Sydney Zero Local Leadership Group April Meeting

Moving to Phase 2  

It was recognised that phase 1 of Sydney Zero has been focussed on establishing the project and introducing the simplified version of the By-Name List (BNL). We will now shift to phase 2 of the project which will be focussed on embedding the collaborative practices and using the insights from the BNL to improve outcomes for rough sleepers.  

Achievement of Purpose  

The purpose of Sydney Zero is to make rough sleeping rare, brief and non-recurring. It is recognised that these outcomes are likely to take some time to achieve and it would be valuable to have interim milestones to measure progress. Initial discussions with the case coordination champions group suggest these interim milestones will include: Increased % of people with support needs identified & met; and reduced % of people without a housing pathway.  

Voice of Lived Experience 

The Local Leadership Group (LLG) recognises the importance of including the voice of lived experience in Sydney Zero at all levels. StreetCare have been invited to be part of the LLG and Carlos Robles and Charmaine Jones will be the representatives. It was further agreed that peer support workers from Sydney Zero organisations (Salvos, Kirkton Rd, SVHA, Neami and StreetCare) will be included in the co-design of appropriate practices, starting with guidance on explaining to people rough sleeping the benefits of participating in the BNL.  

Membership of Sydney Zero 

Currently, 19 organisations are part of Sydney Zero. There is a workshop with Aboriginal organisations on 30 April and an agenda item is to identify an appropriate representative to join the Sydney Zero LLG.   

By-Name-List 

Since launch of the simplified BNL, BNL usage in Sydney is at the highest level we have ever had with 500 active clients on the BNL. Work needs to be done to increase the quality of information being captured to facilitate systems change work. At a minimum, each record should have lead worker, location, current housing status, current social housing application status and current support needs.  

Data integration with the HOMES system continues to be a priority and is progressing. In the interim, the HOST team is looking to update housing information for case coordination clients as quickly as possible (subject to approval within Homes NSW).   

Introducing an Early Engagement Module is also a priority, but given everyone is busy embedding the BNL, it has been decided to put this additional module on hold for a few weeks. The design process will recommence in May and it is expected to take 2-3 months to design, build, test and go live.  

Case Coordination 

The Case Coordination Champions Group is reviewing the way case co-ordination works in Sydney Zero. This includes updating the terms of reference to ensure the meetings are more action focused and to review how the different case coordination groups fit together.  

Escalation 

The LLG was presented with a draft report for consideration of individual cases that have been escalated for action in circumstances where case coordination has been unable to identify a housing or support pathway.  This process will be finalised over coming meetings of the LLG. 

Systems Change 

The LLG had a discussion on the types of information it would like to see in addressing common barriers that can then lead to recommendations for improvement projects. The CEO of Homes NSW has agreed to receive recommendations for system changes directly from the LLG. 

One particular barrier was discussed: Since the need for rental diaries was removed, evidence needed to extend TA has included demonstration that individuals are actively working towards ending their homelessness. The gathering of evidence is taking considerable time, which can be longer than the previous rental diary process. Homes NSW indicated that this issue was already under notice. It has been agreed that frontline workers can send an email of support for TA extensions, identifying what was undertaken during the current TA and what will be worked on if TA is extended. It has also been agreed that, where people are engaged with SHS providers, TA extensions will be for longer periods to reduce the churn of people in TA.