Homelessness Action Plan
Extended Evaluation
Support for people at risk of
eviction
Tenancy Support Program
Far North Coast
Housing NSW
Final Februar
y
2013
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
1
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................7
1.1 Overview of NSW Homelessness Action Plan ..................................................... 7
1.2 Service model and projects included in the evaluation ........................................ 8
1.3 Contextual factors from the literature ................................................................... 8
2 EVALUATION SCOPE AND METHODS .................................................................................11
2.1 Ethics process.................................................................................................... 11
2.2 Summary of methods ......................................................................................... 11
2.3 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 12
3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION........................................................................................................13
3.1 Service origins and description .......................................................................... 13
3.2 Objectives........................................................................................................... 13
3.3 Target group....................................................................................................... 13
3.4 Service model..................................................................................................... 14
3.5 Management and governance............................................................................ 19
3.6 Staffing ............................................................................................................... 19
3.7 Budget................................................................................................................ 20
4 ANALYSIS OF SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH AND OUTCOMES..................................21
4.1 Client services and outcomes ............................................................................ 21
4.2 Service system and delivery outcomes.............................................................. 29
4.3 Staffing issues.................................................................................................... 29
5 COST ANALYSIS.....................................................................................................................31
5.1 Total project budget and expenditure................................................................. 31
5.2 Issues with expenditure...................................................................................... 31
5.3 Client costs for the project.................................................................................. 33
5.4 Effectiveness of brokerage funding.................................................................... 35
6 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF MODEL.................................................................36
6.1 Success factors for the model............................................................................ 36
6.2 Challenges for the model ................................................................................... 37
7 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................39
7.1 Summary of key lessons learnt .......................................................................... 39
7.2 Implications for future responses to the client group.......................................... 40
7.3 Implications for homelessness system in the region.......................................... 40
7.4 Insights gained that can enrich the evidence base ............................................ 40
7.5 Future research that could strengthen the evidence in this area ....................... 40
APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEWED CLIENTS DEMOGRAPHIC AND SERVICE USE DATA ..............42
APPENDIX 2: SERVICE PROVIDERS INTERVIEWED..................................................................46
APPENDIX 3: SERVICE PROVIDER INTERVIEW DATA..............................................................47
APPENDIX 4: PROMOTIONAL POSTER FOR TENANCY SUPPORT PROGRAM .....................53
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Tenancy Support Program (TSP) operated by On Track Community Services aims to prevent
people at risk of eviction from losing their tenancy and becoming homeless. The TSP operates
throughout the far north coast of NSW with primary service delivery centres in Lismore, Grafton
and Tweed Heads. The target group for the TSP is families (including single parent families) with
accompanying children including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families whose tenancies
are at risk.
The TSP provides case management and brokered goods and services over a 16 week support
period. Case management may be provided by other organisations through their own resources or
brokered through the TSP. Total funding to the TSP from 2009/10 to 2011/12 was $1,508,475.
A key feature of the model is the operation of three multi-agency Coordination Groups based in
Lismore, Grafton and Tweed Heads whose role includes approval of the client support plan and the
brokerage budget. The Coordination Groups have supported improved partnerships between
service providers and acted to strengthen client referral and support processes with improved
outcomes for clients.
Additional key partnerships developed through the TSP include those with real estate agents who
have been responsive to the TSP initiative and now actively refer private rental tenants to the TSP
as well as cooperating with rent arrears repayment plans.
The TSP has significantly exceeded its target number of individual clients. Over the two year
period 2010/11 to 2011/12 the TSP assisted 1273 individuals (inclusive of accompanying children)
against a target of 700. Aboriginal people make up a significant proportion of individuals assisted,
accounting for 27% of clients in 2011/12. The most significant trend over the two year period is a
20% increase in the proportion of private tenants assisted increasing from 62% in 2010/11 to 82%
in 2011/12. This is largely attributed to the increased participation of real estate agents in the TSP.
There has been a high success rate in relation to housing outcomes for TSP clients. In 2010/11, of
the 442 individuals assisted, 415 had sustained their tenancy (93.5%) at the 16 week exit point and
in 2011/12 of the 828 individuals assisted, 820 (99.0%) sustained their tenancy.
CTTT data obtained for the evaluation indicates a 6.1% decline in the number of applications for
private rental termination on the grounds of rent arrears in the TSP primary service areas between
2010/11 and 2011/12. Although it is difficult to draw a direct causal relationship between any
decline in terminations for rent arrears and the operation of the TSP it is likely that the TSP has
had at least some role to play in this decline. Anecdotally, many service providers interviewed
reported a reduction in eviction and homelessness of families in their local area as a result of the
TSP.
Key to success in sustaining tenancies is the emphasis placed on supporting clients to learn
budgeting and financial management skills as well developing affordable debt repayment
arrangements. There have also been a range of beneficial non housing outcomes for clients of the
TSP including a significant reduction in stress, improvements in physical and mental health, family
relationships, confidence and social support. Some clients have also gone to employment or
study. The ability to case manage over an extended period of 16 weeks enables the TSP to put in
place sustainable strategies to avoid rental arrears in the future as well as addressing underlying
issues contributing to placing the tenancy at risk including domestic violence, mental health and
alcohol and drug issues.
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In relation to expenditure, staffing and administration accounts for 71.4% of the TSP budget while
brokerage accounts for 28.6%. In 2011/12 brokerage was primarily spent on case management,
payments for rent arrears and utility payments. Expenditure on rent arrears is an essential
component of securing ‘buy in’ from real estate agents and landlords.
It is clear that efforts to engage real estate agents have been particularly beneficial and any future
efforts focused on preventing eviction in the region need to continue this focus. Real estate agents
who were interviewed for the evaluation expressed a greater awareness of the difficulties which
tenants could find themselves in as a result of the TSP and were willing to work with services in
most situations to save the tenancy. This is an important finding for responses to homelessness in
the region.
In 2011/12 the total cost per client was $743 per individual and $2597 per family. The average
brokerage/payments were $245 per individual and $857 per family. The overall cost is considered
to represent value for money. While comparable benchmarks are difficult to identify the literature
suggests that the cost of preventing eviction is significantly less than the costs resulting from
eviction.
There are some challenges for the effective operation of the model. These include an ongoing
difficulty in identifying a sufficient number of case managers due to the capacity limitations of
services providers. There are also generally waiting lists for services like Brighter Futures and
some mental health and disability support services. In certain locations in the region there are
gaps in services and insufficient capacity to partner with the TSP.
Overall, it was concluded that the TSP is an efficient, cost effective means of preventing evictions
and homelessness and reducing the future risk of homelessness. The evidence suggests that the
homelessness system in the region has been strengthened by the operation of TSP. The TSP has
demonstrated the importance of projects to prevent eviction as part of responses to homelessness
to reduce demand on crisis services and promote better outcomes for people at risk.
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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of NSW Homelessness Action Plan
In 2009 the NSW Government released the NSW Homelessness Action Plan 2009-2014 (‘the
HAP’). It sets the direction for state wide reform of the homelessness service system to achieve
better outcomes for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The HAP aims to realign
existing effort, and increase the focus on prevention and long-term accommodation and support.
The HAP also aims to change the way that homelessness and its impact on the community is
understood; change the way services are designed and delivered to homeless people and people
at risk of becoming homeless; and change ways of working across government, with the non-
government sector and with the broader community to improve responses to homelessness.
Under the HAP there are three headline homelessness reduction targets, which are:
• A reduction of 7% in the overall level of homelessness in NSW.
• A reduction of 25% in the number of people sleeping rough in NSW.
• A reduction of one-third in the number of Indigenous people who are homeless.
The HAP includes approximately 100 NSW Government funded local, regional and state-wide
projects which assist in achieving the homelessness reduction targets. As at June 2012, 55 of the
projects were funded through the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (‘the NPAH’).
The remaining projects include other programs or services that contribute to addressing
homelessness.
The projects are aligned to one of three strategic directions:
• Preventing homelessness; to ensure that people never become homeless
• Responding effectively to homelessness: to ensure that people who are homeless receive
effective responses so that they do not become entrenched in the system
• Breaking the cycle: to ensure that people who have been homeless do not become
homeless again
Ten Regional Homelessness Action Plans (2010 to 2014) were developed to identify effective
ways of working locally to respond to local homelessness and provide the focus for many of the
HAP projects.
The HAP Evaluation Strategy has been developed in consultation with government agencies and
the non-government sector. It involves three inter-related components, which are:
I. Self evaluations – The purpose of self evaluation is to gather performance information
about each of the HAP projects across key areas in a consistent way, and to collect the
views of practitioners about the effectiveness of their projects.
II. Extended evaluations – The purpose of the extended evaluations is to analyse and draw
conclusions about the effectiveness of 15 selected projects and the service approaches to
addressing homelessness that those projects represent. The service approaches covered by
the extended evaluations are; support for women and children escaping domestic violence,
youth foyers, support for people exiting institutions, tenancy support to prevent evictions and
long term housing and support.
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III. Meta-Analysis –The purpose of the meta-analysis is to synthesise the aggregated findings
from the self evaluations and extended evaluations as well as other evaluations available on
HAP activities.
The HAP evaluation will assist with measuring progress towards meeting the HAP targets as well
as provide evidence of effective responses and lessons learnt that should be considered in the
future response to homelessness in NSW.
1.2 Service model and projects included in the evaluation
Robyn Kennedy Consultants were commissioned to undertake the extended evaluation of three
projects grouped under the heading of supporting people who are at risk of eviction. These are
projects that provide assistance to prevent people from being evicted from either social or private
rental housing. The three projects that were evaluated are:
• Tenancy Support Program Far North Coast managed by On Track Community Programs
• Tenancy Support Service Mid North Coast managed by Samaritans Foundation
• Coastal Sydney Aboriginal Tenancy Support Service managed by Mission Australia
This report is focused on the Tenancy Support Program Far North Coast, managed by On
Track Community Programs. Separate reports are available on the other two projects.
All three projects are based around a case management model supported by brokerage to
purchase goods or services or to assist in managing debts such as rent arrears. All projects aim to
connect clients to services that are appropriate to their needs as well as addressing the immediate
issues that place them at risk of eviction. Each service does however, have differences in their
operating models. Individual reports on each project describe the service model in detail.
1.3 Contextual factors from the literature
A literature review was undertaken on models aiming to support tenants at risk of eviction. The
literature review is included in the Summary Report on all three of the tenancy support projects
evaluated. As is outlined in the literature review, many jurisdictions both nationally and
internationally have established tenant support programs in an effort to avoid the social and
economic costs associated with eviction.
Studies confirm that the vast majority of evictions are caused by the failure to pay rent and the
accumulation of rent arrears. This applies to both public and private tenants although rental arrears
is a much more significant factor for private renters than public housing tenants while property
standards, damage to property and anti-social behaviour are more significant factors for public
tenants. Tenant support programs therefore need to have a primary focus on assisting tenants to
address rent arrears while also supporting tenants to address other factors that result in the threat
of eviction.
There are a myriad of personal drivers for tenancy problems including mental and physical illness,
relationship breakdown, loss of employment, hospitalisation/rehabilitation, experiences of family
and domestic violence and incarceration of one of more household members. Anti-social
behaviour by tenants is often related to personal vulnerabilities and difficulties such as mental
health problems and drug and alcohol abuse. For many tenants on low incomes, bills and rent are
juggled regularly and an unexpected expense such as a medical bill can “fatally derail” the ability to
maintain rental payments. Private renters often have higher levels of rent arrears and debts and/or
outstanding fines to utilities, store credit, banks and financial institutions. Public housing tenants at
risk of eviction are more likely to present with high and complex needs and require additional
support with respect to mental health support services as well as family reunification, drug/alcohol
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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support/rehabilitation/intervention and health/medical services. Research shows that Indigenous
tenants are one of the demographic groups most vulnerable to eviction. Indigenous households in
mainstream public housing are much more likely than non-Indigenous households to receive
tenancy termination notices and to be evicted.
These findings suggest that to successfully avoid eviction, tenancy support programs need to
provide different forms of assistance to clients to address the issues that underlie tenancy
problems and to be responsive to the higher risk of Indigenous tenants. Referrals to other services
such as counselling, mental health and drug and alcohol services and financial counsellors are a
key element of many programs. Many tenant support programs also aim to improve family
relationships, to build the capacity of clients in terms of their life skills, to increase their self esteem
and to increase their confidence and trust in those delivering services. Tenancy advice and support
designed to enhance the skills required to maintain a tenancy are also important particularly for
Indigenous tenants where sustainable tenancies were also linked to culturally appropriate service
provision. In order to meet the varying needs of tenants at risk of eviction, multi-agency
partnerships are a key component of sustaining tenancies and successful tenant support programs
include strong linkages with a range of service providers supported by coordinated referral
processes.
The literature found that evictions generally took place before formal action commenced. Those at
risk of eviction tend to move out quickly and early on in the process. Evictees often do not seek
advice, information, support, or advocacy to defend their housing nor do they contact the
landlord/manager to discuss the situation before it escalates further. In addition, evictees often do
not make use of formal dispute resolution procedures to resolve the immediate tenancy issue.
Tenants in the private rental sector are more likely to leave early than persons in the public rental
sector facing eviction. These findings highlight the importance of tenancy support models
assisting tenants as early as possible and wherever possible before any formal eviction process
begins.
The literature review concluded that those at risk of losing their tenancy overwhelmingly maintain it
with support and effective tenancy support programs enable improvements to housing
circumstances to be sustained over time. Research has shown that tenancy support programs can
also result in improvements in health, wellbeing, financial security, labour market outcomes, the
ability to cope with serious problems and feelings of safety. Effective tenant support programs
should enable these kinds of outcomes according to the needs and circumstances of tenants at
risk.
The literature review found a number of elements that reflected a good practice approach to tenant
support models aimed at preventing eviction. These included:
¾ Early intervention is essential as the risk to tenancies increases the longer the tenant is
without the appropriate information and assistance. If intervention occurs at the point of
crisis, for example when an eviction notice is presented to a tenant, the options for
preventing eviction are more limited.
¾ Case management - a case management approach is adopted for each client. Case
management has a focus on understanding the range of issues that may be relevant to the
risk of eviction. Case management ensures that counselling, and specialised social
services are coordinated and that all support services are kept informed.
¾ Partnerships – tenant support models require building of relationships with a wide range
of organisations that form part of the case management of tenants at risk. This may
include government and non government agencies. Clear service agreements and
communication protocols with partner agencies around case management, referral
practices and the provision of support services form part of effective partnerships.
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¾ Information, advice and advocacy is provided to the client including on their rental
housing rights and responsibilities and legal rights in order to ensure the fair and efficient
implementation of tenant-landlord regulations. This information may be provided directly
by the case manager or through a partner agency.
¾ Practical support is varied and flexible according to individual need. Practical support
may include rent arrears assistance/utilities assistance, direct debit schemes or repayment
schemes for rent and other payments, assistance and training in budgeting/money
management and referrals to other support services.
In addition to these elements a good practice approach to tenant support for Indigenous tenants
also requires knowledge of local Indigenous communities and the development of trust within
communities as well as the use of service providers who are local and have credibility in the
community; and support workers who are culturally sensitive and able to understand and
acknowledge cultural issues including kinship obligations.
Evaluation of the Tenancy Support Program Far North Coast has been undertaken within the
framework of research that has highlighted key objectives and elements of successful tenancy
support projects, as briefly outlined above. A more detailed description of the research is included
in the Summary Report.
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2 EVALUATION SCOPE AND METHODS
2.1 Ethics process
HAP evaluation projects were required to obtain ethics approvals from an appropriate body before
commencing detailed consultation. The evaluation of support for people at risk of eviction was not
required to obtain separate ethics approval as it was considered by Housing NSW that the scope
of approval obtained by other HAP evaluation projects from the University of NSW was broad
enough to include the evaluation of support for people at risk of eviction. The evaluation has also
been informed by the SAAP Ethical Research Protocols 2006.
2.2 Summary of methods
The methodology for the evaluation included:
• Consultation with the Regional Homelessness Committee
• Interviews with Homelessness Services Manager, On Track
• Interviews with Community Services regional staff
• Liaison with Tenancy Support Coordinators
• Interviews with 24 primary clients (with 36 dependent children) recruited from each of the
three service areas of On Track’s Tenant Support Program.
• Interviews with 17 service providers. These providers had either referred clients to On
Track’s Tenant Support Program; were case workers; had been referred clients by the
Tenancy Support Program and/or were part of one of the Coordination Groups.
• Interviews with three real estate agents and one private landlord who had tenants using
On Track’s Tenant Support Program.
• Review of various documents including forms used to assess and approve clients for
assistance, Coordination Group terms of reference, Tenant Support Program self
evaluation and portal reports,
• Review of financial and administrative data
• Review of a sample of client exit surveys
2.2.1 Client interviews
On Track was requested to assist in providing access to clients for consultation. On Track
Tenancy Support Coordinators contacted a number of clients to seek their interest and willingness
to participate in a phone interview. For those clients who consented to be interviewed, the
consultants were provided with their contact phone numbers. Clients were rung to arrange a
suitable time to be interviewed and subsequently a phone interview was conducted. All interviews
were based on a standard format. Clients who participated were provided with a $30 Coles or
Woolworths voucher. Demographic and service usage data on interviewed clients is included at
Appendix 1. Note that data on Aboriginality of interviewed clients was not collected.
2.2.2 Stakeholder interviews
On Track provided contact details for organisations that were members of Coordination Groups as
well as referral agencies including real estate agents. Phone interviews were conducted with a
sample of these organisations using a standard format. A list of participating organisations is
included in Appendix 2. Stakeholder organisations provide services in various locations in the far
north coast including Ballina/Byron, Tweed Heads, Kyogle, Grafton, Lismore and Casino.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Appendix 3 sets out stakeholder responses to interview questions not otherwise presented in the
body of the report.
2.3 Limitations
Some difficulty was experienced in identifying clients for consultation. Clients almost all have
mobile phones and many had changed their phone number after they had exited the TSP. Some
clients who had moved on from a traumatic time in their life did not want to talk about that time. A
number of clients who had agreed to be interviewed did not return calls after several messages
were left. However, overall it was considered that there was a sufficient sample of clients able to
be interviewed and these clients provided very useful information.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
3.1 Service origins and description
The need for a program of support to prevent eviction of tenants was identified as a priority under
the North Coast Homelessness Action Plan 2010-2014 (2010). The project aimed to curtail the
significant number of people in the Richmond/Tweed and Mid North Coast accessing specialist
homelessness services from long term accommodation. The loss of jobs in the region through for
example, the closure of Grafton gaol and other large employers has impacted on the incomes of
families and therefore their ability to maintain housing. The project aimed to identify at risk
tenancies at an early stage and put in place time limited case management to minimise eviction.
The project was tendered and On Track Community Programs were the successful tenderer. On
Track Community Programs operate a number of community service programs including mental
health, disability, employment services, homelessness programs, community housing and social
enterprises. They have offices in several locations across the far north coast. On Track also
manages the North Coast Accommodation Project (NCAP) which is also funded under the HAP
and is the subject of a separate evaluation.
The project commenced in May 2010 and is known as the Tenancy Support Program (TSP).
3.2 Objectives
The objectives of the TSP are to:
•
assist families with accompanying children to sustain their tenancies and prevent evictions
from public and private tenures
•
identify and meet the needs of clients
•
increase collaborative service delivery across government agencies and the community
sector in response to homelessness
•
identify and resolve impediments to the effective provision of tenancy support services and
make recommendations to reform the existing service system in the longer term.
3.3 Target group
The target group for the TSP is families (including single parent families) with accompanying
children including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families whose tenancies are at risk living in
the Clarence Valley, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Kyogle, Tweed, Ballina and Byron local
government areas (LGAs). TSP does not provide crisis support for families or individuals who are
already homeless or who require long-term case management support.
The Service Specifications fo the TSP specifies the target groups as “people who are in crisis and
at imminent risk of becoming homeless” and “people who are experiencing domestic violence and
are at imminent risk of becoming homeless.”
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3.4 Service model
3.4.1 Services offered
Under the TSP clients are referred to Tenancy Support Coordinators based in On Track offices in
Lismore, Grafton and Tweed Heads. Outreach offices operate through Centrelink offices in
Casino and Byron Bay. Tenancy Support Coordinators meet with the client and make an
assessment of initial needs. Support plans are developed by Tenancy Support Coordinators in
partnership with the client. These plans identify the case management and other support required
by the family and the brokerage funds needed to sustain their tenancy.
Services provided under the support plan include but are not restricted to:
• case management
• rent arrears and debt management
• budgeting and financial counselling
• life skills and parenting programs
• personal counselling
• anger management support and advice
• referrals to relevant support services and agencies (government and non-government)
including for example:
o tenancy advisory services
o family support
o Centrelink entitlements
o domestic violence support services
o drug and alcohol and mental health services
o disability services
o children’s services
o education/training/employment
o family re-engagement
Clients receive support based on their individual support plans for a period up to 16 weeks with the
overall goal of sustaining their tenancy.
3.4.2 Assessment and referral
Referrals are received from a wide range of agencies including Housing NSW, real estate agents,
Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Program, Aboriginal Land Councils, Centrelink, community housing
providers, Domestic Violence Helpline, Homeless Persons Information Centre, Office of Fair
Trading, neighbourhood centres and a range of other non government organisations including
members of the Coordination Groups. Referrals are also made internally by other On Track
services and a number of clients self refer after hearing about the availability of the service from
service providers or through TSP promotion such as posters in real estate agent offices (see
Appendix 4).
Significant effort has been made by TSP Coordinators to build relationships with real estate agents
and this has resulted in an increasing number of referrals from real estate agents to the program.
On Track reports receiving an average of 14 direct referrals per month from real estate agents.
An intake form is completed for clients that includes personal and demographic information,
reasons for seeking assistance and a consent form. The assessment documents consist of a brief
case summary, a support plan including brokerage commitment and the client’s budget. The
budget is developed with the client to determine the maximum affordable rent within the context of
other costs and to assess the capacity of the client to repay debts such as rent arrears. Budgeting
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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skills are developed by the client through this process. The budgeting process may also identify
that the client’s current premises are unaffordable and the TSP may assist the tenant to relocate to
more affordable premises. This process may also identify that the client is not receiving their
correct income entitlements such as Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
The assessment documents are submitted to a Coordination Group for approval. Once approval
has been granted by the Coordination Group the appointed case manager develops and manages
the case plan for the client.
The role of the case manager includes:
• Providing information, advice and referrals to appropriate services
• Supporting the development of client skills to achieve case plan outcomes
• Developing exit strategies with clients to sustain the tenancy
Up until July 2012, On Track employed casual case managers but case management is now
generally purchased from partner agencies.
3.4.3 Coordination structures
There are three Coordination Groups based in Lismore, Grafton and Tweed Heads. Coordination
Groups are comprised of government and non government agencies. Membership of the three
groups is shown below.
Lismore
Women Up North
Ballina District Community Services Association
Lismore Neighbourhood Centre
Lismore Neighbourhood Centre (Helping Hands)
Kyogle Family Services
Brighter Futures
Family Services Network
Family Referral Service
Tweed
Bugalwena (NSW Aboriginal Health)
Brighter Futures
Housing NSW
Ageing, Disability and Home Care
The Family Centre
Grafton
Women’s Refuge
CRANES
Family Referral Service
Aboriginal Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Service
Brighter Futures
Anglicare
Housing NSW
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Coordination Groups are responsible for reviewing, amending and approving case management
plans and brokerage. They also operate as a general advisory committee on managing individual
client needs and as an information sharing forum. Case managers who are members of the
Coordination Groups also report to Coordination Groups on client progress. Initially there was only
one Coordination Group which was facilitated by the Northern Rivers Social Development Council
but in mid 2012 it was decided to establish three groups to promote more engagement and
participation from local agencies including the take up of case management.
Coordination Groups meet monthly in face to face meetings and receive weekly emails of new
clients and case plans to be approved as well as applications for brokerage. Case plans and
brokerage may be approved by the email process or be submitted to the monthly meeting.
During the support period a Review and Exit Plan is maintained and reviewed by the Coordination
Group. This records the outcomes of or any bariers to support of the client as well as actions to
support exit of the client.
3.4.4 Partnerships
The complexity of some client needs requires close working relationships with appropriate services
and the Tenant Support Coordinators work with services to ensure a coordinated approach. On
Track had established relationships with many service organisations on the far north coast through
their other service/program areas such as their community housing, disability, employment and
mental health services. The Tenant Support Program required extending these relationships both
geographically and also with other service organisations. Most of the relationships are informal but
in situations where there is a brokerage arrangement for case management there is a formal
agreement.
The establishment of the three Coordination Groups has acted to strengthen partnerships with the
range of agencies participating in the groups including through the provision of services under case
management plans. There are also a range of partnerships with other organisations who act as
referral agencies or provide services either from their own resources or under brokerage
arrangements.
The following graph shows the type of support provided by interviewed stakeholder agencies
through their own resources (that is, excluding brokered support). As can be seen a wide range of
services particularly case management is provided to clients of the TSP through partnershps with
other service providers without drawing on brokerage funds.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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A key feature of the TSP in relation to partnerships is the establishment of cooperative
relationships with real estate agents in each of their three geographic areas that the TSP operates
in. As the TSP has become better understood by real estate agents they have begun to see the
benefit of families being supported and not having to go to the CTTT to evict a family which saves
time and money. It also appears that the TSP has resulted in education of real estate agents
about the reasons behind poverty and homelessness and factors leading to issues such as rent
arrears. This has resulted in a more empathetic approach towards clients and a willingness to
assist in sustaining the tenancy. Individual landlords have also become more flexible in their
approach through better understanding of the issues.
3.4.5 Brokerage
Brokerage funds are administered by On Track. Brokerage funds may be used for:
• case management
• rent arrears
• removalist costs
• financial counselling
• personal counselling
• petrol and food vouchers
• utility costs
• cleaning, grounds and property maintenance
• life skills training
• white goods and furniture for clients relocating
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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• other goods and services that assist in maintaining the tenancy
Some case management is able to be offered by referral organisations such as where the client is
already involved with the organisation but case management id often purchased for clients. Case
management is paid at the rate of $50 per hour (inc. GST).
In relation to the payment of rent arrears, the general approach is to provide part payment while
developing a budget and repayment plan with the client under which the client agrees to repay
arrears directly to the housing provider through instalments. Clients are also assisted to instigate
Centrepay deductions for the future payment of rent where applicable. Wherever possible, the TSP
aims to utilise Tenancy Assistance through Housing NSW’s Rentstart for the payment of rent
arrears however, clients do not always meet eligibility for this product and this product is not
available for social housing tenancies.
Removalist costs are paid to assist clients move to more affordable housing or where they are
escaping domestic violence – in many cases clients cannot afford the removalist costs to move to
a more affordable property.
Assistance for utility payments are generally sought from other agencies but some brokerage will
be provided for this item where other assistance is not available or is insufficient. The TSP also
advocates and negotiates with utility providers affordable repayment plans for clients. Other
programs may be used to supplement brokerage such as the No Interest Loan Scheme to
purchase goods such as a lawn mower to assist in keeping the rental property maintained.
In relation to services provided by other agencies, interviewed stakeholder organisations that
provided brokered services reported that brokerage was used for a range of personal support as
shown in the following graph.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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3.5 Management and governance
Tenancy Support Coordinators are managed by the On Track Manager Homelessness Services
who also manages the NCAP and On Track’s SHS project based in Tweed Heads. The On Track
Manager Homelessness Services reports to the Executive Manager Operations who is
accountable to the CEO. The On Track Board sets the overall strategic direction and policy of the
organisation.
Governance of the TSP is also undertaken through the three Coordination Groups who oversee
the distribution of brokerage funding and support to individual clients as discussed in s 3.4.3.
An executive staff member of On Track attends the Regional Homelessness Committee. Quarterly
reports are prepared for the Regional Homelessness Committee and monthly reports to the On
Track Board.
Regular contact is also maintained with regional representatives of Community Services NSW as
the lead agency.
3.6 Staffing
There are three Tenancy Support Coordinators covering the regions of Tweed-Byron; Ballina-
Kyogle-Casino; and Clarence Valley. Coordinators are employed 4 days a week in the Ballina
region and in Clarence and 5 days a week in Tweed-Byron.
The role of Tenancy Support Coordinators is to:
• Receive referrals from real estate agents and human service organisations
• Complete client intake forms
• Complete forms for the Coordination Group including case summary, support approval
plan and budget in consultation with the client and case manager where applicable
• Process brokerage payments
• Collate and send weekly emails
• Arrange face to face meetings
• Assist with Housing NSW application forms including Start Safely, Housing Pathways and
Rentstart
• Provide general information to clients in how to maintain a tenancy and develop a budget
• Update the Review and Exit Plan for each client during the 16 week support period
• Record all case management plans on relevant data bases
Tenancy Support Coordinators do not provide the case management. As discussed above, case
management is currently sourced from other agencies either through a brokered arrangement or
provided through the agency’s own resources.
The staffing structure was changed to the three location-based Coordinators in April 2012
replacing the previous structure of a single project Coordinator. The new structure is considered to
offer a more responsive service to clients.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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3.7 Budget
The budget allocated under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness for the three
years of the TSP project and the total is shown as follows:
Year Amount
2009/10 $293,000
2010/11 $600,650
2011/12 $614,825
Total $1,508,475
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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4 ANALYSIS OF SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH AND
OUTCOMES
4.1 Client services and outcomes
4.1.1 Numbers assisted
Meeting targets
The Service Specifications for the TSP set a target of 350 “family members”. While there seemed
to be some initial ambiguity about the target definition it has generally been agreed that this
equates to 350 individuals not 350 family units.
Table 4.1 below shows the target number of individual clients inclusive of accompanying children
and the number of individuals actually assisted through the TSP over three years noting that the
project did not commence until May 2010.
Table 4.1 Number of TSP clients assisted
2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Total
Annual target - 350 350 700
Total number of individual people assisted* 3 442 828 1273
* Includes adults and accompanying children. Source: TSP self evaluation 2012, TSP data portal report June 2012
As shown in the table the TSP has significantly exceeded its target for the number of individual
family members assisted particularly in 2011/12. The large increase in numbers assisted in
2011/12 compared to 2011/11 appears to be strongly linked to referrals to the program through
real estate agents as discussed in section 3.4.4.
Demographic information
The table below provides demographic information on TSP clients for 2009/10 to 2011/12.
Table 4.2 TSP demographic information
2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 TOTAL
Gender
Male 1 184 355 540
Female 2 258 473 732
Age
<15 years 250 484 734
16-24 years 65 96 161
25-64 years 3 127 247 377
>65 years 0 1 1
Ethnicity
ATSI 0 225 225 450
Other Australian born 3 187 576 766
People born overseas English
speaking
0 30 20 50
People born overseas non English
speaking
0 0 7 7
Tenure
Social housing 2 139 143 284
Private rental 1 276 677 954
Source: TSP self evaluation 2012, TSP data portal report June 2012
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As shown in the table above:
• More females than males access the TSP – 58% of clients in 2010/11 were female
and 57% in 2011/12.
• There are a large number of accompanying children aged under 15 years -
representing 57% of individuals assisted in 2010/11 and 59% in 2011/12
• Aboriginal people make up a significant proportion of individuals assisted – 51% in
2010/11 and 27% in 2011/12.
• There has been a significant increase in the proportion of private rental tenants – from
62% in 2010/11 to 82% in 2011/12.
Issues contributing to being at risk of homelessness
TSP client tenancies may be at risk for a variety of reasons including financial difficulties, property
care issues, neighbourhood disputes, anti social behaviour, poor literacy levels, alcohol and drug
issues, mental health issues and domestic violence. These factors are consistent with those
identified in the literature review. A number of TSP families have children with autism which often
leads to property damage caused by the children. Of clients interviewed, a number found
themselves in financial difficulty because of lack of budgeting skills or poor money management.
Rent arrears may also be caused by unexpected expenses such as a car breaking down or large
increases in utility bills. In other cases however, rent arrears were often related to a change in the
family income for example redundancy from work or one partner leaving. A common situation
which emerged in the interviews with service providers was women who had entered into tenancy
agreements based on two incomes. When the relationships broke down (often due to domestic
violence) and the partner left, they begun to have difficulties paying the rent and fell into rental
arrears.
Consistent with the literature, for TSP social housing tenants there is a higher level of
neighbourhood disputes and property damage. For Aboriginal families property care is often
related to the presence of extended families and lack of suitably sized accommodation.
4.1.2 Numbers receiving different services
Intensity of assistance
All clients assisted under the TSP receive case management assistance that varies in intensity
according to need. Most families remain engaged for the 16 week case management period. The
table below shows the intensity of assistance to clients for 2010/11 and 2011/12 which ranges from
low to high support.
Table 4.3 Intensity of assistance TSP clients
2010/11 2011/12
Intensity of assistance Low Med High Low Med High
Number of clients 85 136 125 258 345 225
Average support hours per week over 16 weeks 0 1 2 0 1 2
Source: TSP self evaluation 2012, TSP data portal report June 2012
As shown, a significant proportion of clients require only low levels of support to sustain their
tenancy averaging less than one hour a week over the 16 week support period – 25% of clients
were classified as low support in 2010/11 and 31% in 2011/12. Clients requiring medium levels of
support (an average of one hour a week) accounted for 39% of clients in 2010/11 and 42% in
2011/12 while clients requiring higher levels of support (an average of 2 hours a week) accounted
for 36% in 2010/11 and 27% in 2011/12.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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The overall decline in clients requiring higher levels of support is likely linked to the increasing
proportion of TSP clients in private rental housing. The literature review suggested that overall,
private rental tenants who receive support from tenant support programs are less likely to present
with high and complex needs compared to social housing tenants.
Types of referral
Case management of TSP clients includes referral to a range of agencies as shown in the table
below which shows the number of clients referred to different types of services in 2011/12. Data in
this format is not available for 2010/11.
Table 4.4 Referrals made 2011/12
Type of referral Clients referred
Financial 500
Education/training/employment 74
Legal 160
General health 80
Family and relationship counselling 80
Disability support 60
Mental health 80
Source: TSP data portal report June 2012. Numbers are estimates only
Referrals are restricted by the availability of support services. It was reported that Brighter Futures
have long waiting lists and there is a shortage of support services such as mental health and drug
and alcohol services in some locations such as Grafton which limits the ability to link in supports to
the family. Stakeholder organisations consulted considered that there was an overall lack of
diversity of services in the region which also restricted referrals.
Help received by interviewed clients
The Tenant Support Program is open to clients via self referral and referral from other services. Of
the clients interviewed 87% had contacted the service themselves while 13% were referred by a
service who was currently working with the client.
Interviewed clients indicated that were assisted promptly - 52% had waited less than 1 week for
assistance; 44% less than 2 weeks and 4% less than 3 weeks. Around 83% of clients
interviewed reported that the support they received from the Tenant Support Program was the right
length of time while the remaining 17% of clients would have liked longer.
The range of services provided to interviewed clients through the TSP is shown in the graph below.
As shown assistance with rent arrears and budgeting were key areas of support along with other
practical assistance and referral to specialist services.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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4.1.3 Housing outcomes
There has been a high success rate from the TSP with very few cases ending in eviction at the 16
week exit point. In 2010/11 of the 442 individuals assisted, 415 sustained their tenancy (93.5%)
and in 2011/12 of the 828 individuals assisted, 820 (99.0%) sustained their tenancy. On Track
advises that there are very few repeat clients due to a strong emphasis on breaking the cycle of
homelessness – where there is a repeat client this is generally linked to a new presenting issue or
an issue that was not initially evident.
A key part of support is addressing not just the immediate housing needs but the underlying issues
that lead to the tenancy being at risk. For example, many clients lack budgeting skills - by working
with the client to develop a workable budget the likelihood of accumulating rent arrears arising from
poor money management in the future is reduced. As service providers commented:
“Skilling people up helps prevent the crisis occurring again.”
“Few have been back in crisis. Learnt skills are helping them manage their lives.”
An additional key element is the strong engagement of real estate agents who have been very
responsive to the approaches made by the TSP Coordinators and been cooperative with rent
repayment plans. Part payment of the rent arrears also acts to generate good faith with the
landlord or real estate agent enabling the tenancy to be secured.
Of interviewed clients there were a number of forms of assistance which were critical for ensuring
client’s tenancy was sustained - these included help with understanding the paperwork associated
with a tenancy, negotiating with real estate agents on clients behalf, supporting clients dealing with
organisations (e.g. Housing NSW, community housing organisations or Centrelink), providing
brokerage funds to assist with rent arrears/relocation/repairs or cleaning a property to avoid
eviction. In a number of cases the TSP not only helped clients sustain their current tenancy but
also helped them to look for a more affordable home – in this way eviction was avoided and a more
long term, sustainable solution was found.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Clients gave many examples of the positive outcomes on their tenancy and housing situation that
were a result of the TSP. Many clients spoke of how without the assistance from the program they
would have faced consequences such as eviction, being listed on TICA (the national tenant
database) and probably homeless. There were many clients who also spoke about their long term
tenancy being more secure as a result of developing new skills, knowledge and discipline
managing their finances. Comments from interviewed clients included:
“The budgeting and the rental assistance saved my tenancy. The real estate agent would have
issued a termination notice without the help from On Track.”
“They helped me to find an affordable house and help fill in the forms and helped with the bond. On
Track helped negotiate with the real estate agent. They helped me set up Centrepay so I am on
top of the bills.”
“The help I received meant I would not be evicted and On Track paid some rent so I could buy an
old cheap car so I could get to work and that meant I would be OK in the future because if I can
work I can pay all my bills.”
4.1.4 Non housing outcomes
Many service providers identified housing-related stress as one of the most common and most
critical issues in their clients’ lives. One of the most significant outcomes for clients is the reduction
in stress achieved through TSP intervention. Interviewed clients reported that they had been in a
state of anxiety about their rent arrears as well as other issues impacting on physical and mental
health such as not having enough money for food, violence, threat of having utilities cut off and the
fear of being homeless. Some clients reported that conditions such as diabetes and heart
conditions had deteriorated as a result of the stress they were experiencing. A number of service
providers spoke about how financial stress impacts families and that they see cases of domestic
violence where this is a key trigger. These service providers had seen how the TSP had enabled
women and children to move away from the violent partner into a safe home that they could afford.
This stability and security was seen as important for the family relationship and the health of the
mother and children.
All clients reported a significant reduction in stress and improvements in confidence and self
esteem (often after traumatic or depressing experiences) once they had met with TSP staff.
Workers from refuges and family support services spoke of how reducing the stress on families
often reduced the level of violence in the home. The graph below shows the outcomes for
interviewed clients from TSP support. As shown, apart from a reduction in stress a range of other
outcomes were achieved.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Service providers also reported on non housing outcomes from the TSP. These included
improvements in family relationships, improvements in their financial situation including budgeting
skills, improvements in physical and mental health, building friendships and feeling more confident
and with a greater sense of self worth. A number of clients had started study or obtained
employment. On service provider reported:
“A client had a massive debt and a poor financial history. The client worked with On Track who
provided some funds towards the debt and developed a case plan with the client and our service.
The result was that they paid off the debt and when they finished with the service they had the
ability to secure their own housing via savings and they also managed to get into part time work
and university.”
It was also reported that the TSP had increased the likelihood of families retaining custody of
children and in some cases the TSP has enabled children to be returned to the parent from care
and reconnected families with grandparents and extended family.
Many of the interviewed clients were women who had been traumatised by domestic violence and
the role of the TSP in assisting in addressing the impact of domestic violence was highlighted:
“The TSP support is fantastic and it’s been important to my health and well being. I’ve been seeing
a counsellor about my trauma from domestic violence and that’s helping. Getting rid of my debt
was also important – my ex partner ran up the debt but I was the one almost evicted.”
4.1.5 Intended or unintended outcomes
In the interviews both service providers and clients gave examples of how through the Tenant
Support Program clients have learnt that there are services available to assist them when their
tenancy is at risk. Service providers spoke about how many people in the community are unaware
of the range of services available and as a result struggle on their own becoming increasingly
stressed and further in arrears with rent or living in unsustainable situations. Private rental tenants
referred to the TSP directly through real estate agents in particular are often not connected to any
community service agencies. Through the TSP, these clients have been put in contact with
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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relevant supports including access to Housing NSW products including Housing Pathways, Start
Safely and Rentstart as well as programs such as Brighter Futures.
One client mentioned that she had stayed in a violent relationship because she didn’t know there
were any options for her to get assistance:
“I’ve been living in a terrible relationship for 10 years with domestic violence from my partner – I
stayed because I thought I would be homeless with my kids if I left. They helped me find a home
for the kids and myself.”
It is noted that where women are relocated to escape domestic violence the tenancy may not be at
imminent risk of immediate termination due to for example, rent arrears. The living situation is
however, clearly untenable for the woman and children and ultimately would likely result in
homelessness. While it may not have been necessarily intended from the outset that the TSP
would assist a significant proportion of women and children in these circumstances there is clearly
high demand and the use of the TSP for this purpose is considered appropriate and effective.
4.1.6 Impact of the project
The evidence suggests that the TSP has successfully intervened to prevent the eviction of a
significant number of families living in the Far North Coast who might otherwise have become
homeless and potentially required support through crisis services. The literature review suggested
that tenants who are evicted can be prone to repeating this process without effective intervention.
The evidence suggests that very few tenancies supported by the TSP have failed.
To determine if there was any measurable impact on reductions in evictions in the Far North Coast
data was obtained from the CTTT on the number of applications for termination on the grounds of
non payment of rent in hearing venues corresponding to the primary service delivery locations for
the TSP. Non payment of rent was selected as the key data item because rent arrears are the
primary risk factor for eviction. The table below shows the number of applications for termination
on the grounds of non payment of rent for 2010/11 and 2011/12 for Lismore, Grafton and Tweed
Heads CTTT hearing venues for the tenancy (private rental) and social housing divisions.
Table 4.5 Applications to the CTTT for termination on the grounds of non payment of rent in TSP
locations
Tenancy Division Social Housing Division
2010/11 2011/12 % change 2010/11 2011/12 % change
Tweed Heads 119 116 -2.5% 24 30 25.0%
Lismore 208 194 -6.7% 32 74 131.3%
Grafton 33 28 -15.2% 27 34 25.9%
Sub total 360 338 -6.1% 83 138 66.2%
NSW total 13,727 13,598 -0.9% 6,191 8,294 33.4%
Source: Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal, 2012
As shown, for the three TSP primary service delivery centres there has been an overall decline of
6.1% in the number of private rental applications for terminations on the grounds of non payment of
rent compared to a state average decline on this ground of 0.9%.
No decline in applications for terminations on the grounds of non payment of rent was recorded for
social housing in the three primary service delivery centres although the rate of application
increase was lower in Tweed Heads and Grafton compared to the state average.
It is difficult to be too conclusive about these findings as it is not possible to draw a direct causal
relationship between any decline in private rental terminations for rent arrears and the operation of
the TSP. It is likely however, that the TSP has had at least some role to play in this decline.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Anecdotally, many service providers interviewed reported a reduction in eviction and
homelessness of families in their local area as a result of the TSP. Service providers commented:
“I have seen a reduction in homelessness as a result of the On Track program. There are also less
crisis cases being seen by our organisation – many of our clients crises are related to housing.
(Aboriginal Service)”
“I have seen our client families saved from eviction because of this intervention.”
“The service gives people breathing space – it gives real estate agents another option instead of
going to the Tribunal. Clients have an opportunity of a learning experience – they get help and are
not evicted. “
“The service has greatly assisted families. I have seen how real estate agents are working with the
service if there are tenancies at risk. On Track provides brokerage and help and we have seen
about 8 -10 tenancies saved. We had two cases of squalor that threatened clients’ tenancies –
where assistance was provided in helping clients clean up and learn about acceptable standards of
cleanliness.”
“We are seeing examples of clients saved from eviction and homelessness as a result of On
Track’s service.”
“Really big impact – I can see it working. Without the On Track Tenant Support Program many
clients would be homeless and in crisis”.
4.1.7 Specific client groups
A high proportion of TSP clients are women and children escaping domestic violence.
Stakeholders interviewed considered that without the intervention of the TSP many clients
escaping domestic violence may have been forced to enter a women’s refuge. The TSP has made
successful use of the Start Safely subsidy in assisting women escaping domestic violence to
secure private rental accommodation so they do have to return to a violent situation. In these
cases brokerage may include removalist and other relocation expenses, with other support
including negotiation with real estate agents and referrals to other services such as family support,
counselling or Brighter Futures.
There are a high number of
Aboriginal
self referrals to the TSP built up through good relationships
between the TSP and local Aboriginal services. The TSP has a strong partnership with Helping
Hands in Lismore and Aboriginal health workers and work closely with the Aboriginal Tenants
Advice and Advocacy Service. On Track employs a number of Aboriginal workers and TSP work
closely with these staff to ensure culturally appropriate responses and to develop knowledge of
external supports available to Aboriginal families. One service provider commented:
“On Track has established a good relationship with Aboriginal services. The Tenant Support
Program is user friendly for Aboriginal clients.”
Often mental health issues are not identified at the time of referral however, On Track reports that
the TSP has been effective in recognising and working collaboratively with other services to assess
and support families where this is a contributing issue. On Track has its own mental health support
programs and refers TSP clients to these programs.
Like people with mental health issues, the issue of substance misuse may not be known at the
time of referral but On Track reports some success in referring people to detoxification facilities
and linking into appropriate support services.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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4.2 Service system and delivery outcomes
There were many comments by service providers regarding how positive the On Track Tenant
Support Program has been on the service system on the far north coast particularly through the
Coordination Groups.
Service providers interviewed who were members of a Coordination Group noted that as a result of
the TSP, they had a greater awareness of the need for early intervention when a family is
experiencing financial difficulties which put their tenancy at risk. Many of these service providers
also spoke about gaining an increased knowledge of exactly what other organisations offer clients
and they were able to get to know the different skills of the members of the group. Service
providers with extensive experience spoke about being surprised at how much they had learnt
about other workers skills and organisations through the discussions in the Coordination Group.
This was particularly relevant where members had not worked together before. Service providers
also spoke about the value of gaining knowledge on tenancy/housing from their involvement with
On Track and how that has helped them in their own work.
“There has been an increase in knowledge of how housing works. On Track has worked with
Community Hubs and these are helping to disperse that knowledge. The TSP is increasing the
links between services and at the same time building client’s knowledge.”
Overall, the Coordination Groups were seen to have significantly strengthened networks between
services and organisations. Service providers spoke positively about the way in which the model
worked with the local service system network to successfully conduct case Coordination.
Comments from service providers included:
“It has brought services together – we’ve got good case management and the referrals are working
well. It is a much more efficient system.”
“Improvements have been made in the referral system since the On Track Coordination Group
began – we’re getting better client outcomes. This is a good model as all local services are
involved. Clients are getting a better outcome as the system improves - rapid, thorough
assistance. The partnerships have improved and this has highlighted how we all work together for
the client's long term benefit.”
“The Coordination Group has improved service delivery. The model is working well and there are
examples of literally saving lives.”
The other clear impact on the service system is that real estate agents are better informed about
homelessness and the causes of rent arrears as well as support services available in the
community. Management of rent arrears and other tenancy issues through the TSP has therefore
not only sustained tenancies but ensured that tenants are not listed as ‘bad tenants’ on TICA, the
national tenant database.
4.3 Staffing issues
4.3.1 Impact of staffing issues on the project
No difficulties were experienced in recruiting staff but it is noted that some staff turnover has been
generated due to the uncertainty regarding ongoing funding for the TSP.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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4.3.2 Skills needed by staff
For the positions of Tenancy Support Coordinator skills in case management were a requirement
as well as the ability to network and maintain networks. Staff were also required to have a
Certificate IV in Community Services as a basic qualification.
The comments from clients interviewed regarding the Tenant Support Program staff were
extremely positive. Clients frequently referred to the way they had been treated with respect and
dealt with in a caring and compassionate manner. Clients said this had a real impact on them – it
raised their self esteem, helped with confidence and gave them hope that there were people who
cared about what happened to them.
4.3.3 Training required
Staff undergo training in a variety of areas including domestic violence, the provision of legal aid,
drug and alcohol and mental health issues and basic skills in financial counselling, budgeting and
tenancy advice and the operation of Centrepay. Staff are also encouraged to build links with a
range of service providers to support referrals including family support programs, mental health
services, Housing NSW and crisis services.
On Track have attempted to ensure that TSP staff are well prepared to work with Aboriginal clients
by providing them with cultural awareness workshops and training in Aboriginal case management.
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5 COST ANALYSIS
5.1 Total project budget and expenditure
The table on the following page shows the total budget and expenditure for the TSP for 2009/10,
2010/11 and 2011/12.
As shown, over the life of the project up until 30 June 2012 total proportional expenditure was as
follows:
Table 5.1 Tenant Support Program Expenditure to 30 June 2012
Category
Amount $ %
Client service staff
291,035 26.0%
Admin and management staff 124,729
11.2%
Other admin expenses (non staff) 381,700
34.2%
Brokerage - goods 14,193
1.3%
Brokerage - services 305,274
27.3%
Total
1,116,931
100%
In total, staffing and administration accounted for 71.4% and brokerage 28.6%. Brokerage was
primarily spent on services with only a small proportion expended on goods. Section 5.3 below
discusses the further breakup of categories for 2011/12.
5.2 Issues with expenditure
In the first full year of operation there were tight restrictions on the use of brokerage funds. This
together with the time needed to establish the service resulted in some underspend of the budget.
Subsequently there has been greater flexibility in the use of brokerage funds but there is still
underspend against budget as shown in the table on the following page.
Total brokerage expenditure was $319,467 for the life of the project to 30 June 2012 against a
budget of $700,000 while total staffing and administration was slightly above budget at $797,464
against a budget of $756,694. These results suggest that the brokerage component of the budget
could potentially be reviewed.
Table 5.2 Tenant Support Program Budget and Expenditure 2009/10 to 2011/12
2009-10
Budget
2009-10
Expenditure
2010-11
Budget
2010-11
Expenditure
2011-12
Budget
2011-12
Expenditure
Total Budget Total
Expenditure
Proportion of
expenditure
Client service staff
18,816 105,761 121,572 129,569 150,647 235,330 291,035 26.1%
Admin and
management staff
8,064 45,326 52,102 55,530 64,563 100,856 124,729
11.2%
Other admin expenses
(non staff)
50,932 187,404 138,770 235,104 191,998 422,508 381,700
34.2%
Brokerage - goods
9,078
423
4,692 - 14,193
1.3%
Brokerage - services
- 250,000 101,585 450,000 203,688 700,000 305,274
27.3%
Financial Year Totals
- 86,890 588,491 414,453 870,203 615,589 1,458,694 1,116,931 100%
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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5.3 Client costs for the project
5.3.1 Spreadsheet categories
The spreadsheet provided by On Track attached to the project report provides costing data for the
TSP for 2011/12. Table 5.3 below summarises 2011/12 expenditure by major category. As
shown, staffing and operating costs accounted for 67% of total expenditure while brokerage
accounted for 33%.
Table 5.3 Tenant Support Program Total Expenditure 2011/12
Category Amount % of total
Staffing costs $222,474 36.1%
Operating costs $190,004 30.9%
Brokered goods $2023 0.3%
Brokered services $63,157 10.3%
Payments $137,811 22.4%
Other $120 0.02%
TOTAL $615,589 100%
The following table summarises key components of brokerage expended in 2011/12.
Table 5.4 Tenant Support Program Brokerage Expenditure 2011/12
Category Amount % of total
Brokered goods
- Home establishment costs $1,634 0.8%
- Health items $389 0.2%
Brokered services
- Psychological services $380 0.2%
- Life skills $300 0.1%
- Urgent home repairs $1985 0.9%
- Removalists $2,940 1.4%
- Housing hygiene $952 0.5%
- Case management $56,600 27.9%
Payments
- Rent arrears $120,958 59.6%
- Utilities bills $16,178 8.0%
- Bond assistance $350 0.2%
- Other payments $325 0.2%
- Social integration $120 0.1%
TOTAL $203,111 100%
As shown in the table above, the primary brokerage expenditure category was rent arrears
accounting for 59.6% of costs followed by case management (27.9%) and utility bills (8.0%). It is
noted that where clients repay rent arrears these payments are made directly to the housing
provider so rent arrears payments through the TSP represents the balance of rent arrears due.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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5.3.2 Cost per client
The data provided by On Track through the data portal report indicates that in 2011/12, 828
individuals were assisted comprising adults and accompanying children. This total equates to 237
families.
As shown in the spreadsheet the total project cost for 2011/12 was $615,589.
The average cost per client in 2011/12 inclusive of all costs was $743 per individual and $2597 per
family. The average brokerage/payments were $245 per individual and $857 per family.
The overall cost per individual/family is considered to represent value for money. As discussed in
the literature review there are a range of costs associated with a failed tenancy. This may include
the cost of crisis accommodation, increased demand for health, mental health, drug and alcohol
and child and family services as well as individual costs such as moving costs and loss of rental
bonds. Costs to landlords may include legal fees and unpaid and forgone rent. While these costs
are difficult to estimate, the literature review suggested that the cost of preventing eviction is
significantly less than the costs resulting from eviction.
Comparable benchmarks are difficult to identify. While Community Services provided some
2008/09 SAAP unit cost data this was generally aggregated on the basis of per night costs which
are difficult to compare to programs like to TSP. One study discussed in the literature
1
found that
the recurrent per client cost of tenant support programs in Western Australia in 2005-06 were
generally comparable to the provision of SAAP crisis accommodation but significantly less than
SAAP medium to longer term accommodation as shown the following table which also includes the
per family cost of the TSP. In the table, SHAP refers to the Supported Housing Assistance
Program a tenant support program for public housing tenants at risk of eviction. The PRSAP refers
to the Private Rental Support and Advocacy Program which provides tenant support to private
rental tenants. Note that the data excluding the TSP is 2005-06 so it is somewhat dated and costs
for 2011/12 for these programs may be higher than that shown in the table.
Table 5.5 Western Australia cost per client per program compared to the Tenant Support Program
Program SAAP crisis
2005/06
SAAP medium
to long term
2005/06
SHAP
2005/06
PRSAP
2005/06
TSP
2011/12
Cost per client
per annum
$2,243 $15,470
$3,483 $2,145 $2,597
Source: Flatau et al (2008) – see footnote 1
As shown, the cost of the TSP is comparable to the Western Australian tenant support programs
particularly noting that the Western Australian data is 2005/06. Note that these cost estimates
only take account of the recurrent cost of programs. There are many costs associated with
eviction apart from the provision of crisis accommodation as discussed above and in the literature
review which need to be taken into account when assessing value for money of the TSP.
Value for money for the TSP is not only associated with the actual cost of service provision or
savings to health and other services derived from preventing eviction. There is significant value in
terms of the partnerships developed through the project including those with real estate agents, a
number of whom are actively assisting in the prevention of eviction through early referral of clients
at risk to the TSP.
1
Flatau, P., Zaretsky, K., Brady, M., Haigh, Y., & Martin, R. (2008) The cost-effectiveness of homelessness programs: a
first assessment. Melbourne: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Western Australia Research Centre
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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5.4 Effectiveness of brokerage funding
Experience with TSP service provision over time suggests that a key component of brokered
support is case management. Many clients have complex needs and/or lack basic skills in
budgeting and financial management as well as the skills needed to sustain a tenancy. Many
clients are unaware of the support services available in the community that could assist them in
relation to issues that impact on their tenancy. Interviewed stakeholders ranked case management
as the primary reason for referral to the TSP.
There were comments from most service providers that while good case management is the
primary need for clients the use of brokerage funds to purchase services and make payments has
made a significant difference to the housing outcomes of clients. Particularly critical to sustaining
tenancies is the availability of brokerage to assist with rent arrears where the client is unable to
obtain this assistance through Rentstart or other avenues. The availability of payments towards
rent arrears have been a particular attraction for real estate agents who on the whole prefer to
keep an existing tenancy rather than take CTTT action or have to re-let the property.
The use of the brokerage funds only occurs after a transparent process with the local Coordination
Group. Many service providers spoke about how Coordination Groups have improved the
outcomes for clients as each case is discussed which provides an opportunity for a variety of
avenues to be pursued which may not require use of any brokerage funds or may minimise the
amount required. At times services the client needs are able to be provided by one of the
participating organisations through their own resources without the use of brokerage funds, as
discussed in section 3.4.4. When brokerage funds are required the Coordination Group are
satisfied that it is the best use of funds to save a tenancy.
This model was seen by service providers to be very efficient as it ensures that all options are
considered. Service providers spoke positively about brokerage not being seen as the first option
to provide clients with assistance.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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6 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF MODEL
6.1 Success factors for the model
6.1.1 Promotion and partnerships
The TSP appears to have built good awareness of its services through promotion strategies such
as attending Aboriginal Land Council meetings, interagencies, housing forums, homelessness
networks and real estate breakfasts. Clients interviewed for the evaluation found out about the
TSP through a range of service providers including Centrelink, Housing NSW, Community
Services, an employment service, neighbourhood centres, a disability service and a women’s
refuge. The other source of information was real estate agents and friends.
A particular success factor is the significant involvement of real estate agents and private landlords
who are often conceived as outside the service system but their cooperation with strategies such
as agreeing to repayment plans for back payment of rent arrears and early notification of clients
that are falling into rent arrears have proved to be critical factors in sustaining tenancies. The TSP
has also successfully attracted private landlords who have provided multiple properties for rent for
On Track clients.
6.1.2 Coordinating Groups
One of the key factors in the success of the model has been the formation of Coordination Groups
in each of the three areas in which On Track operates the TSP. As noted in previous sections,
Coordination Groups have acted to strengthen networks and referral processes and supported
integrated case management.
The model appears to particularly benefit from the experience and skills of the members of the
Coordination Groups and their commitment to the process. There is good continuity in the
membership of the Coordination Groups and members are often senior representatives of their
organisations with the ability to make decisions such as committing to take on clients.
6.1.3 Integrated case management
Case management as an integral part of the model – many referrals come without existing case
management including those referred by social housing providers and real estate agents. Access
to brokerage funds to purchase case management enables an effective and timely response to
addressing individual client needs.
6.1.4 Flexible, tailored brokerage
The ability to use brokerage to meet a range of needs depending on the circumstances of the client
is an important component of success. There is an emphasis on not over servicing – Coordination
Group structures assist in tailoring support to needs and ensuring that the client contributes to
resolution of the issues impacting on their tenancy. Funds from brokerage have acted to support
further sharing of resources between support services.
6.1.5 Geographic coverage
The provision of Tenant Support Coordinators in three of the most populated parts of the region
together with outreach to some locations ensures relatively good coverage of a large region and
the processes in place in each location ensure a quick client response time.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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6.1.6 Sustainable approaches
Another aspect of the model that contributes to its success is that clients play an active part in
development of budgets and support plans which promotes engagement and commitment. The
TSP adopts sustainable approaches to supporting clients through developing repayment plans for
rent arrears and debt and setting up Centrepay deductions for bills as well as teaching clients
budgeting skills with the aim of ensuring they are less likely to find themselves in financial trouble
in the future. The model has a capacity building focus through promoting client responsibility.
Clients interviewed recognised that the assistance they received with budgeting and/or financial
counselling will help them in the long term and that direct debit via Centrepay was a practical and
positive way to stay ahead of debt. Clients have also learnt skills in negotiating repayment plans
with real estate agents should they fall behind in rent again.
Service provider comments included:
“I see cases come through to the Coordination Committee and funds are provided to prevent
families losing their tenancy – but as importantly they’re learning more about money management
and budgeting.”
“Clients are totally involved in the process and they are gaining practical skills with their finances –
this makes it more likely the improvements in their housing will be sustainable.”
“It is impressive – it seems to be that it is making a positive difference to people’s lives. The service
is not just about providing money but helping the client develop the skills they need to manage
money. The service does not provide a lot of money for a family but there is a big outcome for
them when their tenancy is secured.”
6.2 Challenges for the model
6.2.1 Supply of caseworkers
An initial challenge was developing sufficient engagement with service providers including those
able to take on case management of clients. This was addressed by moving from the model of
one Coordination Group for the whole region to three locally based Coordination Groups, as
discussed earlier. It was reported that there is now a much greater level of involvement by service
providers and a more coordinated and responsive approach to client need.
It is noted however, that some difficulties continue to be encountered in identifying a sufficient
number of case managers from the local area due to the capacity limitations of service providers.
Some of the difficulties are that: (i) some organisations are under pressure and have waiting lists
for their services; (ii) some staff at organisations choose to work part time; and (iii) some
organisations are unable to employ staff in their positions as permanent full time or permanent part
time and then have them work on short term contract via brokerage funds.
It is understood that consideration is being given to returning to the previous arrangement of
engaging casual caseworkers directly.
6.2.2 Waiting lists for support services
It was noted that there are generally waiting lists for services like Brighter Futures and some
disability support and mental health services. In certain locations within the region there are gaps
in services and insufficient capacity to partner with the TSP.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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6.2.3 Access to the service
One challenge for this or any model operating in regional NSW is how to assist clients who cannot
physically get to the service. The TSP does not allow staff to do home visits for safety reasons and
many clients in financial difficulty cannot afford petrol, may not have a car or their vehicle may have
broken down and they cannot afford to get it fixed. There were examples of each of these
situations in the interviews conducted with clients. In general, public transport in regional areas is
poor, posing particular difficulties for clients in more remote locations.
6.2.4 Social housing tenants
On Track reports that families at risk of eviction from social housing due to neighbourhood disputes
and/or poor property care can at times be difficult to engage through the model. It was suggested
that over time brokerage could be used to trial different approaches to address this issue.
6.2.5 Affordable housing supply
The difficulty of accessing affordable housing poses challenges for tenants in securing and
maintaining tenancies. Rental prices and housing supply have been affected by major
infrastructure projects such as road projects as well as holiday lettings - there are large numbers of
houses and units which are solely for holiday rentals. This limits the housing options for permanent
residents of the area. There is also a lack of large properties in appropriate locations. This is a
particular problem for Aboriginal families who may be living in overcrowded housing which may put
the tenancy at risk.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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7 CONCLUSION
7.1 Summary of key lessons learnt
• The TSP is an efficient, cost effective means of preventing evictions and homelessness
and reducing the future risk of homelessness. Over the two years 2010/11 to 2011/12
96% of tenancies were sustained over the support period.
• The cost of the TSP particularly the brokerage component is relatively low compared to the
costs to individuals and the service system of eviction and homelessness.
• The ability to offer case management over an extended period is a key component of
sustaining tenancies. Support over 16 weeks enables clients to put in place strategies
such as effective budgeting and financial management to avoid rent arrears in the future.
The active role played by clients in development of budgets and support plans promotes
engagement and client responsibility.
• There are a range of factors that may lead to rent arrears or other circumstances which
place a tenancy at risk. The integrated case management provided though the TSP
enables these individual factors to be addressed.
• The availability of brokerage funds both ensures that clients receive appropriate case
management/purchase of services and encourages the active participation of service
providers in Coordination Groups and case management/referral processes.
• The process of Coordination Groups ensures that a range of options are explored to
address the needs of the client including providing support through the existing resources
of Coordination Group members. This ensures that brokerage funds are put to best use.
• There are a range of positive housing and non housing outcomes for clients of the TSP. In
addition to avoiding eviction, clients experience a significant reduction in stress as well as
health, financial and other benefits.
• The active engagement of real estate agents achieved by the TSP makes a significant
contribution to the prevention of eviction from private tenancies, particularly as many
private tenants are not aware of available services. There is an ongoing need to maintain
relationships with real estate agents to identify at risk tenancies.
• Contributions to the payment of rent arrears are a critical component of sustaining
tenancies. Without the availability of funds for this purpose real estate agents and
landlords would likely be less willing to cooperate in efforts to prevent eviction.
• The TSP is still in a growing phase – the establishment of three Coordination Groups and
Tenant Support Coordinators in three locations is relatively recent. While indications are
that this model is operating well it may need more time to determine if other modifications
to the model are needed. The issue of access to the service for clients with transport
difficulties may need further consideration.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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7.2 Implications for future responses to the client group
Early intervention is a key element of preventing eviction. The earlier the intervention, the less
stress for the client and their family, and the greater the likelihood that a tenancy will be sustained.
As indicated in the literature, many tenants abandon their tenancies on receipt of a rent arrears or
termination notice without seeking help. This fact and the evaluation finding that many tenants
particularly private renters are not aware of services that could assist them suggests the need to
improve strategies in the region to connect with tenants that may currently fall outside the service
system or may not frequent service providers like Centrelink. This is a shared responsibility for
service providers in the region.
It is also noted that many TSP families have poor financial literacy skills suggesting that the wider
delivery of skills in budgeting and financial management through programs such as the Financial
Counselling Services Program (Fair Trading) could be a key factor in reducing the risk of tenancies
falling into rent arrears.
Currently, only families are eligible for the TSP. The literature review suggested that single people
living alone were a high at risk group for eviction and a number of stakeholders raised the issue of
the need to expand the TSP to include single people or introduce a program specifically targeting
this population group.
7.3 Implications for homelessness system in the region
The evidence suggests that the homelessness system in the region has been strengthened by the
operation of TSP. The TSP has demonstrated the importance of projects to prevent eviction as part
of responses to homelessness to reduce demand on crisis services and promote better outcomes
for people at risk.
It is clear that efforts to engage real estate agents have been particularly beneficial and any future
efforts focused on preventing eviction in the region need to continue this focus. Real estate agents
who were interviewed expressed a greater awareness of the difficulties which tenants could find
themselves in as a result of the TSP and were willing to work with services in most situations to
save the tenancy. This is an important finding for responses to homelessness in the region.
7.4 Insights gained that can enrich the evidence base
Nearly 60% of clients accessing the TSP are women and the evidence suggests that a significant
proportion of these have experienced domestic violence. The outcomes from the TSP suggest
programs of this nature can play a role in reducing the likelihood of women and children who are
escaping domestic violence being forced into refuges.
7.5 Future research that could strengthen the evidence in this area
7.5.1 CTTT data on terminations
As discussed earlier, data was obtained from the CTTT on the number of applications for
termination on the grounds of non payment of rent for hearing venues corresponding to the primary
service delivery locations for the TSP. Data was obtained for 2010/11 and 2011/12. It would be
useful to obtain the equivalent data for 2012/13 (and subsequent years if the TSP was still in
operation) to determine whether the trend towards decline in the number of applications for
termination in the TSP geographic area was sustained.
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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7.5.2 Collection of quality of life data
One area that could be expanded is the collection of client data on quality of life variables by On
Track at commencement of the TSP and the end of the support period to better identify non
housing outcomes. Currently, a voluntary exit form is available for completion by clients. While
this captures some outcome data this form could potentially be expanded to capture more quality
of life indicators with the same data collected at entry to the program to determine any changes at
the end of the support period.
7.5.3 Longitudinal study of clients
The TSP operates for 16 weeks and data indicates that very few tenancies end in termination
during the period that support is provided. For the future it could be useful to undertake a
longitudinal study of a sample of clients assisted to determine whether tenancies are sustained in
the longer term.
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APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEWED CLIENTS DEMOGRAPHIC AND
SERVICE USE DATA
This section contains results of the interviews with clients that are not otherwise presented in the
body of the report.
Table A 1.1 Gender of interviewed client
Gender Number Percentage
Female 20 83%
Males 4 17%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.2 Age of interviewed client
Ages Number Percentage
21 - 30 years 2 8%
31 - 40 years 15 63%
41 - 50 years 4 17%
51 - 60 years 2 8%
61 - 70 years 1 4%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.3 Family make up of interviewed client
Number of individuals Number Percentage
Children < 5 7 12%
Children 5 - 10years 9 15%
Children 11-15 years 14 23%
Young people 16 -20 years 6 10%
Parent 24 40%
Total 60 100%
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Table A 1.4 Housing provider for interviewed client
Housing provider type Number Percentage
Public Housing 3 13%
Community Housing 2 8%
Real Estate Agent 17 71%
Private landlord 2 8%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.5 Income source of interviewed client
Income type Number Percentage
Benefit - full 18 67%
Benefit - part 3 11%
Full time employment 1 4%
Part time employment 4 15%
Education/training 1 4%
Total 27* 101%*
* NB: Some clients had more than one type of income
Table A 1.6 Location of interviewed client
Local Govt. Area Number Percentage
Tweed Heads 9 38%
Lismore 8 33%
Grafton 7 29%
Total 24 100%
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Table A 1.7 How interviewed client found out about the TSP
Source Number Percentage
Word of mouth (e.g. friends) 2 8%
Centrelink 2 8%
Community Services 2 8%
Real estate agent 2 8%
Housing NSW 2 8%
Disability service 1 4%
Employment service 1 4%
Neighbourhood centre 1 4%
Women's Refuge 1 4%
Not known 10 42%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.8 Source of referral to TSP
Source Number Percentage
I got in touch with the service myself 20 83%
I was referred to the tenancy support service by another
service who was helping me at the time
3 13%
Not known 1
4%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.9 How long interviewed client waited for TSP assistance
Length of time Number Percentage
Less than 1 week 12 50%
Less than 2 weeks 10 42%
Less than 3 weeks 1 4%
Not known 1 4%
Total 24 100%
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Table A 1.10 When interviewed client got help from TSP
Number of months Number Percentage
About 3 months ago 4 17%
About 6 months ago 7 29%
About 12 months ago 13 54%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.11 Length of TSP support
Number of months Number Percentage
0-3 months 13 54%
3-6 months 8 33%
6-12 months 3 13%
Total 24 100%
NB For some clients follow up continued after 16 weeks
Table A 1.12 Was this the right amount of time?
Response Number Percentage
It was the right length of time 20 83%
A longer period of time would have been better 3 13%
Not known 1
4%
Total 24 100%
Table A 1.13 Do you think that the help you received will reduce the likelihood of
your tenancy being at risk again?
Response Number Percentage
Yes 21 88%
No 1 4%
Not known 2
8%
Total 24 100%
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APPENDIX 2: SERVICE PROVIDERS INTERVIEWED
• Ageing Disability and Home Care - Tweed Heads
• Anglicare North Coast - Clarence Accommodation Support Service
• Bailey and Gough Real Estate – Lismore
• Brighter Futures - Far North Coast Consortium of Neighbourhood Centres
• Brighter Futures - Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre
• Brighter Futures Early intervention Program - Casino Neighbourhood Centre
• Bugalwema Health Service (part of North Coast Area Health Service)
• Clarence River Women's Refuge and Outreach Services Inc.
• CRANES Community Support
• Department of Human Services (Centrelink)
• FACS - Strengthening Families (Brighter Futures)
• Family Support Network Inc.
• Helping Hands (Aboriginal service)
• Housing NSW - Lismore Grafton Area
• Ian Stone – (private landlord with 12 properties used by clients of On Track)
• Kyogle Family Support Services Inc.
• L J Hooker - Maclean
• Murwillumbah Community Centre
• Northern NSW Aboriginal Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service
• Patch and Taylor Real Estate - Lismore
• Women Up North Housing Inc.
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APPENDIX 3: SERVICE PROVIDER INTERVIEW DATA
This section contains results of the interviews with service providers that are not otherwise
presented in the body of the report.
Table A 3.1 Description of organisation
Organisation type Number
Government department 5
Non government organisation welfare/family
support
9
Real estate agent 4
Community housing provider/refuge 3
Total number of respondents 21
Table A 3.2 Service coverage of service provider organisation
LGA Number*
Ballina/Byron 3
Casino 9
Grafton 8
Kyogle 7
Lismore 9
Tweed Heads 6
* Some respondents covered more than one location
Table A 3.3 Relationship of organisation to TSP
Relationship Number*
Refer clients to the Tenant Support Program 19
Provide brokered (paid) support to Tenant
Support Program clients
4
Provide support to Tenant Support Program
clients through own existing resources
14
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* Some respondents had more than one type of relationship to TSP
Table A 3.4 Main issues clients present with that lead to making
a referral to TSP
Main issue Number*
Complex client needs 10
Mental health issues 3
Drug and alcohol issues 3
Rental arrears 18
Needing to relocate 6
Property maintenance problems 5
Secondary homeless help to establish
tenancy
6
*Clients generally have multiple presenting problems
Table A 3.5 Why clients are referred to TSP
Service Number*
Provide case management to complex
clients
6
Availability of brokerage funds to get clients
services they require
17
Direct assistance 9
Flexible nature of services 10
Only service available 2
Previous good experience with TSP 8
Quality of service 7
Geographic area they cover 9
*Respondents generally nominated more than one reason for referral
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Table A 3.6 Outcomes seen in clients’ lives as a result of TSP
intervention
Outcome Number*
Begun counselling 8
Financial situation improved 14
Clients sustaining housing 17
Drug and/or alcohol problems reduced 3
Improved family relationships 9
Improvements in health 8
Opportunity of employment/training 5
Safer housing 12
Social benefits e.g. less isolated 8
* More than one outcome was generally noted
Table A 3.7 In your experience, are these outcomes/improvements
sustained over the longer term?
Response Number*
Yes 21
No -
Not known -
Table A 3.8 Perceived strengths of the TSP
Strength of program Number*
Geographic coverage - a large area with
outreach services
15
Quick response time 16
Good case coordination
15
Help clients by increasing the
skills/knowledge
15
Not just cash rescue but about building
clients abilities to manage their finances
17
Flexible nature of assistance 13
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The strong service network 15
The 16 week program is the right length of
time
11
* Respondents generally nominated more than one strength
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Table A 3.9 Do you think that the benefits achieved through the TSP
can be sustained without access to brokerage funds?
Response Number
Yes -
No 21
Table A 3.10 Research suggests that Tenants Support Programs reduce
client reliance on more intense/ crisis services.
Do you think the TSP has had this type of outcome?
Response Number*
Yes 14
No 1
Not known 6
APPENDIX 4: PROMOTIONAL POSTER FOR TENANCY SUPPORT
PROGRAM
Evaluation of HAP Tenancy Support Far North Coast
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