Congratulations to Social Futures' Tweed Assertive Outreach Team – winners of the 2023 Premier's Award in the Connecting Communities category. The Assertive Outreach program supports rough sleepers to find accommodation and gain the skills to maintain a tenancy long-term. The program has significantly reduced the number of rough sleepers in the Tweed Shire, housing for 140 people and 95% have maintained their tenancy.
Congratulations to Social Futures’ Tweed Assertive Outreach Team – winners of the 2023 Premier’s Award in the Connecting Communities category.
The Assertive Outreach program supports rough sleepers to find accommodation and gain the skills to maintain a tenancy long-term. The program has significantly reduced the number of rough sleepers in the Tweed Shire, housing for 140 people and 95% have maintained their tenancy.
Social Futures has been part of the Tweed Heads assertive outreach program since the pilot arrived in that shire in 2019. The program is delivered in collaboration with NSW Health and Momentum Collective.
Social Futures CEO Tony Davies congratulated the Tweed-based team for taking home the prestigious prize.
“Homelessness workers travel to areas used by people who are homeless and rough sleeping and explain how assertive outreach works,” Mr Davies said.
“Once signed up to the program, every participant gets a program worker, and a personalised plan to meet their often-complex needs. The priority is to get them into temporary accommodation first, but assertive outreach also delivers wraparound supports.
“This can include referrals to healthcare professionals such as doctors and dentists, help completing an NDIS application (where needed) and connections to other service providers, such as drug and alcohol treatment.
“The key aim is to support the individual to develop the skills to maintain long-term accommodation opportunities.”
Mr Davies said assertive outreach workers offer person-centred care.
“The case management is collaborative and holistic. Each plan is developed around the person’s unique needs,” he said.
“People who have been sleeping rough for years may have experienced trauma or addiction or mental health challenges – that’s why an integrated and coherent response is needed and that’s what assertive outreach delivers.
“The worker supports participants to reset so they gain the skills to maintain a long-term tenancy.”
Social Futures has been delivering homelessness services in Byron Bay since 2014, and has been supporting the Northern Rivers for 47 years.