National Housing and Homelessness Plan

Ending homelessness relies on making the reforms needed to address the main reasons that people become homeless, including poverty, lack of access to housing, racism and discrimination and domestic and family violence. This discussion includes presentations from Professor Guy Johnson from RMIT University and Jacqueline Phillips from ACOSS discussing the major reforms needed to end homelessness risk for all, and audience discussion.

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Explore Jacqui Phillip’s slides

Explore Guy Johnson’s slides

The national housing and homelessness peaks the Community Housing Industry Association, National Shelter and Homelessness Australia hosted this event to hear from housing and homelessness experts about the scope and ambition needed in the Plan and the major policy reforms that are needed to address the housing crisis and to end homelessness.

• Dr Chris Martin drew on his recent work for AHURI on what makes an excellent housing and homelessness strategy.
• Dr Marcus Spiller spoke about the key issues that need to be tackled to ensure the delivery of more affordable housing.
• Cameron Parsell focused on what a national plan should consider and tackle to end homelessness.
• Margaret Pfoh spoke to why a specific First Nations housing strategy is needed, based on the experience of the BC Indigenous Housing Strategy 2022.

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Preventing homelessness for children and young people
Unaccompanied homeless children and young people are a significant cohort of people presenting to homelessness services. Many have experienced significant trauma in the home as result of domestic and family violence, abuse neglect, or rejection. This discussion will focus on how we can intervene early to prevent children and young people experiencing homelessness.
We now have a recording of the event that you can view here to hear presentations from:

• Associate Professor David Mackenzie spoke about the system changes needed to prevent homelessness for young people, including place-based coordination.
• Paul McDonald spoke about the importance of making child and youth homelessness a national priority and driving change to better support families and children to thrive
• Joal Presincula shared her reflections on the changes needed to address child and youth homelessness

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This discussion hosted  in partnership with Mind Australia explored the policy changes needed in the National Plan so the needs of people experiencing significant mental illness who also experience homelessness are met.

Speakers included:

• Mind Australia CEO Gill Callister
• Mind Australia Executive Director Housing Strategy Mark Heeney
• Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin
• Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Senior Manager Professional Services Dr Nicola Brackertz
• Summer Foundation Research Fellow Dr Elroy Dearn.

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Ending homelessness for victim survivors of domestic and family violence
Domestic and family violence is the biggest driver of homelessness for women and children. This consultation hosted by the Women’s Safety Alliance and Women’s Community Shelters in partnership with Homelessness Australia explored the changes needed to end homelessness for victim survivors of domestic and family violence.

Increasingly natural disasters are taking a terrible toll on Australian communities often destroying thousands of homes over a matter of days. The discussion explored what the National Plan needs to include to better plan for and respond to the inevitable increase in homelessness resulting from natural disasters.

Speakers included:

• Professor David Sanderson, the Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture at UNSW, and an international expert in disaster recovery with a focus on emergency housing support for disadvantaged communities displaced by natural disasters.
• Ryan van den Nouwelant, senior lecturer in the Arts, Design and Architecture faculty of UNSW
• Amanda Dexter, CEO of the Shire of Derby and West Kimberley that has been very involved in the response to the January 2023 Kimberley floods.

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Children and young people without a home or who face a risk of homelessness have particular needs that are specific to their stage of development. This session hosted by YFoundations in partnership with Homelessness Australia explored what a service system needs to include to end homelessness for children and young people.

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Read more:

• Calling for a Standalone National Child and Youth Housing and Homelessness Strategy, Catherine Robinson, Trish Connolly and Shorna Moore
• Ending Unaccompanied Child Homelessness in Australia, Catherine Robinson
• Opinion: Trish Connolly 

This discussion focused on what the National Plan needs to include to prevent older people losing their homes, and to meet their needs if they do lose their homes.

Speakers included Fiona York, Executive Officer, Housing for the Aged Action Group, a specialist service working with older people experiencing homelessness and Tanya Atkinson, the Research, Evaluation and Policy Manager  at Wintringham, a specialist community housing and aged care service providing aged care and housing to older people who have experienced homelessness.

Watch the forum

Explore Fiona’s slides

Explore Tanya’s slides

Read the Housing for the Aged Action Group guide to writing a submission to the national plan

Discrimination in the broader community and conflict, abuse and exclusion from people’s family of origin mean that LGBTIQ+ people are overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness.

This discussion focused on what the National Housing and Homelessness Plan needs to include to prevent LGBTIQ+ people losing their homes, and to meet their needs if they do lose their homes.

Following this conversation, Homelessness Australia has developed these notes relating to LGBTIQ+ homelessness and recommendations for change that you can use to inform your submission to the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

LGBTIQ+ homelessness key messages doc

Outline of forum

• Kate Colvin (she/her), CEO, Homelessness Australia spoke about the findings of the GALFA LGBTQ Homelessness Research Project
• James Zanotto (he/him) the Policy, Research and Communications Direct at LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, spoke about the health drivers and health consequences of homelessness.
• Joe Ball (he/him) CEO of Switchboard Victoria spoke about family rejection as a driver of homelessness and the importance of data to give greater visibility to LGBTIQA+ people experiencing homelessness.
• Michelle Thompson (she/her), Acting CEO at Family Access Network (FAN), spoke about FAN’s work providing homelessness services to LGBTIQ+ young people

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Explore slide from LGBTIQ+ Health Australia