Outreach and Advocacy

Across Australia, homelessness is often the result of lack of affordable accommodation, unemployment, mental illness, broken families, domestic violence and/or substance misuse, to name a few.

Finding solutions to reduce and in time, end homelessness means responding to the unique needs of each person – rather than forcing them into a system that may not be suitable for their individual needs.

This is particularly important, at pivotal junctures in their lives – such as and not limited to, when people become unemployed, decouple, leave care or prison, experience trauma, etc.

The i24s Aboriginal Corporation (i24s) Outreach and Advocacy services support individuals and families experiencing rough sleeping and other forms of homelessness, regardless of background. While Aboriginal people remain significantly overrepresented in the homelessness population, our services are inclusive of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people and are shaped around each person’s needs, choices and circumstances.

As an Aboriginal-owned organisation, i24s strong cultural capability and robust outreach experience to an inclusive service model. Our approach combines culturally safe, person-centred and trauma-informed practices, with Noongar Housing First Principles, harm reduction, practical support, warm referrals and coordinated work with government and community service partners.

Booraka Danjoo – Coordinated Outreach Support

Through Booraka Danjoo – Coordinated Outreach Services (Booraka Danjoo), i24s delivers Assertive and Responsive Outreach in the Perth Metropolitan North West Corridor, covering the Cities of Stirling, Joondalup and Wanneroo, for the WA Department of Communities, Office of Homelessness.

Booraka Danjoo brings support directly to people experiencing rough sleeping in the places they sleep or frequent. The service uses consistent, person-centred engagement to build trust, assess individual needs and support access to housing, accommodation, healthcare and other services.

Assertive Outreach: Our Outreach Workers undertake planned, persistent street-based patrols and engagement to identify and connect with people sleeping rough, provide practical support, complete assessments, make warm referrals and advocate for housing.
Responsive Outreach: We receive and triage reports of rough sleeping and coordinate responses to homelessness hotspots, encampments and emerging needs, working with local government, service providers and other stakeholders.
Housing and Support Pathways: Our team works with each person to identify appropriate housing and accommodation pathways and connect them with health, mental health, alcohol and other drug, family and domestic violence, disability, legal, income and other supports as needed, with follow-up until a safe transition or longer-term support is established.

Cultural Response Team – Return to Country Program
i24s’ Cultural Response Team (CRT) Return to Country (RTC) supports eligible Aboriginal people experiencing homelessness, displacement or related hardship who choose to return to Country or their home community. RTC is a voluntary, planned and culturally respectful pathway that supports safe reconnection with Country, family and community.

RTC support can include:

cultural liaison receiving-contact and/or community coordination, with a person’s informed consent, to support a safe transition back to Country;
approved travel and transport arrangements to the agreed destination; and
short-term accommodation where approved travel cannot occur immediately and accommodation is necessary to maintain safety, while the RTC plan progresses.

RTC funding is limited to approved travel and necessary travel-related support. It does not fund ongoing accommodation or housing, general emergency relief, or goods and services unrelated to the approved return journey. Travel is not purchased until eligibility, informed consent, due diligence, safe receiving arrangements and travel readiness are confirmed. RTC is not used to relocate a person because of public-amenity, enforcement or stakeholder pressure. Where RTC is unsuitable, delayed or declined, i24s continues to offer or refer the person to other support pathways.

Governance and Long-Term Stability

Leveraging multi-agency collaboration and robust governance frameworks, our team works closely with individuals and families to help transition them out of crisis for the long-term.

Changing and often unforeseen circumstances can have considerable negative impacts on society – specifically, in rising levels of homelessness.

Outreach and Advocacy Capability Statement