SHPP – Frequently Asked Questions

• The Stable Housing Pilot Project intervenes in homelessness before it occurs.
• The SHPP is about testing a world-first screening tool (At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool) which identifies homelessness early. The tool is supported by resources for clients and care providers. Tailored, configurable referral pathways connect referrers to providers, training and support.  Testing of the tool will also include testing the effectiveness of SHPP resources in contexts external to Access Health and Community (AccessHC).

The SHPP:

• is the start of the journey with the client and the tool aims to help the client avoid homelessness
• enables you and your team to identify and respond to a client that may be at risk of homelessness and work towards preventing them from becoming homeless
• provides a way to make an early, prompt referral to a homeless service agency. The agency can follow up with the client and help them with their housing and related matters
• focuses on the primary prevention of homelessness. Most resources are spent on people who are already homeless. It costs more to find housing for a homeless person than it does to help someone maintain their existing housing and prevent them from entering homelessness. SHPP aims to keep people in housing and link them with services to enable this to happen.

The Referral flowchart provides information about the referral process.

• Ideally, complete the At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool during a client’s appointment. Always ensure you have the client’s consent before filling out the tool.

• It might be useful to discuss the At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool with the client, and why a particular score was given for them.
• Explain that this tool will then be emailed to the most appropriate homeless service agency, based on your client’s details and where they live. This agency will then follow up with the client and assist them as best as they can.

• In 2014, AccessHC and Uniting Harrison partnered on the Stable Housing Project. This work built the capacity of clinicians at AccessHC to identify risk of (and actual) homelessness in clients and make referrals to a housing worker when appropriate.
• We developed the At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool to help clinicians quantify homelessness risk with a validated screening tool. The homeless service system is complex, so two decision-making trees were developed capturing the referral processes for homelessness services across the AccessHC catchment.

• Health, social service agencies and other services who may come in contact with clients who are at risk of homelessness in the cities of Boroondara, Manningham and Yarra will be asked to participate in the pilot.

• Face to face training will be provided to you and your staff. This will take no longer than 45 minutes and we can come to you.
• Resources will be available for download on the Stable Housing Project Pilot page. We will provide hard copies of the resources at the training sessions.
• Referrals can be made to the partnering homeless service agencies.
• You can provide feedback throughout the pilot.
• We ask that you and some of your staff participate in an interview and focus group session towards the end of the pilot, to assist in evaluating the project.

• Be the first to test out the At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool and additional resources.
• Enable your staff to identify and respond to a client that may be at risk of homelessness and work towards preventing that client from entering homelessness.
• We have partnered with some key homeless service agencies, so during the pilot you will be able to refer at risk clients directly to them. These agencies will do all they can to ensure the client does not enter homelessness. We acknowledge that homelessness may not be able to be prevented for all referred clients. The tool provides early, prompt referral pathway that we hope will improve the chances for at-risk clients.

• AccessHC has partnered with SalvoCare Eastern, Uniting Harrison, Launch Housing, Council to Homeless Persons, Swinburne University and the Department of Health and Human Services to deliver this pilot.

• We anticipate that the pilot will run until March 2019.
• Following a six month implementation phase, participating agencies, homelessness services and clinicians will be invited to participate in an evaluation of the pilot. The results will help shape the future roll-out of the project.

Swinburne University will be evaluating the pilot, with assistance from AccessHC.

Our measures of success include:

• Number of partnering agencies identified to take part.
• An increase in at-risk referrals by homelessness agencies.
• 70% of referrals received by homeless agencies are appropriate.

The reality is that your clients may not be housed immediately. There is a shortage of affordable housing in Victoria. Although reassure your client that they are not alone. Housing will be found in time. This is the start of the journey and we are supporting them throughout the process.

If you are working with a client who is experiencing trauma, please refer to the Clients experiencing trauma factsheet.

• When you complete the At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool for your client, you will see information dynamically appearing to indicate a score and which homeless service agency they will be referred to. When the form is complete, the
  If the client is at low or medium risk give the client the referral sheet for the location indicated on the form. Download the sheet from the right hand side of the form page or after you have submitted the form.
  If the client is at high risk, give the client the High-risk referral sheet.  The High-risk referral sheet applies for all locations
• Tell the client that if they don’t hear anything within three days from the homeless service agency, they can make contact with them.

Yes you do. Please discuss this with your client.

Refer to the privacy consent form.

Download the homelessness and housing factsheet.

Refer to the Family violence disclosure plan factsheet.

• Refer to the SHPP – simple flowchart. This details the pathway for action.
• Complete the online At Risk of Homelessness Screening Tool. This way a referral can be made with a participating homeless service agency.
• Pass on the High risk referral sheet to your client and tell them to make contact immediately.

• Give your client the High risk referral sheet. The client can call the Opening Doors 1800 number, listed on the sheet. During business hours, their call will be directed to their nearest homeless service agency.

• Refer to the SHPP pitch document, expression of interest and link to the survey.
• We are looking for 8-12 agencies in Boroondara, Manningham and Yarra to be involved.
• There will be an allocated time period during which we will recruit agencies.
• For more information, please see below for our contact details.

• Download the Training PowerPoint presentation
• Listen to our training podcast

Our current partners

Click each logo to go to the partner’s website

Contact Angela Vidic at angela.vidic@accesshc.org.au or call 03 9810 3010.