Housing Connect is a service of Department of Communities Tasmania that helps low income Tasmanians, including people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, to find or maintain appropriate and affordable homes.

Through Housing Connect people can apply for affordable private rentals, social housing and supported accommodation, or they can be safely housed during a time of crisis. Housing Connect can also provide people with housing related support and information, advice, and referral to other support services available to them in Tasmania.

In 2020 BSL was commissioned as a consultant to lead the redesign of the system with government and community sector providers. This is a service system redesign that places homeless people and their community at the centre of its response. BSL was then commissioned as a consultant to lead the redesign of the system with government and community sector providers.

Our Research and Policy team also engaged with the Tasmanian Ministerial Advisory Committee on Homeless Children under 16. Despite COVID-19 travel restrictions causing a barrier to co-design and COVID-19 requiring significant adaptation to the development approach and delivery of the project, all committee recommendations have been accepted by the Minister.

BSL’s youth team is also supporting community sector organisations around Tasmania through the development and implementation of a roadmap to transition their youth supported accommodation services into Education First Youth (EFY) Foyers . Education First Youth Foyers are integrated learning and accommodation centres that use Advantaged Thinking models of best practice to develop the skills of young people through education, training, employment and other support. These EYF Foyers are located in Launceston (North), Hobart (South) and Devonport (North West).

Part of this work involved securing a commitment from TAS TAFE to lead the education offer of the EFY Foyer model, through co-delivery of the Certificate I in Developing Independence. This is currently being trialled at the Trinity Hill (Hobart) site, with plans for expansion across the two other EFY Foyers in 2021. BSL is providing ongoing support around the implementation of the Roadmap through to 2021.