Concurrent Session 3B: Enhancing SHS Access Equity for People with Complex Needs
This panel will explore the development and implementation of the Specialist Homelessness Services Access, Eviction & Withdrawal of Services Policy (the Policy), designed to improve equitable access to homelessness services for people with complex needs. The Policy was developed in response to the NSW Ombudsman’s 2022 report to Parliament, which identified systemic barriers to accessing homelessness services and temporary accommodation. Informed by these findings, Homes NSW convened a cross-sector working group to co-design a policy solution aimed at driving enduring systems change. The working group brought together diverse voices, including representatives from StreetCare (lived experience), Specialist Homelessness Service providers, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, People with Disability Australia, NSW Health, NSW Police, peak bodies, and multiple teams across DCJ. This collaboration ensured the Policy was grounded in lived experience, operational realities, and cross-agency perspectives. The panel will explore:
• The Policy’s development journey, including deep and ongoing consultation and collaboration through working groups, workshops, interviews, and sector-wide surveys – from the design-phase through to post-implementation.
• Integration of lived experience as a core component of practice guidance in line with guiding principles in the NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035. Discussion will, highlight the impact of provider communication, client-provider power dynamics, and access barriers face by persons with less visible forms of illness or disability.
• Strengthening person-centred responses by resourcing providers to use individualised, strengths-based risk assessment and management protocols
• The “domino effect” of systems change—how implementation surfaced additional systemic access barriers for people with complex needs
• Internal reflection on what can be changed within our scope of influence to enable inclusive practice and access equity, including internal socialisation and sharing insights with the sector
• A multifaceted reform approach encompassing organisational compliance and accountability, enhanced data capture, property audits, and embedding change into existing systems to ensure sustainability.
Key insights will focus on what it takes to achieve genuine systems change: time, trust, and transparency. Presenters will share reflections on the challenges and successes of implementing a policy that seeks not only to improve service access, but to reshape the system itself. They will also reflect on Homes NSW’ role in providing positive leadership as system steward – leading and collaborating with provider partners to create and maintain effective system governance aligned with the reform priorities outlined in the Homes for NSW Strategy 2025-2035. Importantly, the panel will consider how lessons from this process can inform future policy development—particularly in navigating complex reform environments, embedding lived experience meaningfully, and sustaining change across diverse service contexts. By reflecting on what worked, what shifted, and what remains unresolved, we aim to build a foundation for more responsive, inclusive systems in the future.
Presenters
Primary Speakers
