$250,000 for Mission Australia to tackle Homelessness

The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson, today announced $250,000 in Australian Government funding to Mission Australia for an innovative project which will deliver better services to homeless men in Sydney.

Senator Patterson said that this new project, which is based at Mission Australia’s Campbell House facility, would provide accommodation early intervention and intensive case management for 40 men.

“This project will look at improving the manner in which services are provided to men who are homeless by delivering a range of services from the one location,” Senator Patterson said.

“These services include: medical, dental, mental health, counselling, education and training programs, Centrelink and Job Network services. As part of the project counsellors manage and co-ordinate the appropriate services for each individual’s needs.

“The men will also be supported to learn to cook, clean, do their laundry and budget, which will help them to become independent when they leave the facility and assist them to be self sufficient.

“The best way to help these men and to help them in getting back into society is to provide all the services they need, including housing, health, personal development and job search skills under one roof.

“The project will also look at ways to provide the most appropriate services to indigenous men, and to encourage them to use this service.

“The Australian Government recognises that people who are homeless are often trying to deal with a complex set of problems, not readily met by conventional assistance programs.

“This is why it is vital that we fund these types of projects that explore new ways of bringing together the services needed by homeless people.

“Early intervention measures are very important in preventing homelessness, which is why the Australian Government has provided $9.6 million over five years to the National Homelessness Strategy,” Senator Patterson said.