual’s strengths is key. With appropriate support in place, the program will assist many people to turn their life around.
   
• Provide the guidelines but leave the customer to make up their own mind.
   
• Everyone is different and their circumstances vary for why they have been sleeping rough for a long time – trauma, divorce, mental health, addictions, prison, disconnection, depression. Showing these customers hope and pathway to safety must be done slowly.

If you would like to talk to Hume about their experience, email their Together Home program leader at [email protected].  

You can also watch the recent story on Network 10 where Hume customer Alex tells his story.

This article was originally published in the November issue of PowerHousing Australia’s monthly news.