What is the A3HN?
The Australian Health, Housing and Homelessness Network (A3HN) brings together experts, researchers, practitioners and people with lived experience of the three sectors to support each other’s efforts to end homelessness. By connecting a diverse range of participants from around the country, the network aims to better integrate policy, research and practice across the health, housing and homelessness sectors.
Coordinated by the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH), the network was formed to ensure the health-informed implementation of the Advance to Zero campaign, which seeks to end all homelessness in Australia starting with rough sleeping, one community at a time.
Through the use of a national forum, the A3HN pioneers the development of policy, furthers research and enhances practice. It enables members to share knowledge, guidelines and models of care, as well as coordinate national advocacy efforts together.
By uniting three key sectors, the network is well placed to support those addressing the health and housing needs of people experiencing homelessness in Australia.
As a network, we have a focus on a variety of objectives, which are available for you to review in our briefing document.
Our work
For several years, the A3HN has been advocating for improved data collection on homelessness deaths in Australia. We have worked closely with Professor Lisa Wood and the WA Home2Health team on the issue, who conducted the first Australian study of its kind on rough sleeping homelessness deaths in 2021.
The A3HN released a position paper in December 2023 titled 'Ending Homelessness Through Inclusive Healthcare', which calls for a national framework for reporting on homelessness deaths.
In February 2024, the Guardian Australia released an investigative series about the largely invisible deaths of Australians experiencing homelessness. The series, titled ‘Out in the cold’, is the culmination of 12 months of investigation into 627 homeless deaths between 2010 and 2020. Various members of the AAEH and A3HN contributed to the series.
How to get involved
The opportunities for engaging with the A3HN range from online meetings, a workshop at the biennial Australian Zero Homelessness Summit as well as the occasional online forum.
If you wish to be added to the A3HN mailing list and receive invitations to meetings, sign up here or email a request through to info@aaeh.org.au.