Publications

Since program commencement in December 2014 Micah Projects staff, through the Home for Good Coordinated Access and Referral Team (CART) and St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane nurses, have been working together along with partnering hospital units. We have established a unique service in Brisbane that targets vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness with complex health and social support needs. This pilot forms part of the Inclusive Health’s Integrated Programs that are delivered in partnership by Micah Projects, Mater Health Services and St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane. While the budget for Pathways is modest at $229,266 per annum the integration of funded nursing staff with CART staff has allowed the service to more fully support and address the range of complex health and social needs.

The Pathways project is funded by the Queensland Department of Health, and delivered by Micah Projects’ Home for Good service in partnership with St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Brisbane. The overall goal of the Pathways project is to improve health and social outcomes for homeless and vulnerably-housed people with multiple morbidities and complex social needs. Pathways is a targeted, integrated model of care that provides person-centred admission and discharge planning, care coordination, direct nursing care, and housing assistance to referred patients at point-of-discharge from hospital.

The report finds that nearly three million people were living in poverty in Australia in 2014, or 13.3% of the general population.

“The overall picture from the last decade is one of persistent and entrenched poverty across the community with an increase in child poverty. It is a national shame that after 25 years of economic growth, we have not done better at changing this trajectory and ensuring our most precious national resource, our children, are given the best possible start in life,” said ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie.

This 2016 snapshot is from Brisbane Common Ground Evaluation: Final Report by Dr Cameron Parsell. The report was prepared for the Queensland Government, Department of Housing and Public Works by the Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland.

AHURI Final Report No.265

Authors: Lisa Wood, Paul Flatau, Kaylene Zaretzky, Sarah Foster, Shannen Vallesi, Darja Miscenko.
Copyright: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited 2016

This research found that supporting formerly homeless people and those at risk of homelessness into public housing in Western Australia reduced their use of health services as well as the frequency with which they did so. The reduction in health service use, which was particularly evident for hospital stays and psychiatric care, could save WA $4,846 per person per year for a total of $16.4 million per year. This increases to $84,135 per person per year for clients of the NPAH Mental Health program.

“…the current child protection system — despite the hard work and good intentions of many and the large amounts of money invested in it since 2000 — is not ensuring the safety, wellbeing and best interests of children as well as it should or could” Tim Carmody, QC 2013.

This ‘problem’ compelled Common Ground Queensland and Micah Projects to commission research to explore a better way to drive system change. This paper builds an evidence based ‘case for change’.

This project was generously sponsored and funded by the Queensland Community Foundation.

500 Lives 500 Homes is a three year campaign to break the cycle of homelessness for 500 families, young people and adults in our community who are homeless or vulnerably housed. By getting to know each person by name and surveying their individual health, housing and support needs, we can respond in the best way to each person and get them housed fast.

The Historical Abuse Network (HAN) is a network of people who experienced abuse, including sexual abuse, in state or church run institutions, foster care, youth detention centres and those who as children were placed in adult mental health institutions.