Homelessness Responses
Assertive Outreach
Assertive Outreach is an evidence-based practice to combat street homelessness. Housing staff, specialist caseworkers and health professionals conduct patrols to engage people experiencing street homelessness, and provide a pathway to stable long-term housing.
Core and Cluster
Core and Cluster is a crisis accommodation model for people experiencing domestic and family violence. It moves away from a shared house environment, to having fully independent living quarters with private bathroom and kitchen facilities. It combines the services and supports of a traditional refuge with the independent living facilities of transitional accommodation.
NSW Housing and Mental Health Agreement
The Housing and Mental Health Agreement 2022 (HMHA 22) is an agreement between NSW Health and DCJ. It commits the agencies to work together and engage key stakeholders to achieve a common vision that: People who live with mental illness have timely access to safe, secure, appropriate housing; and mental health supports in place when needed, to sustain housing, live well in the community and lead their recovery.
Mental Health-Housing In Reach Service
The Mental Health – Housing In Reach Service (MH-HIRS) connects specialist caseworkers with people in mental health in-patient settings who are at risk of rough sleeping, and supports them to access stable accommodation and other supports they may need to sustain their housing and live well in the community. It is a partnership between non-government organisations , delivering psychosocial supports; Local Health Districts , delivering clinical supports; and Department of Communities and Justice, providing housing support and solutions, to break the cycle of homelessness and prevent discharges from mental health facilities into homelessness.
No Exits from Government Services into Homelessness: A framework for multi-agency action
The NSW Government is committed to improving exit planning for people leaving government services such as hospital, out of home care, and correctional facilities by working collaboratively across government. Find out more about No Exits from Government Services into Homelessness.
Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places
The Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places (the Protocol) assists and guides government, non-government organisations, and private businesses to interact and engage with people experiencing homelessness, so they are treated respectfully, with dignity, and do not face discrimination. The Protocol also encourages government and non-government organisations to provide a response or deliver support to people experiencing homelessness if they need or request it. There are a number of resources available to support implementation of the Protocol.
Reintegration Housing Support Program
The Reintegration Housing Support Program supports people leaving custody who are at risk of homelessness to secure and sustain long-term housing. Specialist case workers connect with people leaving custody and people who have recently been released. They provide psychosocial support to improve wellbeing, while also working with them to find and sustain long term housing.
Specialist Homelessness Services
Specialist Homelessness Services are the primary NSW government response to homelessness and supports people who are experiencing, or are at risk of homelessness.
Find a Specialist Homelessness Service.
Sustaining Tenancies in Social Housing
Prevents new entries into homelessness by providing early intervention to social housing tenants, helping them keep their tenancy and stay safely housed.
Households with a range of complex needs such as mental health, disability, substance dependency and hoarding and squalor receive person and family-centred wraparound support and community outreach from specialist NGO providers.
Together Home
The Together Home Program aims to support people street-sleeping across NSW into stable accommodation, linked to wraparound support.