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Despite having a universal health system, not all Australians enjoy health equity. Physical and mental health outcomes in this country follow a social gradient, which means the higher up the social scale a person is, the better their health outcomes and overall life expectancy.

This Implementation Plan is a starting point. One of the core components of the whole project is continuous improvement. To that end this will not be a static document; it will continue to evolve and be refined and that is why we have called it Version 1.0. In particular the mechanism documents that underpin the Plan will become the responsibility of the lead agencies nominated. They will update these and develop them further to ensure they support the Adelaide Zero Project goal of ending homelessness among people sleeping rough in Adelaide’s inner city.

These guidelines are especially designed for those councils who do not have significant experience in this area, as well as those wishing to expand their engagement with the homelessness sector. The strategies suggested here are informed by best practice nationally and internationally, however, the Tool Kit does not intend to comprehensively document all best practice initiatives. We have attempted to ensure that the usefulness of this Tool Kit is not compromised over time or changing policy contexts.

Haggerty, Rosanne (2019) "Moving from Charity to Justice in Our Work to End Homelessness, "Journal of Vincentian Social Action:Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 6.

Built for Zero (formerly Zero: 2016) is a rigorous national change effort working to help a core group of committed communities end veteran and chronic homelessness in the USA. Coordinated by Community Solutions, the national effort supports participants in developing real time data on homelessness, optimising local housing resources, tracking progress against monthly goals, and accelerating the spread of proven strategies.

"Australia and its jurisdictions need a tailored response that raises policy to the forefront in regard to the issue of older women and their financial and housing insecurity and the impact of financial and housing insecurity on their health, wellbeing, participation and independence."

The Western Australian Strategy to End Homelessness has been developed by the Alliance following an 18-month community campaign bringing together contributions of many people from homelessness services, those experiencing homelessness, funders of services and members of the community.

It brings together numerous existing data sets, in addition to in-depth interviews with a wide range of policymakers, service provider representatives and advocacy organisations; as well as an online survey of service providers.

Key findings Australia’s homelessness problem is getting worse:

• Homelessness in Australia is outpacing population growth.
• Rough sleeping levels are increasing.
• Severe overcrowding is the largest group.
• Older Australians increasingly experience homelessness.
• Indigenous Australians are overrepresented.
• There’s increased demand for homelessness specialist services.
• The main reasons for seeking assistance are changing.

Read about the more detailed findings, the complex causes of homelessness and more in the overview document and full report below.

The State of Homelessness in Australia’s Cities: A Health and Social Cost Too High represents the first analysis of the consolidated Registry Week data across Australia. The consolidated Registry Week data provides the largest and richest collection of information on people experiencing homelessness in Australian capital and regional cities outside the Census and the national administrative data for homelessness services, the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection.

The report aims to:

1. Provide a profile of the backgrounds of people experiencing homelessness in Australia.
2. Examine the length of time those interviewed have spent homeless and have been without stable accommodation.
3. Assess the medical conditions and healthcare needs of those experiencing homelessness, their current use of healthcare, and the accompanying costs to the healthcare system.
4. Understand the history of interaction with the justice system of those experiencing homelessness, and their current exposure to harm and risk.
5. Examine the financial circumstances of those experiencing homelessness and their social needs.
6. Detail in the words of those interviewed what they feel they need in order to be safe and well.
7. Provide recommendations for future strategies and studies that aim to inform best practice approaches to ending homelessness in Australia.

Authors

Assoc/Prof Lisa Wood, Centre for Social Impact UWA, School of Population and Global Health UWA

Ms Shannen Vallesi, Centre for Social Impact UWA, School of Population and Global Health UWA

Dr Darja Kragt, Centre for Social Impact UWA

Prof Paul Flatau, Centre for Social Impact UWA

Mr Nicholas Wood, School of Population and Global Health UWA

Ms Angela Gazey, School of Population and Global Health UWA

Assoc/Prof Leanne Lester, Health Promotion Evaluation Unit, School of Sports Science UWA