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Homelessness Advocacy Service (HAS)
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Homelessness Advocacy Service
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Jump to specific page section:
Introduction
Advocacy
Training
Secondary Consultation
Sector Development
Complaints
Introduction
About the Homelessness Advocacy Service (HAS)
Do you have a problem with a Government funded Homelessness support and accomodation service such as Crisis Accomodation, THMs or a Rooming House service? HAS will inform you of your rights and how to make a complaint.
Free Call 1800 066 256
Email has@chp.org.au
On 1 January 2005 the Homelessness Advocacy Service (HAS) opened for business, a new service, born out of the Victorian Governments Homelessness Strategy and the development of a broader quality framework for the service system aimed at securing and protecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness.
Complaints raised through the Homelessness Advocacy Service are measured against the Homelessness Assistance Service Standards. These standards were developed through extensive consultation with people who have experienced homelessness, community based service providers and key stakeholders. The Victorian Homelessness Assistance Service Standards set out standards of good practice for service delivery in the homelessness assistance sector. The standards and a process for assisting services to implement them have been designed to improve the service system’s transparency, consistency and responsiveness in addressing the needs of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The overall aim is to improve outcomes for people and communities served.
The current work of the Homelessness Advocacy Service is separated into three broad areas –individual advocacy, secondary consultation and training and the Peer Education Support Program.
Advocacy
The Homelessness Advocacy Service provides state-wide advocacy to people who have a complaint with any of the 350 Office of Housing (OoH) funded homelessness service in Victoria including SAAP, THM, OoH funded Rooming House and other homelessness services. Advocacy involves individual support to people who are seeking to make complaints regarding service provision. These complaints are measured by the services’ compliance with the Homelessness Assistance Service Standards, the service’s funding and service agreement, Commonwealth and State legislation such as the SAAP ACT 1994, the Equal Opportunity ACT 1984.
Recurring issues raised through complaints by people accessing the Homelessness Advocacy Service included:
• Lack of support and appropriate referral
• Unfair eviction with no exit options
• Disempowerment over choices and decision making
• Discrimination
• Breach of privacy and confidentiality
• Not being treated with dignity and respect
• Service exclusion
• Feeling unsafe in accommodation
• Inappropriate accommodation
• Sexual and other forms of harassment
• A lack of and/or access to culturally appropriate information
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Homelessness Service Sector Capacity Building
Service sector capacity building is a process of buiding the skills and capacity of services and staff to provide homelessness assistance services within a strong service user rights culture, focussing on complaints processes, service user participation in decision-making and reflective practise development. The HAS, DHS and homelessness services, will work in partnership to build the sector's capacity to respond to the needs of clients in a way which is holistic, inclusive, integrated, respectful and rights-based.
There are four essential elements to the HAS sector capacity building strategy, all inclusive of consumer participation.
These are:
1. Training, including DHS training programs and rights based training opportunities;
2. Secondary Consultation to homelessness assistance services to support them in developing complaints resolution processes and service user rights-based approaches to service delivery;
3. Information to services on service user rights and the OoHs' Integrated Complaints Management System;
4. Research, policy and practise development
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Advocacy
Services include:
* Providing information and advice to consumers about their rights and how to raise complaints and negotiate complaint mechanisms;
* Assisting consumers with raising formal complaints such as attending meetings, writing letters, accessing and keeping records in relation to complaints. HAS can help clarify issues and present complaints in appropriate formats;
* Referral to external complaint bodies where appropriate; and
* Raising complaints directly with service staff on behalf of consumers.
HAS represents the concerns and complaints of homelessness service users.
We work with service users, to empower them, and to encourage maximum
participation and decision making by the client in taking up and exercising
their rights in the service system and beyond.
HAS is independent.
Some common issues presented to HAS include:
Not being treated with dignity and respect
Discrimination
Service exclusion
Unfair eviction
Breach of confidentiality
Missuse of 60 and 120 day notice to vacate
Withholding information
Inappropriate/lack exit plan
Reinforcing power imbalances
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Training
HAS provides state-wide training and sector development in the
homelessness service sector. Training includes the state-wide service
provided by HAS, ways of developing and implementing a rights based
approach, effective complaints management, implementation of the
Homelessness Assistance Service Standards, the Consumer Charter of Rights
and Responsibilities. Through the Peer Education Support Program, HAS
provides training on consumer participation and input into the development
and delivery of training modules. The Peer Education Support Program
provides volunteers with training and vocational opportunities.
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Secondary Consultation
HAS provides advice and secondary consultations to homelessness services
relating to a broad range of practice and policy issues including internal
grievance policy development, implementation of the Homelessness
Assistance Service Standards and the Consumer Charter of Rights and
Responsibilities.
HAS works through grievance procedures with services to achieve positive outcomes for consumers. Effective
complaints resolution procedures are the foundation for the provision of
advocacy services.
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Policy and Practise Development
HAS initiates and participates in collaborative projects in the area of policy and
practise development. The operation of HAS as a core function of the Council to Homeless Persons has enhanced CHP’s policy and practise strategy by grounding
policy developments in practise. HAS provides input into CHP’s policy
submissions and research and platform to collaborate with service users through PESP. HAS provides input into the Homelessness Service System through consultation and collaboration.
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Sector Development
HAS initiates and participates in collaborative projects in the area of policy and practise development.
The operation of HAS as a core function of the Council to Homeless Persons has enhanced CHP’s policy and practise strategy by grounding policy developments in practise.
HAS provides input into:
* CHP’s policy submissions and research and platform to collaborate with service users through PESP;
* the Homelessness Service System through consultation and collaboration.
Education/Training
HAS provides state-wide training and sector development in the homelessness service sector. Training includes the state-wide service provided by HAS, ways of developing and implementing a rights based approach, effective complaints management, implementation of the Homelessness Assistance Service Standards, the Consumer Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. Through the Peer Education Support Program, HAS
provides training on consumer participation and input into the development and delivery of training modules.
The Peer Education Support Program provides volunteers with training and vocational opportunities.
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Complaints
Complaints
HAS operates within the Office of Housing integrated complaints management strategy. effective responses to complaints are an opportunity to improve service delivery and reflect on policy.
HAS ensures that complaints are dealt with in a timely, transparent and consistent manner. Feedback and complaints are taken seriously.
HAS provides information and advice to service users about their rights and how to raise complaints and negotiate complaint mechanisms.
HAS assists service users with raising formal complaints such as attending meetings, writing letters, accessing and keeping records in relation to complaints.
HAS assists service users to articulate their issues and present their complaint in a clear and concise format.
HAS provides referral to external complaint bodies where appropriate
Raising complaints directly with service staff on behalf of consumers
HAS represents the concerns and complaints of homelessness service users.
We work with service users, to empower them, and to encourage maximum
participation and decision making by the client in taking up and exercising
their rights in the service system and beyond.
HAS is independent.
HAS is not an initiator, mediator, investigator, prosecutor or arbiter of
complaints.
Some common complaints presented to HAS include:
Not being treated with dignity and respect
Discrimination
Service exclusion
Unfair eviction
Breach of confidentiality
Missuse of 120 day notice to vacate
Withholding information
Inappropriate/lack exit plan
Reinforcing power imbalances
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Useful Complaint Resources
* Commonwealth of Australia Ombudsman
A good practice guide to effective complaint handling
www.comb.gov.au/publications
* Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
Advice Line 1300 292 153
TTY 1300 289 621
* Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria
(03) 9603 8370 or 1800 658 528 (free call for rural areas)
* Tenants Union of Victoria
Advice Line (03) 9416 2577
(Tenants, residents and organisations)
www.tuv.org.au
* Disability - Office of the Public Advocate
(03) 9603 9500
1300 309 337
www.publicadvocate.vic.gov.au
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