Our last Pulse Meeting held on Wednesday, 11 May saw the online launch of the Housing First – Development Collection website.
It showcases Australian and international Housing First programs, demonstrating how Housing First has been applied to date while providing a starting point for service providers, policy-makers, Community Housing Providers and housing developers eager to develop housing options that will also support the Housing First model.
The website is a joint venture between Shelter WA and the WA Alliance to End Homelessness and is supported by Lotterywest.
Watch the video presentation.
Special Guests
Launching the website was three key speakers all experts on Housing First.
Sam Tsemberis began the Housing First model using subsidies to get people into homes with access to social services. He’s the head of Pathways Housing First Institute, an organisation helping communities around the world establish the Housing First model.
Bob Jordan was responsible for developing Ireland’s National Housing First Implementation Plan and is now CEO of The Housing Agency, a state agency supporting the governments 'Housing for All' strategy.
Leah Watkins the Manager of Tenant Engagement & Capacity Building at Housing Choices Western Australia completed the Housing First Europe Hub 'Train-the-Trainer' programme and co-authored Housing First Principles for Australia.
View Leah Watkin's slide presentation.
The Website
The website catalogues both Australian and international Housing First (including Common Grounds and Social Impact Investment) models. Internationally you can explore models from Finland, New Zealand, United States and Germany.
There are also various guides, kits and general information from across the world relating to Housing First not to mention reports, other websites for further reading and toolkits.
Our hope in developing this resource is to provide best practice examples in relation to housing options that support implementing Housing First. So, if you are or some-one you know, are interested in developing housing options we encourage you to explore this information to help inform your ideas and development projects. Ending homelessness occurs when we provide suitable and appropriate housing options and we encourage you to be part of creating the solutions!