Housing First for People Sleeping Rough PRACTICE GUIDE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT DRAFT DRAFTPrepared by the Regional Local Government Homelessness and Social Housing Charter Group August 2021 Practice Guide for Local Government | Page 1 Contents Message from the Charter Group Councils ...................................4 1 Background ............................................................................. 6 1.1 Regional Local Government Homelessness and Social Housing Charter .......................................................6 1.2 Housing First Literature Review ............................................... 7 1.3 Benchmarking ................................................................................8 1.4 Sector Feedback ...........................................................................8 1.5 How to use this guide ................................................................10 2 What is Housing First? ........................................................ 10 3 Collaboration .........................................................................11 3.1 Local Housing Partnerships ....................................................... 11 3.1.1 Mornington Peninsula Shire .................................................... 11 3.1.2 Cardinia Shire ..............................................................................12 3.2 The Collective Impact Approach – Functional Zero...... 13 3.2.1 Adelaide Zero Project ..............................................................13 3.2.2 Port Phillip Zero .........................................................................13 3.2.3 Frankston Zero ...........................................................................15 3.2.4 Advance to Zero .......................................................................16 4 Understanding the service system and referral pathways ...............................................................................17 4.1 Service Mapping Tool .................................................................17 4.2 Ask Izzy – an online service guide ........................................17 5 Building an Understanding of Homelessness ...................18 5.1 City of Melbourne Walk in their Shoes Program .............. 18 5.2 Casey Homelessness Principle Training .............................. 18 5.3 Council to Homeless Persons Peer Education Support Program ........................................................................................... 19 6 Clarifying an organisational response - protocol examples ...............................................................21 6.1 Victorian Police and City of Melbourne (CoM) .................. 21 6.2 City of Port Phillip – ASSIST .................................................... 22 6.3 City of Monash Homelessness Protocol ............................ 23 6.4 Yarra Ranges .............................................................................. 24 6.5 Bayside .......................................................................................... 25 6.6 Knox City Council ....................................................................... 26 7 Housing supply - Local Government as planner and advocate ....................................................................... 27 DRAFT DRAFT8 Attachments ........................................................................30 Attachment 1: Integrated assertive outreach planning tool for the Mornington Peninsula. ............................................30 Attachment 2: Port Phillip Zero Service Coordination ....... 36 Research developed by City of Greater Dandenong References List .................................................................................... 43 and designed by City of Monash Page 2 | Practice Guide for Local Government Practice Guide for Local Government | Page 3 The Regional Local “ Government Homelessness and Social Housing Charter Group first came together to face the challenge of homelessness Bayside City Council Cardinia Shire across the eastern and Mayor Council Cr Laurence Evans Mayor “south eastern region. OAM Cr Brett Owen City of Casey City of Greater Frankston Chair Administrator Dandenong City Council Message from the Charter Group Councils Noelene Duff PSM Mayor Mayor Cr Angela Long Cr Kris Bolam When the Regional There was compelling evidence that finding the solution to Local Government this complex issue would require combining experience and expertise across the 13 Councils. In 2020, the Charter Group Homelessness and developed a Charter with shared regional commitments and Social Housing Charter has mobilised and made an impact in its short time together. Group (Charter Group) For information on the Charter Group, please visit the Charter first came together www.monash.vic.gov.au/Services/Health-Safety/Tackling- homelessness City of kingston Knox City Council Manningham Maroondah City in late 2019 to face Mayor Mayor City Council Council One of the arms of the Charter Group has been to develop Cr Steve Staikos Cr Lisa Cooper Mayor Mayor the challenge of Cr Andrew Conlon Cr Kylie Spears evidence-based research and tools for the local government to homelessness across sector to use. The City of Greater Dandenong was instrumental the eastern and south in resourcing the research and development of this guide and eastern region, it was the City of Monash in designing this guide. clear that we were The Charter Group hopes that the Housing First for People all grappling withDRAFT the Sleeping Rough Practice Guide for Local Government will DRAFT best way to respond. support Councils to develop and improve their response to rough sleepers in their municipality. City of Monash Mornington Yarra Ranges City of Mayor Peninsula Shire Council Whitehorse Cr Brian Little Mayor Mayor Mayor Cr Despi O’Connor Cr Fiona McAllister Cr Andrew Munroe Page 4 | Practice Guide for Local Government Practice Guide for Local Government | Page 5 1 The Charter Group is supported by the Municipal Association WHY SHOULD LOCAL Housing First Background of Victoria [MAV] and the Eastern Affordable Housing Alliance GOVERNMENT 1.2 Literature Review [EAHA]. Representatives from the Department of Families, PARTICIPATE IN THE Regional Local Fairness and Housing and Homes Victoria have regularly RESPONSE TO PEOPLE The first step of this practice guide was to develop a Government attended Charter Group meetings. SLEEPING ROUGH. literature review to build an understanding of the Housing 1.1 First model, current responses to people sleeping rough Homelessness and The Charter articulates the purpose of the 13 participating A report commissioned by the Social Housing and the application of Housing First principles to inform Councils, to address the urgent need for increased social City of Monash in 2019 and local government responses to rough sleeping. Drawing on Charter housing and a more effective, integrated and supported authored by the Council for current research and government policy, this review also homelessness service system. www.monash.vic.gov.au/ Homeless Persons ‘Making In November 2019, CEOs provided an overview of the application of Functional Zero, Services/Health-Safety/Tackling-homelessness a difference effective local and executive staff Youth Foyers and the impact of COVID 19 in responding to government responses to 3 representing 13 eastern homelessness. Human rights and ‘Housing First’ represent one of homelessness’ identified and south-eastern Councils the four principles of the Charter. Through this principle the interface points for local The literature review found that Housing First is a strategic came together in a forum the Charter group: government with people that response based on principles of consumer choice, harm focused on homelessness experience homelessness. This minimisation, human rights and collaboration. It is an and social housing hosted by 1. Recognises that housing is a human right for every person includes local laws officers, approach that relies on the availability of exit points Monash Council. The forum 2. Recognises the ability of local government to influence an parks staff or contractors who through adequate housing supply and coordination of was informed by research increase in social housing in our region are more likely to interact with support services. that the City of Monash 3. Commits to working with the homelessness sector to deliver people sleeping rough using commissioned through the A systems intervention approach grounded in Housing a housing first response to homelessness. public land and facilities. Council to Homeless Persons: First principles can play an essential role for organisations Making a difference – The Charter Councils seek systemic change to increase Often out of concern for to build a more effective response to rough sleeping. The effective local government the supply of permanent, safe, appropriate and timely the person or for perceived role of local government, as both facilitator and responder, responses to homelessness1. housing for our most vulnerable community members, and safety reasons, businesses could enable an improved response to rough sleeping to embed Housing First as a key foundational principle. and community members in a municipality if supported consistently across the Since then, a Charter are also likely to contact organisation and developed in partnership with specialist detailing a unified, local The Housing First for people Sleeping Rough piece is one of their local Council’s customer housing services. Opportunities