Evaluation of the
State Homelessness Strategy

The State Homelessness Taskforce report, Addressing Homelessness in Western Australia was released in January 2002 and contained 68 recommendations related to nine agencies.

The Government's response was the State Homelessness Strategy released on 9 May 2002 with an announcement of funding of $32 million over four years. The State Homelessness Strategy did not fund all the recommendations of the State Homelessness Taskforce.

The Evaluation was undertaken in 2005 and completed in January 2006. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the impact and effectiveness of the initiatives of the State Homelessness Strategy in the Government's response to the WA State Homelessness Taskforce. It is not an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Government's total response to homelessness, nor an evaluation of the extent to which the Government met the Taskforce's recommendations.

It is also important to note that the Evaluation reflects the environment of 2005, before the full impact of the Western Australian booming economy and housing market had taken full effect. In 2006, the booming economy is placing more people in work. More people are able to move into their own place, either rented or purchased. More people want housing. There is real pressure on the housing sector. Materials and skilled labour are in short supply. Costs are increasing to buy and build properties and rents are rising. People with minimal resources, both financial and personal are being squeezed out at the bottom end of the housing market. This places an added strain on the safety net services.

The evaluation is generally positive. The majority of the initiatives are considered successfully implemented or underway and good outcomes are being achieved for clients.

The recommendations are:

1. All initiatives should be continued and expanded.
   
2. The current initiatives need to be continued and developed further with a view to continued improvement in their coordination and integration.
   
3. It is important to make sure that the impetus for change remains strong so that improvements are embedded as the standard way of working and a culture of continuous improvement is fostered.
   
4. Some clients are falling through gaps because they didn’t fit into the criteria for particular services. A more flexible needs-based assessment and case management approach for individual clients should be developed, which would allow clients to be supported from the initial crisis until they are able to fully manage their own affairs.
   
5. Additional funding for public housing; the housing stock needs to be increased.
   
6. Additional support for people with mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
   
7. Additional support for children who have experienced homelessness.
   
8. Provision of services in regional and remote areas needs to be increased.
   
9. The maximum Commonwealth rental assistance for private rentals should be increased
   
10. Services for ex-offenders and preparation for leaving and aftercare services are both new initiatives working with people in transitions. As such it is important that funding be continued; however, they may benefit from more in-depth reviews to further develop the service models.
    
11. Given the cyclical and ongoing nature of homelessness and the current deficits in service provision, there needs to be continued growth funding.

The Government has been pre-emptive in responding to the 11 recommendations contained in the Evaluation Report. The 2006/07 Budget included:

• The continuation of the State Homelessness Strategy recurrent initiatives, worth over $3.3 million per year to the Department for Community Development alone
• An additional $13.3 million over four years to the Commonwealth State Supported Accommodation Assistance Program.
• An allocation of $52.012 million in 2006/07 for the Mental Health Strategy including the provision of additional community supported accommodation

Initiatives that resulted in ongoing services have been integrated into recurrent Departmental funding in the Departments for Community Development, Housing and Works, Health through the Mental Health Strategy, and Corrective Services. This provides the basis for continuous improvement.

The impetus for change and improved services for people falling through the gaps are two issues that will be addressed through new initiatives being developed as part of the SAAP V Innovation and Investment funding.

The Mental Health Strategy 2004-2007 and the implementation of the Mahoney Report into Justice will ensure an emphasis on appropriate services for people in both these sectors.

The housing boom has highlighted the ongoing need for increased affordable housing including public housing stock. The Government is aware of these issues and will be seeking to address them.

THE FUTURE

The State Homelessness Strategy was a four year response. The Strategy ceased on 30 June 2006. The final Progress Report and Performance Indicator Report are being prepared and will be available before the end of 2006. More reports against the performance indicators may be prepared in the future.

The Government remains committed to addressing homelessness and will continue to fund responses, improve initiatives and to increase the supply of affordable housing.

State Homelessness Strategy final Evaluation Report
(January 2006 — PDF 735 kB)

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