Sydney Zero Local Leadership Group June Meeting

Purpose of Sydney Zero and Local Leadership Group

The purpose of Sydney Zero is to be an action-orientated, collaborative effort to make rough sleeping rare, brief, and non-recurring in Inner Sydney.

The purpose of the Sydney Zero LLG includes both setting up and monitoring the performance of Sydney Zero and to lead work to remove barriers and drive systems change.

No one can solve homelessness alone, but together we can make a difference. This will require new ways of working collaboratively and there should be an expectation that this will take time to embed. The LLG is a critical pathway for change in the system, it is important the LLG shift to the next phase of this project and start using the evidence from the BNL to lead change.

Membership of Sydney Zero

Onboarding of key First Nations organisations has been delayed but remains a priority. The LLG are working with Homelessness NSW to identify a First nations representative for the LLG.

By-Name List

Sydney Zero reached a Quality BNL early June, which is a significant achievement (never achieved in NSW before and allows Sydney Zero to start focusing on improvement projects). However, there has since seen a drop in Sydney Zero ‘active clients’, primarily due to no updates to key information over a 3-month period, and the big focus on adding clients to the BNL rather than updating their records. ESSC will work with frontline teams to better understand how they are using the BNL, how to improve the system to better reflect what is occurring on the ground, and what additional training is needed to support use of the BNL.

Data integration with the HOMES system is progressing and continues to be a priority within Homes NSW. In the interim, approval is being sought for the HOST team to update manually housing information in the BNL for case coordination clients in Sydney.

The Early Engagement Module continues to be a priority but has been delayed due to resources. The design process will start as soon as possible and is expected to take 2-3 months before it will be available for use.

Case coordination

Work is being done across all Inner Sydney case coordination groups to ensure they are aligned, there is clarity around the purpose of the separate groups and how to embed use of the BNL. The BNL is now embedded into ICEG and will be introduced into HART, ACCG and Non-resident case coordination over the next few months.

Escalation

There was a detailed discussion about the pros and cons of using the LLG for the escalation of individual cases. It was recognised that it is important there is a pathway for escalation, noting it was not expected to be used often. Any cases for escalation should be bought forward in a clear template outlining the barrier, what has happened to date, a recommendation, and evidence from the BNL. As part of its consideration, the LLG will consider what lessons can be learnt from each escalation to remove the barrier for others and strengthen the case coordination groups to address similar barriers in future.

Systems Change

It was recognised that Sydney Zero is now at the stage to start to think about how best to improve the system and trying to get better outcomes for people on the street in Inner Sydney. It was agreed Sydney Zero Improvement projects should be dynamic, initially focused on quick wins and ensuring there are clear pathways for change and clear communication with frontline workers.

Going forward, it is important to understand what improvement projects are already happening in Inner Sydney to ensure they are aligned, adding value, and there is no duplication. The next LLG meeting will focus on mapping out existing work and identifying the top priority improvement projects for Sydney Zero.

BNL Guide for People Sleeping Rough

A group including peer workers, frontline workers and lived experience are designing a guide to the BNL for People Sleeping Rough. This should be available to frontline workers within the next few weeks.