Launch Housing - It's time to end homelessness

Impact Measures and Results

The 10 impact measures and results achieved


CLIENTS HOUSED

  • Increase in high acuity clients with secure housing

    We will track the average length of time clients spend in crisis accommodation and the underlying reasons for the ongoing cycle of homelessness. Over time, we want to be able to see an increase in the number of high acuity clients with secure housing. For the first impact report, we have tracked clients with a history of insecure housing as a proxy for high acuity. 558 clients, with a history of insecure housing received a new tenancy and moved into Launch Housing properties. This included clients in our long-term housing, head lease properties, transitional properties, crisis sites. Over the next 12 months, we will track their housing status more closely to ensure tenancies are sustainable and that any risk of homelessness re-occurring is prevented.

  • Exits into housing exceed number of people sleeping rough

    Around 7,300 people in Victoria were sleeping rough when they presented at Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS); but only 11.4% exited to some form of secure housing at the end of support (AIHW 2019-2020). These poor housing outcomes have prompted Launch Housing to explore innovative initiatives specifically focused on tackling rough sleeping, the most extreme form of homelessness. Our Melbourne Zero project is looking to better understand the constraints faced by people who are sleeping rough and providing a more effective service response at a local level using a By-Names-List (BNL – a list of every person in the area experiencing homelessness).

    Data from the By-Name-List (BNL) for City of Melbourne suggest that of the 216 people who were sleeping rough, 20% successfully moved into housing. Results from Port Phillip are very encouraging with a higher number of people being housed than are sleeping rough. 59% of people on the BNL in Port Phillip moved into housing (27 / 46 people). The Homelessness to a Home (H2H) initiative is working to move people accommodated in hotels into more long-term housing and since its inception, we have housed 287 clients which is 68% of all H2H clients.

CLIENTS SUSTAIN HOUSING

  • Increase in clients who have positive transition into secure housing

    According to the AIHW 2019-2020 data, over 36,000 people were experiencing homelessness when they presented at a SHS in Victoria and 21.3% exited to some form of secure housing at the end of their support. Looking at Launch Housing data, 545 clients exited Launch Housing properties this year which includes exits from our crisis, transitional and long-term accommodations. Among them, 178 clients (33%) were noted to have had a positive transition into secure housing increasing their likelihood of sustaining it.

    Positive transition is defined as clients moving out of Launch Housing properties into:
    (i) a private rental
    (ii) public or community housing, and/or
    (iii) finding alternative accommodation.

  • Increase in proportion of clients, who received rent or bond payments, with sustained housing

    Sometimes it can be a fine line between having a home and experiencing homelessness. Unexpected events like illness, rent increases or job losses can expose a person to housing crisis. Our Private Rental Assistance Program (PRAP) provides people financial assistance to help them hold on to their housing until they can find their feet.

    In 2020-21, 2,272 clients accessed or maintained housing through the PRAP program, which is a 4% increase from 2019-20. These clients received financial assistance of ‘rent in advance’, ‘rent in arrears’ and ‘bond’ with a total spend of over $3 million and an average spend of $1,469 per client.

    With support from PRAP, over 2,000 people and families maintained their homes or were able to access secure housing. This type of preventative and early intervention support can make a significant difference in ending homelessness

MORE SUITABLE HOUSING AVAILABLE TO CLIENTS

  • Increase in the number of social housing dwelling owned or managed by Launch Housing

    Data from AIHW indicate that the number of social housing dwellings in Victoria has decreased over the years – from 64,428 public housing dwellings in 2019 to 64,072 properties in 2020; and a further decrease in community housing from 15,081 in 2019 to 14,857 in 2020.

    Launch Housing managed or owned a total of 1,016 properties over the 2020-21 reporting period, including 369 head lease properties and long-term community housing which is a 56% increase from last year.

    We also had 65 studio apartments at Elizabeth Street Common Ground; 37 properties with the Justice Housing and Support Program, and 545 transitional housing properties this year.

  • Increase in the number of properties managed by HomeGround Real Estate (HGRE)

    HGRE not only helps generate funds for homelessness services provided by Launch Housing, but also helps to increase the number of affordable private rentals for low-income earners. It also provides a way for socially conscious landlords to give back to the community.

    There was a 61% increase in the number of properties managed by HGRE. This is a net growth of 140 properties under management from 228 in 2019-20 to 368 in 2020-21.

    Of this, there was a 48% increase in the number of landlords offering their properties at below-market rates. This is an increase from 73 in 2019-20 to 98 in 2020-21.

IMPROVED READINESS

  • Increase in number of young people employed or enrolled in education after completing the Education First Youth Foyer

    As the state-wide statistics show, of all young people who received assistance from SHS in Victoria only 33% were enrolled in education or training at the start of their support period, and only a further 4% were enrolled in education by the end of their support period. And even fewer were employed (AIHW).

    The Education First Youth Foyer program (EFYF) is a targeted approach to supporting young people out of homelessness and through that program:

    Employment
    –48% of young people were employed (22/46 clients) at the completion of their time at the EFYF program, which is an increase from last year.
    The percentage of participants employed, including in part-time or casual work, also increased from 19% at entry to 31% at exit from the Foyer.
    This is a notable result considering that COVID-19 has impacted employment rates in Melbourne and the most common industries for our students are retail and hospitality.
    This reflects the strong partnerships that we have created to provide work opportunities for students in the EFYF program.

    Education
    – 59% of young people were enrolled in education (27/46 clients) at the completion of their time in the EFYF program.
    This is on track with what has been achieved in previous years. Throughout the pandemic we continued to maintain our strong focus on education.
    These results align with a recent evaluation of the program which highlighted that the percentage of young people who had completed at least Year 12 or a Certificate III increased from 42% at entry to 67% at exit and to 75% a year after exit.

  • Increase in number of children participating in school or early childhood eduacation

    Evidence shows that children experiencing homelessness face multiple forms of disadvantage including: increased exposure to family violence, poverty, poor health and nutrition, and emotional and behavioural difficulties.

    Transience and uncertainty mean that access to education is severely disrupted, leading to disengagement and learning difficulties. The Education Pathways Program (EPP) assisted 95 children experiencing homelessness this year which is a 28% increase from last year. Of the 95, 64 children (67%) were not enrolled in school at the time of referral to the EPP.

    The EPP assisted with 65 new enrolments during the course of the year:

    • 15 childcare enrolments
    • 8 kinder enrolments
    • 35 primary school enrolments
    • 7 high-school enrolments

CHANGES IN COMMUNITY

  • Increase in acts of community engagement to end homelessness

    Our mobilisation of communities aims to contribute to changing negative attitudes and perceptions about homelessness, and inspire community action to end it.

    Launch Housing has developed and is testing an internal tool – Acts of Community Engagement (ACE) Score – to measure community engagement levels across a range of areas. The ACE Score tracks engagements such as: small ($99 or less) and large ($100 or more) donations, volunteer hours, Launch Housing event attendance and social media followers among other acts. The ACE Score will be updated twice a year to track progress.

    Based on the ACE Score, this year, there was a 38-point increase in major acts of engagement compared to the year before. This includes increases in major partnerships, donations, and attendance at Launch Housing events. There was a small decrease in minor acts of engagement such as email subscribers and social media followers.

    These outcomes are testament to our ongoing relationship building activities and strengthening of connections with our community.

  • Increase in partner support

    Growth in donations and partnerships are both key indicators of a growing and committed community engaging with Launch Housing to end homelessness. This support also demonstrates the increasing recognition across the community that homelessness is not inevitable.

    We’ve seen an average increase of 179% in the number of people making donations to Launch Housing. The number of people making small donations ($99 or less) more than doubled since last year. We also saw a sharp rise – more than 150% – in partnerships with organisations with skills and resources that complement the core offerings of Launch Housing.