Reviewing a Homeless Program in Tasmania
| Author | Jed Donoghue,Yan Nee Ang |
| Published date | 01 September 2016 |
| Date | 01 September 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1035719X1601600305 |
| Subject Matter | Practice Article |
35
Donoghue, Ang—Reviewing a homeless program in Tasmania
PRACTICE ARTICLE Evaluation Journal of Australasia Vol 16 | No 3 | 2016 | pp. 35–41
JED DONOGHUE | YAN NEE ANG
Reviewing a homeless program
in Tasmania
The aim of the Oakleigh Accommodation Service (Oakleigh) review, undertaken in late 2013,
was to analyse service activities, including sta work hours, rosters and client episodes, to
inform recommendations on how to improve the crisis and transitional accommodation
service delivered to people who were homeless, at risk of homelessness, or escaping domestic
violence. To achieve this aim internal evaluators collected feedback from sta, clients and
external stakeholders to evaluate the homeless program’s performance, and identify any
program issues, opportunities, challenges and gaps in service delivery. This review also
compared the Oakleigh sta roster, work hours and client episodes with another Salvation
Army homeless program McCombe House (McCombe). The review found that the sta,
external stakeholders and clients were generally very satised with the Oakleigh service, which
they regard as both valuable and worthwhile. However, the review identied areas needing
improvement in terms of teamwork, program planning, vehicle usage, access to tenancy
information and after-care support. A key recommendation was the redrafting of the sta roster
to achieve consistency across the two sites, Oakleigh and McCombe, to enhance the delivery of
emergency accommodation for clients.
Introduction
The Salvation Army is the largest non-governmental
provider of homeless services in Australia and
understands the structural, operational and individual
issues associated with the provision and use of crisis,
emergency and transitional accommodation. Oakleigh
has been operating as a homelessness program for men
and women who are homeless, at risk of homelessness,
or escaping domestic violence in north-west Tasmania
since April 1986. Originally located at View Road, Burnie,
Oakleigh moved to its current location in Wilson Street,
Burnie in 2012, and operates 20 properties for emergency
and transitional accommodation. The McCombe service
is located in Hobart and has 12 properties available for
emergency housing for women and children who are
homeless, at risk of homelessness, or escaping domestic
violence. The Oakleigh and McCombe programs receive
funding from the state government Department of Health
and Human Services, Housing Tasmania, as well as rental
contributions from clients, and occasional grants.
Service delivery at both sites has been developed
to address client crisis accommodation needs and the
program uses a case-management approach which allows
socio-cultural issues to be addressed and linkages to be
made with other appropriate health and community
service agencies. Oakleigh oers an individualised,
strengths-based program with transitional support
towards independence with several key components
including case management, case work, recreation
activities, transition and exit planning.
In 2013, The Salvation Army Divisional Social
Program Secretary felt that a review of the Oakleigh
program was required to promote the planning,
development and ecient delivery of The Salvation Army
homeless services in Tasmania. An internal review was
selected by managers due to the cost, availability and
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