Justice Housing Support

The Justice Housing Support Program aims to meet the fundamental need for safe, stable housing of those involved with the justice system.

Funded by the Department of Justice, the program aims to break the cycle of offending and homelessness by providing clients with transitional housing, referrals and links to support services in the short-term. The ultimate goal is to secure permanent housing.

Without appropriate housing clients are at greater risk of re-offending. The stress and “survival mode” of homelessness is counter-productive to a person establishing the stability they need for a new life outside the justice system.

It is not enough to have a roof over your head either. Some boarding houses and crisis accommodation are intimidating environments with cultures of substance use and crime that
lead residents back into offending.

HomeGround works with eight transitional housing providers to find transitional housing for Justice Housing Support Program clients before seeking permanent housing.

About 75% of those exiting the program go into secure long-term housing. Public housing is often the best option for this group.

HomeGround also delivers intensive support as people move from a crisis point in their lives in to safe and stable accommodation, sometimes for the first time in their lives.

Referrals are made by the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, through the Court Integrated Services Program and CREDIT/Bail. HomeGround supports people through court processes and links in with agencies that provide a range of support services according to the individual’s needs.

The program is demonstrating the direct relationship between providing housing/support and reducing re-offending. About 90% of those in the program have not re-offended since their involvement with HomeGround. This has saved huge amounts of both human suffering and public money.

The program is based in Collingwood, but transitional properties are located throughout metropolitan Melbourne. In the past year, Quantum Support Services Morwell joined the program and is supporting clients in two transitional properties in the Latrobe Valley.

In addition, HomeGround’s Housing Service provides housing expertise at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court and Collingwood’s Neighbourhood Justice Centre, and supports referrals into the Justice Housing Support Program. Our partner agency, Salvation Army Social Housing Services, provides housing expertise at the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court.

In the past year, HomeGround has developed a set of practice protocols together with the Magistrates’ Court, partner agencies and the program’s eight transitional housing providers.

Given the high demand for vacancies in this program, these protocols are critical to ensuring the sound referral and support practice that underpins the program’s success.

As the program in its current form moves into its third year of operation, HomeGround is preparing to research outcomes for program participants who have since moved into public housing. Gaining further information about what has helped clients to sustain their public housing tenancy will be of great benefit to HomeGround, partner agencies and government, supporting further improvements to our service.

Justice Housing Support case study

Gary* was referred to HomeGround’s Justice Housing Support Program in September 2005. His referral was part of bail conditions under the Magistrates’ Court’s CREDIT/Bail Program which sets up appropriate support for clients in an effort to prevent further offending and a return to incarceration.

Gary is an Indigenous man in his late 30s with a partner and two young children. Until his referral to HomeGround, he had not had a proper home since being placed in care by his father at the age of nine. When his father placed him in care Gary was told it would be ‘just overnight’.

This traumatic experience set Gary up for long-term homelessness. He would regularly abscond from care placements and sleep roughor in cars, rooming-houses or on the couches of friends.

Gary has been a heavy drinker from his early teens and had an 11 year history of offences related to alcohol use including drink-driving and assault.

As Gary’s mother was one of the Stolen Generation, Gary had a deep mistrust of government departments and institutions. He had not sought support from any services apart from crisis accommodation and emergency material aid provision.

Gary and his partner had been in a relationship for nine years and had been homeless for this entire time. As a result, their children’s education had been interrupted.

HomeGround’s Justice Housing Support Program has a ‘case management’ model. Workers not only help the client establish permanent housing but take a holistic approach, supporting clients to find solutions for other issues in their lives.

Gary’s heavy alcohol use over many years led to pancreatitis. He was diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety and depression. He had significant anger management issues and had been violent towards his partner.

He had sustained head and leg injuries from an assault and was struggling to engage with the drug and alcohol services that he was mandated to attend as part of his bail conditions. It was difficult for Gary to fill out the forms required to access services because of literacy issues.

When Gary was referred to HomeGround he and his family were allocated one of the transitional housing properties that are set aside for the Justice Program. The family was also prioritised for public housing and moved into permanent housing in June 2006.

HomeGround supported Gary and his family by:

• Driving Gary to counselling appointments for his alcohol use (Gary’s driver’s license was suspended and he no longer had a car)

• Supporting him through the experience of engaging with office-based services

• Paying for accommodation for Gary’s partner and children when he was violent and referring Gary’s partner to a domestic violence support service

• Filling out paperwork on Gary’s behalf

• Challenging Gary about his use of alcohol

• Providing financial assistance to buy school uniforms

• Linking Gary’s partner in with other family support services

• Providing furniture and household items for the family’s new home

• Supporting Gary to stabilise his mental health with the help of his doctor

• Supporting Gary in accessing Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal services because of the assault he experienced.

When Gary’s partner and children left the house because of his violence, Gary had a ‘wake up call’ and drastically reduced his alcohol use.

Since then his relationship with his partner has stabilised, his self-esteem has improved, he seeks support from services when needed, is engaged with his children’s education and is enjoying having the first stable home since his childhood.

Although HomeGround’s formal relationship with Gary ceased last year, he is still able to contact HomeGround if he needs further help.

* Name has been changed