HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-06 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Homelessness Alliances

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:28): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding shelter and mental health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Last week, the mental health round table issued a 10-point plan. The plan stated:

Stand up emergency accommodation for an initial 100 people across the metro area working with homeless service providers.

Expand this on as needed and uncapped basis for the rest of 2021-22. Exactly what was done at height of pandemic.

Just get people into shelter. We can then provide the in reach and get them on a road to recovery.

And:

Cost: Not estimated but based on Perth’s experience, savings of $2.50 for every $1 invested.

My questions to the minister are:

1. How does the minister's new plan align with the expert recommendation to stand up 100 crisis beds in the metro area, when 67 are now closing in seven weeks?

2. Why would the minister ignore a recommendation that saves money?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:29): I thank the honourable member for her question, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the ways that the South Australian government, in partnership with the non-government sector, is seeking to improve homelessness services going forward.

Can I say at the outset that the assertion that 67 crisis beds are closing is incorrect. I have responded to that already and, as I have said, the successful tenderer alliance is in discussions with all of the parties who were part of the unsuccessful tender to see how they may fit into the new alliance going forward.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: But you don't know when, how or where.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: Sixty-seven are closing, aren't they?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I think it would be highly inappropriate for politicians in this chamber to try to pre-empt how that should look, because, quite frankly, none of us are the experts. We should leave it to those who are.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: So 67 are closing and you don't know what's replacing them.

The PRESIDENT: The deputy leader asked a question; she might like to listen to the answer.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I noticed that, in her disorderly interjection, she continues to assert things that I have already stated are factually incorrect. She can continue to do so and I will continue to correct—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: To mislead the parliament.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: You might like to withdraw that.

The PRESIDENT: Order! I didn't hear the comment—

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: You might like to withdraw that.

The PRESIDENT: —but if the honourable deputy leader feels like withdrawing then I would invite her to do so.

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: If the minister is offended, I withdraw the comment.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I am offended.

The PRESIDENT: I think you should do that on your feet.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: On your feet.

The PRESIDENT: I don't need any help, the Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: Shame, Mr Ridgway! I withdraw the comment.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for that. So where was I? In relation to mental health and homelessness reforms going forward, indeed we did note during the COVID lockdown last year when we had our program, which I think has been broadly commended in terms of assisting people who were rough sleeping or were homeless in South Australia for a range of reasons, that we were able to house up to in the order of 550 people, 250 of whom have now been permanently placed.

What we noticed at the time, which I think is reflected in the honourable member's question, is that through that process, when people had a stable place as residents, the mental health services and Drug and Alcohol Services knew where to find them, in effect, and those people were able to be stabilised, and that was of great assistance.

That is part of what we are looking for as part of our model going forward, so that we do have specialist mental health services as part of our homeless reforms going forward. The successful tender I think is quite an innovative one. I look forward to being able to provide more details about that into the future, particularly as it establishes on 1 July and rolls out. As part of that, Sonder Care is one of the alliance partners within that alliance, so the wraparound services are certainly going to be part of the new services.

I would also like to point out that there is a new service that will be establishing fairly soon through the site at Holbrooks in the western suburbs, which emanates from our picking up the benefit, if you like, of housing people through the hotel-motel program and people being able to receive assistances on site and having a fixed place of residence. Those are coming online quite soon. Part of the alliance process going forward, in Adelaide south, has the mental health component.

Of course, the governance of the alliances is actually very important too, because what it does is not just rely on a single service provider having that particular expertise within its own suite of services that it provides but, because of the governance process where all the organisations are represented at that level, they are able to share that expertise across both the senior level and through their staff to ensure that people who are experiencing homelessness—whether indeed it is due to mental health, drugs and alcohol or domestic and family violence—are able to receive those services at the point of entry. So the person receives a single assessment rather than having to navigate across multiple service providers. At that point, those services are able to be brought in to assist them.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT