Partnering On Homelessness Reforms

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:17): I seek leave to deliver a ministerial statement on the subject of partnering on homelessness reforms.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: Last year, the Marshall Liberal government released a once-in-a-generation plan to modernise our state housing system. Our housing, homelessness and support strategy, entitled Our Housing Future 2020-30, set a road map to help more South Australians reach their housing aspirations, grow jobs and boost the economy, and we have already begun this important work.

We are focused on providing pathways for people out of homelessness, crisis and temporary accommodation, and rental stress and into safe, stable and affordable housing. We know we need to do better for those South Australians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, including as a result of domestic and family violence.

Reform in this sector is long overdue. We have heard loud and clear from service providers and people with lived experience that we need to change the way services are delivered—currently a fragmented system of disconnected services that are difficult to navigate for people in crisis—to achieve better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

We need to prevent people from falling into homelessness. We need to ensure that people get the right support they need when they need it and, if someone does experience homelessness, we need to rapidly rehouse them into safe, stable and long-term housing so they do not spend years in and out of homelessness. Today, this government is committing to achieving these outcomes with the release of Future Directions for Homelessness, which sets a new direction for homelessness and domestic and family violence services in this state.

With a new alliance model governing our services, South Australia will be leading the nation in homelessness service delivery. Services need to be integrated, collaborative, transparent and accountable. For people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, the reform system will ensure services are easy to access and tailored to need, with a focus on long-term outcomes.

Homelessness services will adopt a housing-first approach to better connect people to accommodation and housing options. They will also adopt a principle of cultural integrity and commitment to work with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations to deliver culturally appropriate services. Importantly, a domestic and family violence alliance with a safety-first approach will be supported to integrate with homelessness services.

Alliance partnerships will be created across the Greater Adelaide metropolitan area and country South Australia. A statewide, system-wide steering group will provide oversight and ensure linkages between alliances.

Perhaps the most well-known example of a homelessness alliance is the reform occurring in the city of Glasgow in Scotland. I have visited Glasgow and seen the benefits of creating structures that break down outdated and siloed service delivery and funding models. Clear direction, accountability and connection to what clients need, and with a focus on outcomes, will deliver services which are able to help more people more efficiently.

Our recent response to rough sleeping in South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated what can be achieved for vulnerable people when government and providers join forces. Through this response, more than 540 people have been provided with short-term accommodation and support to address their housing and other needs from a base of stability rather than crisis.

The SA Housing Authority will now work with our service providers to shift from more than 75 individual program-based contracts to a smaller number of alliance-based contracts, with providers working together in a more formal and structured way. To support the service sector to develop their alliances, a series of workshops will be held through October and November before a tender is released for the new alliances, which are due to commence on 1 July 2021.

I invite our non-government partners to join with government to be part of this transformational reform. By working together, we can harness our collective impact to prevent and reduce homelessness across South Australia.