Adelaide Zero Project

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Human Services regarding homelessness in the city. Can the minister please provide an update to the council on the most recent data from the Adelaide Zero Project?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:45): I thank the honourable member for her question. We were very pleased that in the month of September we saw a reduction in the number of rough sleepers in the CBD. The numbers do fluctuate from time to time. The Adelaide Zero Project, which is a partnership between the South Australian government, the Don Dunstan Foundation and all the homelessness service providers in and around the CBD, has the goal of functional zero homelessness for the Adelaide city and parklands.

The program has been operating since 2017-18, I understand, and did its first big survey in May last year, with another one this year. Those will be running every May, with the continuous collection of data by the specialist homelessness services to track what is known as the By-Name List, a list of all the people rough sleeping in that particular area, tracking what happens to them, what services they receive and whether they are housed.

As I said, we were particularly pleased that the numbers had reduced for the current September figures to 163. Obviously, that is a lot more than we wish to see, given that we are aiming for a target of functional zero homelessness. As a partner in this project, the South Australian Housing Authority has been providing, I think, about 10 properties per month for people to have a permanent placement, and I am really pleased that the largest number of people ever have been re-homed from this particular zone at 238 people.

Starting next week, Mr Ian Cox, who I have referred to, will be taking up the role of specialist homelessness director within the South Australian Housing Authority. We have also this month, just recently, opened The Waymouth, which has been contracted to Carrington Cottages. It is a hostel-type property that can house up to 25 people, including couples and pets, which people may have seen. Clearly, maintaining people's relationships is part of the preferred journey for people to maintain those connections.

There are a lot of actions taking place on this front, and I commend the Adelaide Zero Project, given that it is collecting probably the most accurate data we have ever seen in this state, and is tracking how people exit homelessness and what services are most effective. I look forward to that ongoing partnership in our goal of functional zero homelessness by 2020.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hunter, a supplementary.