50 Lives 50 Homes – A campaign to house and support people who are chronically homeless 7th of September, 2012, Melbourn

1. 50 Lives 50 Homes – A campaign to house and support people who are chronically homeless 7th of September, 2012, Melbourne. Karen Walsh Coordinator Micah Projects Jim DeCouto Team Leader – Street to Home Micah Projects

2. The Street to Home team • Operates 7 days a week • 6am – 2am Monday to Friday • 9am – 2am Saturday and Sunday • 16 workers – full time and part time • National Partnership Agreement on • Homelessness • Model • Assertive outreach • Housing First • Adapted from successful strategies in US

3. Step one – Build a local team Street to Home service commenced April 2010 Local team built from community members, professionals, NGO's, corporate, interested stakeholders Partnerships mobilised through 50 Lives 50 Homes Campaign Momentum built towards Registry Week

4. Step two – Clarify demand • Registry Week • Vulnerability Index • Total of 231 people surveyed • Striking baseline statistics: • 65% of surveyed have significant chronic health conditions • High levels of disability • Most vulnerable - average of 6.31 years spent homeless

5. Step three – Line up supply • Rough Sleepers Service Coordination Group • Partners work together to: • progress individuals access to housing, • community and healthcare services • Reduce barriers in housing and service • allocation systems • Partners • Homeless Health Outreach Team (Queensland Health) • Brisbane City Council Access and Equity Team • Department of Housing • Centacare South West Brisbane Community Options Program • Queensland Police Service Newly established unit for a person who was formerly homeless

6. Step four – Move people into housing • 485 people surveyed using Vulnerability Index and added to register • As of 4 September, 160 people are now permanently housed, and sustaining their tenancy, since the launch of 50 Lives 50 Homes in 2010 • Development of Brisbane Common Ground • 14 story building in South Brisbane • 146 residential units • On-site support services for tenants • 24 hour concierge

7. Step five – Help people stay housed Findings from Vulnerability Index register (as at 9 August 2012) 45% of all people surveyed had visited the Emergency Department in the past 3 months 33% had a previous head injury or trauma 41% of those deemed ‘vulnerable’ were tri-morbid However, housing does not resolve all vulnerabilities.A follow up survey of 86 people who had been housed found that people were still experiencing significant challenges.

8. Findings from the Housing Support Needs Survey • While 2/3 of participants were satisfied with their current • housing: • 51% reported feelings of isolation and loneliness • 43% reported that food was an issue, largely due to • financial difficulties • 30% were having issues with debt • 27% felt unsafe in their current housing • 27% of respondents had little to no social contact • 75% reported a physical health condition • 57% have a physical or intellectual disability • 47% have been diagnosed with a mental health condition • Over 75% of respondents have a poorer quality of life compared to the national average

9. The Hive • Commenced operation 1 October 2011 • HACC funded • Provides social and recreational opportunities • Key response to loneliness and isolation experienced by people in housing

10. Step six – Integrating health care • Homeless to Home Health Care – • After Hours Service • Pilot program funded by Greater Metro South Medicare Local • Commenced 26 March 2012 • Operates 6pm to 12 midnight Mon-Sun • Integrated with Street to Home team and the Community Clinical Nurse employed at the Brisbane Homelessness Service Centre • 774 occasions of care provided in first two months of service delivery • Latest figures for June – 290 occasions of care

11. Case Study – Integrating health care • Tom is a 52 year old Indigenous man. Tom has a history of calling the ambulance service regularly and presented to emergency departments at major Brisbane hospitals 57 times in the previous 3 month period. He has a medical history that includes COAD, schizophrenia, depression, alcohol addiction, epilepsy and numerous episodes of minor trauma as a result of falls. Since the introduction of the H2H After Hours Health Service, Tom made a self-referral to the service and has been visited on several occasions for a general assessment and also treatment of severely infected eyes (bacterial conjunctivitis). He has attended follow up care with a local GP after assisted referral from the clinical nurses. This has resulted in no reported presentations to the emergency departments and links into community based health services.

12. References • Tsemberis, S. 2010, Housing First: The Pathways Model to End Homelessness for People with Mental Illness and Addiction Center City, Hazelden, Minnesota. • Randall, G. and Brown, S. 2002, Helping rough sleepers off the streets - A report to the Homelessness Directorate, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London. • 100,000 Homes Campaign – www.100khomes.org