Understanding Homelessness is the first step to ending it
David Gibson and Tory Barton say the key findings in the latest research is an accurate reflection of what they see daily at HopeStreet Windale.
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17 March 2022
News
| HopeStreet
David Gibson, Manager, and Tory Barton, Caseworker, say the key findings in the latest research Ending homelessness in Australia: An evidence and policy deep dive is an accurate reflection of what they see daily at HopeStreet Windale.
Presenting evidence from the largest community-based database on rough sleeping and homelessness in Australia, the report highlights the direct need for not only rapid housing but the long-term care for those facing health and social needs.
Identifying the prevalence of serious medical issues and mental health conditions are significantly higher in people experiencing homelessness. It also found high rates of serious brain injury or head trauma, particularly among veterans.
Our HopeStreet teams come alongside people who face complex needs with their mental and physical health, or are rebuilding their life after trauma and violence. Many lack access to regular services.
The report calls for collaborative efficacy between services. We're often connecting services to ensure a holistic care approach.
Our own success here can be attributed to BaptistCare HopeStreet’s flexible framework. We action person-centred care and identify what that looks like for someone with their unique challenges. We walk the journey with them as opposed to allocating funding until it runs out.
Our team gets the ball rolling on quite a lot of NDIS cases and work with other mental health services in the Hunter region. If we weren’t switched on to this need, many people would fall through the cracks.
It’s about providing hope with compassion and understanding. We see people facing stigma even across the community services sector. We’d like to see more education and training on how to work with individuals facing these specific challenges and a multi-faceted approach is required to end homelessness.
https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2022-02/apo-nid315326.pdf
BaptistCare is part of the Everybody's Home campaign that seeks to solve the housing crisis and you can show your support here.