2024-2013
Local government is increasingly being called upon – and choosing to act – to prevent and end homelessness at a local level.
This section of the hub features statewide examples of how local governments have responded to preventing and ending homelessness in their own community, utilising the levers at their disposal. The examples illustrate how local governments have developed policies, strategies and plans across different functional areas of Council, including embedding their response within their integrated planning and reporting requirements.
Included in the resources section are a number of case studies, written specifically for the hub, to further illustrate specific responses taken by Councils.
All Resources
Show my bookmarksResearch and Background Information
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Council and administrative policies are an important component of the governance framework for all local governments. Good policy supports the strategic direction of a local government and can help guide the decision-making process.
Many local governments are recognising that social policy can increase the wellbeing of their local community. To this end they have developed policies aligning preventing and ending homelessness with the broader strategic priorities of their local government.
The following are a sample of local government policies and plans that may assist you with thinking about how your local government can work to end homelessness.
Plans/Strategies
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Integrated and strategic planning are a requirement for all local governments. Strategic and integrated planning provides local governments with a framework for establishing their local priorities. Establishing priorities ensures operational planning and resources are considered and implemented to meet the communities needs and expectations.
Integrating planning of assets, services and financial and human resources allows a local government’s resource to be matched with delivering on community need.
Strategic and integrated planning is a key a driver for all other planning in a local government, including social or regulatory plans. These planning processes can be harnessed to inform each Council’s approach to end homelessness in their community.
This planning approach could include provisions in social plan’s such as Community Development or Community Safety plans to contribute set the framework and approach to end homelessness. Urban and town planning strategies which ensure appropriate planning controls exist for land use and development by preparing local planning schemes and strategies, can use these instruments to which address issues such as lack of social and affordable housing, crisis accommodation or diverse housing supply, and Public Health Plans which outlines determinates and strategies for residents to live a healthy life, this can include being part of a vulnerable group such as people experiencing homelessness. Other local governments commit to a more direct approach to ending homelessness through the development of homelessness policies, strategies or plans.
This section of the hub features state-wide examples of how local government have responded to preventing and ending homelessness through plans and strategies across the different functional areas of local government.
Staff Protocols
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Local governments are receiving an increasing number of notifications from community members and local business regarding people who are experiencing homelessness in their local area. Interaction between local government staff and people who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness has increased and in some instances, staff are also providing assistance or partnering with services to provide support to people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Local government staff are not always equipped with the right tools or skills to address the complex issues people experiencing homelessness face. However, there is an opportunity for the interaction with staff to be positive and to be a referral point to local homelessness and accommodation services.
Some local governments have recognised this, and to assist staff in interacting with and providing assistance and support to people who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness have implemented internal operations, practices or procedures. The primary purpose of these is to outline the role of their local government staff in support and assistance, and encourage compassion and respect, whist considering staff safety, when engaging with someone at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The following are a sample of documents from local governments.
Operational Responses
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Local government is increasingly being called upon, and choosing to act, to prevent and end homelessness at a local level. The extent of local government functions allows for localised responses, often driven by Council policy, plans and strategies. Local government often have good knowledge of their local communities which places them in a prime position to work with their local community to end homelessness. This is done in a range of ways across different functional areas and can include through facilitation, collaborating and partnerships with local services and government agencies, advocacy, information provision, referral and supporting local organisations to provide services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness through Funding or support,
Through strategic and integrated planning processes many local governments have implemented operational initiatives to prevent and end homelessness across different functional areas.
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Shelter WA has been in contact with local government throughout the state while developing the hub. There are a number of local governments who are active in preventing and ending homelessness through advocacy, policy, strategy, coordination, partnership and much more.
This page includes case studies written by local government statewide about the initiatives and innovative ways they are preventing and ending homelessness at a local level.
These case studies aim to facilitate learning by local government reflecting on their lived experiences by sharing successes and strengths challenges and lessons learned.