Australian Alliance to End Homelessness

Ahead of World Homeless Day tomorrow, we're excited to announce our partnership with Orange Sky Australia. We know that homelessness is solvable. Through Advance to Zero, communities across Australia are showing what’s possible when services work together, use real-time data and focus on each person’s path into housing. Orange Sky’s presence in communities nationwide makes them a natural partner in that work. Together, we’ll help more communities take practical steps towards ending homelessness. 🧡

Everyone deserves a safe home and the support they need to live an independent, fulfilling life. But for a small number of people in Australia, a history of repeat homelessness and chronic health needs means conventional housing and support options just don't work. That's where Supportive Housing comes in. Ahead of World Homeless Day on October 10, we've launched a new national position paper: 'Supportive Housing: The what, why and how'. Supportive Housing combines ongoing housing with ongoing wraparound support, so people can keep their tenancy and rebuild their lives. It works, and it makes economic sense. Modelling by Per Capita Australia shows government savings from reduced health and justice costs are at least 1.44 times greater than program costs in the regions studied. The paper sets out, for the first time, a shared cross-sector definition of Supportive Housing, developed collaboratively by the National Supportive Housing Working Group. It also makes ten recommendations for governments, because with national coordination and the right investment in communities, we can make sure everyone who needs Supportive Housing can get it. Thank you to everyone in the working group who brought their time and expertise to this work. Read the paper: https://lnkd.in/eF8ztayb #SupportiveHousing #HousingFirst #WorldHomelessDay #HomelessnessIsSolvable

A Guardian Australia investigation published today has found that hundreds of people who die without the means to pay for a funeral in NSW are being buried in unmarked communal graves, typically holding four to six people. Since 2016, at least 18 of them were known to Sydney homelessness services. In several cases family, friends and support workers were never told – and never given the chance to step in, contribute or simply say goodbye. As our NSW homelessness advisor Jon Swain told the Guardian, those in the sector know destitute funerals exist and have attended them, sometimes as the only person there. What caused "considerable alarm" was learning that people were being buried in shared, unmarked plots. People who experience homelessness are too often made invisible while they're alive. They shouldn't be made invisible in death too. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity, and to have a place where the people who loved them can remember them. Thank you to journalists Christopher Knaus and Ariel Bogle, and to the families and friends who shared their stories for this important investigation. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/g_cSb2yi

By bringing volunteers and local organisations together to speak directly with people experiencing homelessness, Connections Week is one of the most powerful tools a community has to end homelessness. The data collected helps communities understand exactly who is experiencing homelessness and what support each person needs. Where services are limited, it also builds the evidence to advocate for what a community needs. Congratulations to Accordwest and partners in Busselton on the launch of this report. It's great to see local leaders already committing to act on what they've heard – exactly the kind of collective action we need to see in communities across Australia.

Adelaide City Council has declared a homelessness emergency across the CBD and North Adelaide and is encouraging other councils nationwide to follow suit. Between 200 and 240 people are sleeping rough in the City of Adelaide every night, according to the latest Adelaide Zero Project data. That number has barely moved in years, and it's only part of the picture across the state. Homelessness is getting worse across Australia. Calling this what it is matters. When we treat homelessness as an emergency, we respond with the urgency, coordination and resourcing it demands, rather than accepting it as a permanent part of our communities. Homelessness is not inevitable. With dedicated, sustained investment, we can end it. Read more via InDaily: https://lnkd.in/gCiqx2-b #HomelessnessIsSolvable

The AAEH is looking for a Chief Operating Officer to help lead our national mission to end homelessness in Australia. This is a senior executive role, partnering closely with our CEO and Board on strategy, finance, governance, risk and people leadership – helping AAEH stay well positioned to deliver real impact. We're after a values-led leader with strong financial and operational experience, a collaborative approach and genuine commitment to social change. Based in Adelaide is preferred, but we're open to candidates elsewhere in Australia, with excellent work-from-home flexibility either way. If you want to bring executive leadership to genuine social impact, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/gpV9GC6r

The WAAEH Annual Partner meeting is fast approaching, this is your opportunity to hear what we have been working on over the past 12 months and meet other partners working in the sector to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring! Registrations are filling fast so make sure you grab your ticket today! https://lnkd.in/g4KapZhW