8:00 AM | Registration opens

8:45 AM | Welcome to country

Dr Richard Walley OAM
Noongar Man

9:00 AM | Opening remarks from the Chair
Gerry Georgatos, National Coordinator, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project 

Putting an end to homelessness through prevention and early intervention 

9:10 AM | Case Study
Preventing the escalation of the early stages of homelessness to chronicity 

• Crisis response using a trauma-informed, person-centered approach  
• Discerning appropriate types, levels and timing of supports 
• Practical frameworks to develop the capacity to successfully secure, maintain or transition to independent living 

Suzanne Hopman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Dignity

9:40 AM | Partnering with like-minded organisations to support people experiencing homelessness

• Effectively facilitating collaboration across sectors
• Supporting people experiencing homelessness to maintain personal hygiene through mobile showers
• Helping young people experiencing homelessness to regain control over their lives

Aaron Pryce, National Operations Manager, One Voice

10:10 AM | Case Study: The Active Inclusion Newcastle partnership approach to homelessness prevention

• Translating the aims of a strategy into a citywide approach
• Identifying and supporting people at risk of homelessness before they reach crisis point
• Coordinating across services and organisations to maximise touch and trigger points
• Sharing lessons learned and the next steps to move from preventing homelessness to ending it altogether

Claire Horton, Programme Lead Homeless Prevention and Financial Inclusion, Newcastle City Council UK *virtual presentation 

10:40 AM | Morning break

11:10 AM | Panel discussion 
Preparing for an increased demand in homelessness services 

• Identifying where there’s an increased demand 
• Coping with an increased demand on limited resources 
• Developing collaborative partnerships to share resources and increase capability 

Leanne Barron, Chief Executive Officer, Starick 

Gayle Mitchell, Practice Lead, UnitingCare West 

Suzanne Hopman, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Dignity

12:00 PM | Addressing substance abuse as a critical part of rehabilitating vulnerable people during and post-homelessness 

• Understanding the role of substance use disorders before, during and post-homelessness 
• Working with individuals who are overcoming addiction 
• Transitioning people with substance use disorders to independent living 

Allan Sumner, Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Sobriety Group

Tessa Peisley, Acting Program Manager, Aboriginal Sobriety Group

12:30 PM | Developing effective support services for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence to prevent homelessness

• Tailoring outreach services for women and children to support them where they are
• The inter-relationship between homelessness and domestic and family violence

Leanne Barron, Chief Executive Officer, Starick 

1:00 PM | Networking luncheon 

2:00 PM | Providing effective support for ex-offenders leaving prison to ensure a smooth transition back to society

• Collaborating with ex-offenders pre-release to create individual exit plans 
• Creating successful mentorship programs for post-release 
• Providing pathways into education and employment to enable future life successes 

Mervyn Eades, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ngalla Maya 

2:30 PM | Unlocking the door to the private sector to help end homelessness  

• Engaging the Real Estate Industry to create pathways into private tenancies 
• Training candidates through the Tenancy Skills Institute to create better rental outcomes 
• Creating an opportunity for the Community Sector and Real Estate Industry to work together to achieve a common goal 

Paul Tommasini, Chief Executive Officer, InCommunity & Tenancy Skills Institute 

3:00 PM | Afternoon tea 

3:30 PM | How to best  support young people  at risk of or experiencing homelessness   

• Providing young people with sustainable accommodation whilst gaining independence from welfare and social services through education  
• Giving young people access to mentoring and opportunities to succeed in life  
• Providing pathways into sustainable employment  

Gayle Mitchell, Practice Lead, UnitingCare West 

4:00 PM | Panel discussion
Tackling the challenges of public housing planning and access 

• How to increase access to affordable public housing 
• Strengthening collaboration between the NFP and construction sector 
• Developing culturally appropriate public housing solutions 

Mervyn Eades, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ngalla Maya 

Paul Tomassini, Chief Executive Officer, InCommunity 

Megan Krakouer, Director, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project

4:50 PM | Closing remarks from the Chair and end of day one 

8:00 AM | Registration opens 

9:00 AM | Opening remarks from the Chair 
Gerry Georgatos, National Coordinator, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project 

Improving services and service delivery 

9:10 AM | Future Directions for Homelessness in South Australia

• Building an alliance approach with a focus on prevention and better outcomes
• Working across sectors to implement homelessness reforms
• Looking to the future: the upcoming challenges and opportunities to improve the homelessness service system

Ian Cox, Head of Office for Homelessness Sector Integration, SA Housing Authority (Virtual Presentation)

9:40 AM | Developing culturally appropriate services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing homelessness

• Consulting with Indigenous communities and Elders to better meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Co-designing services together with the Indigenous community to improve service quality
• Collaborating with the community to build trusting relationships

Megan Krakouer, Director, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project

10:10 AM | How to transition people out of chronical homelessness 

• Collaborating across sectors and services to provide education and training opportunities in order to create a strong foundation post homelessness 
• Examining ways to support people experiencing chronical homelessness to live independently 
• Addressing the needs of those experiencing complex needs that increase the chronicity of homelessness 

Suzanne Naden, Chief Executive Officer, Bungree Aboriginal Association 

10:40 AM | Morning tea

11:10 AM | International Case Study
Empowering people affected by homelessness through education and employment 

• Collaborating with partner agencies to provide education and training for people experiencing homelessness 
• Providing accessible pathways to sustainable employment for people experiencing homelessness  
• Encouraging vulnerable people to increase their capacity and create positive change in their lives 

Austin Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, My Streets Homeless Walking Tours *virtual presentation

11:40 AM | Panel Discussion
Supporting people experiencing homelessness through t he journey  of  transitional housing  

• How to best prepare people who’ve experienced homelessness for transitional housing  
• Ensuring tenants receive a sense of stability during transitions  
• Providing ex-homeless people with targeted intensive wrap-around support to ensure they stay out of homelessness 

Suzanne Naden, Chief Executive Officer, Bungree Aboriginal Association 

Craig Stewart, State Director WA, Red Cross Australia 

Jim Morrison, Managing Director, Western Australian Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation

12:30 PM | Providing assertive outreach services for those in need

• nderstanding the need for outreach services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness
• Identifying and assessing people in need of support
• Providing information and connecting people to local support services

Alison Mclean, President, North East Action and Support for Youth

1:00 PM | Networking luncheon

2:00 PM | Creating trauma-informed service models 

• Understanding the impacts of trauma and how it can impact an individual and lead to homelessness  
• How to assess and respond to a person’s needs using a trauma-informed approach 
• Developing practical frameworks to work with people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness 

Craig Stewart, State Director WA, Red Cross Australia 

1:00 PM | Networking luncheon 

2:30 PM | Intergenerational trauma and its effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 

• Examining the history of intergenerational trauma 
• Discussing the relationship between homelessness and intergenerational trauma 
• How to identify when an individual carries trauma in order to assist them in the housing process 

Jim Morrison, Managing Director, Western Australian Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation

3:00 PM | Understanding child and youth homelessness – gap analyses  

• Child and youth advocacy and arbitration remain almost entirely unmet  
• Working with the lived experiences of children and youth to raise their voices and needs and to learn how to better support 
• What services can do better to support street homeless youth and houseless youth 

Connie Georgatos, Support Admin, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project

Kalisha Miniter-Krakouer, Projects Support, National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project

3:30 PM | Afternoon tea

4:00 PM | Australian and International approaches to homelessness 

• Lessons to be learned from the USA and Canada’s approaches to ending homelessness  
• Addressing homelessness in communities across Australia through the Advancing to Zero movement
• Analysing the progress that has been made, lessons learned and what is involved

David Pearson, Chief Executive Officer and Myer Innovation Fellow, Australian Alliance to end Homelessness

4:30 PM | Case Study  
Supporting people with mental health issues as a pathway out of homelessness 

• Discussing the connection between mental health conditions and homelessness 
• Collaborating across sectors to ensure that those at risk of homelessness receive adequate support 
• How service providers and governments can partner with mental health service providers as a preventative approach  

Adrian Munro, Chief Executive Officer, Richmond Wellbeing 

5:00 PM | Case Study 
An example of lived experience and its implications for service providers

• A lived experience of homelessness and what can be learned from it 
• The supports that are critical in transitioning someone out of homelessness 
• Examining what works and what could have been done better 

Johnson Riley, Aboriginal Visitors Scheme, Department of Justice WA 

5:30 PM | Closing remarks from the Chair and Close of day two 

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Workshop A   

Developing cross-sector partnerships to drive service integration 

Homelessness has always been a challenge that requires a cross- sector approach to address – with the upcoming predicted increase in homelessness across Australia, there has never been a better time for organisations to understand how to best collaborate to improve service delivery.  

This interactive workshop will give attendees a hands on look at what successful, cross-sector collaboration looks like and an opportunity to strategise with industry peers about how integrated service delivery can help tackle homelessness across Australia.  

Attendees to this workshop will:  

• Discuss successful collaborations that already exist 
• Examine what service gaps there are to identify the need for collaborations 
• Developing ways to better collaborate and work together 
• Improving collaborations within the sector 
• Understanding how to better relationships with the government 

Facilitator  
Aaron Pryce, National Operations Manager, One Voice

 1:00 – 4:00 PM | Workshop B   

Developing support for vulnerable people with complex needs  

People with complex needs frequently require the support of multiple services, however there is often a lack of coordination, clear strategy and a unified approach in addressing their needs. 

Understanding the multiple and complex needs of vulnerable people and being equipped with the skills to address challenging behaviour, mental health concerns, substance abuse and complex trauma will be essential to ensure that people with complex needs receive person-centered care. 

This interactive workshop will provide participants with the opportunity learn how to: 

• Understand the key principles of best practice care for complex needs 
• Identify and address different types of challenging behaviour 
• Work effectively in cases of complex trauma 
• Improve service delivery through an improved understanding on the impact of complex needs on homelessness 

Facilitator  

Suzanne Naden, Chief Executive Officer, Bungree Aboriginal Association