Reducing homelessness in Caboolture, Morayfield and Deception Bay

A Quick Refresher: What is the Homelessness Community Action Plan?

Homelessness Community Action Planning (HCAP) in Queensland is a three-year (2010-13) initiative delivered in partnership between the Department of Communities and Queensland Council of Social Service. The initiative centres on producing and implementing locally-owned Homelessness Community Action Plans that outline how a particular community will work together to reduce homelessness through a better coordinated and integrated human service system.

Homelessness Community Action Plans are about working together, and doing things differently so that we can have a real impact in reducing homelessness in our local area.

In our region your coordinators are:

Charmaine Mills
Resource Officer
Community Participation Service Centre
North Coast Region - Department of Communities
Phone: 54 201 309
Email: / Talia van Gils
Homelessness Planning and Coordination Officer – North Coast region
Queensland Council of Social Service
Phone: 0426 250 554
Email:

Where we are up to now

After lots of consultation, a forum and a range of specific issue planning sessions, we now have a first draft for our Homelessness Community Action Plan.

The HCAP Implementation Group will take carriage of the plan as a whole, as a key point of communication and engagement with all of the stakeholders in our community, making sure that all the actions fit together.

Working groups will implement specific actions or groups of actions. Each action has an organisation who has agreed to lead, or drive the implementation of that action. In some cases this is a government department, in other cases this is a not-for-profit organisation.

If you or your organisation is interested in connecting with any of the actions you read about in the plan summary below, please contact Talia who will ensure that you are included in the plan.

Our Draft Homelessness Community Action Plan

This is a summary of the draft plan. Some of the actions are still being shaped and refined, but the main priorities are outlined here.

Turning off the Tap – Preventing people from becoming homeless

·  We will ensure that there are arrangements in place to safely accommodate very young people (12-15 yrs) who have become homeless whilst permanent care arrangements are made.

·  We will develop quality transition plans for all people exiting state care, corrections and health facilities.

·  We will engage real estate agents in working with community support agencies to sustain tenancies

·  We will support people experiencing domestic violence to stay in their own homes where this is possible

·  We will ensure people in our community know where to go for support to remain in their homes and connected to their communities

Better Coordinated Services

·  We will establish a ‘virtual housing & homelessness hub’ with common intake and coordinated response for anyone needing help with housing and homelessness. We will start this with a few clients and agencies and slowly build our capacity to work in this way until this coordinated service can be offered to everyone.

·  We will develop the capacity of our workforce to work in this more coordinated way through shared planning, joint training, staff exchanges and leadership development.

·  We will reduce aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness by building our cultural competency to provide an accessible and appropriate service

Breaking the Cycle – Ensuring People do not become homeless again

·  We will support people who are sleeping rough (outside or in cars) into appropriate, sustainable housing

·  We will support people to obtain and safely keep identity documentation required to receive support services

·  We will develop a regionally coordinated response to training and employment programs for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

Next Steps

Our action plan needs to be ratified and finalised at a range of levels

-  The Non-government Organisations and Government Departments who have agreed to lead or help implement actions need to confirm their commitment by signing off on the plan

-  Our plan needs to be aligned with the other 7 Homelessness Action Plans in Queensland, and submitted to the Minister for Communities for sign-off.

We need to prepare for implementation of our plan, starting in September 2011. The plan is likely to continue to grow and evolve as we implement it.

Together we can make a difference to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.