Salvation Army's approach to homelessness driven by rich history of care
By Jed Donoghue and Brendan Fitzhenry, The Salvation Army, Homelessness Stream
Over Homelessness Week 2024 (5-11 August), The Salvation Army is calling on all Australians, individually, and in government, to work to ‘End homelessness – for good’. As one of the largest providers of homelessness services in Australia, The Salvation Army has a rich history of work and care in the field of homelessness and housing. The development and implementation of an effective Model of Care is key to The Salvation Army’s approach to serving people and working towards the goal of ending homelessness.
The Salvation Army, founded in 1865, initially focused on ministry to the very poorest community members in the East End of London, England. The movement was built on an established tradition of ministry that used direct action and mass organising methods to extend evangelical reach past the traditional church-going social strata of the times.
From its inception, feeding and housing those who were essentially denied the means to live with safety, dignity and sufficiency, were features of The Salvation Army’s mission. This continued unabated as the organisation grew into an international Christian movement (now established in 134 countries across the globe).
Spiritual and social care remain intertwined arms of The Salvation Army: “Since our foundations in nineteenth century London, we express our faith in charitable work to provide both the spiritual and the social support. We believe that with one hand we reach out to God and with the other we reach out to the world.”
A rich Australian history
The Salvation Army has been active in Australia since 1880 — beginning first with a church service in a park.
In Melbourne, in 1883, the world-first ‘Prison Gate Brigade’ was established, providing accommodation and support to people discharged from Melbourne Gaol. A year later the ‘Rescued Sister’s Home’ began providing an early refuge model for women and girls trapped in cycles of such things as prison and addiction.
The Salvation Army, as a church and charitable organisation, has continued to pursue practical ministry, looking to meet physical as well as spiritual needs. This has resonated at all levels of Australian society, and, as a result, The Salvation Army today is one of the most recognised and trusted brands in Australia.
The Salvation Army’s current reputation and profile provides many opportunities to develop partnerships and networks with like-minded organisations and agencies — to further improve ‘wraparound’ capability where needed and to provide effective advocacy and voice on social justice issues.
Today, among many aspects of pastoral and social care, The Salvation Army’s Australia Territory delivers homelessness support in every state and territory and is one of the largest government-funded providers across Australia.
(It is important to note that, while a majority of homelessness support is undertaken in partnership with Commonwealth, state and territory governments, a significant portion is funded by The Salvation Army, or funded in partnership with individuals, groups and agencies, or through contributions such as donations or bequests.)
Building effective partnerships and models of care
In 2018, The Salvation Army in Australia underwent a significant restructure, bringing together two territories into one national entity, the Australia Territory, and creating over-riding ‘stream’ structures to areas of social mission (the streams of Homelessness, Family and Domestic Violence, Youth, and Alcohol and Other Drugs).
Developing a national Homelessness Stream structure provided the opportunity to streamline in the areas of strategic focus, governance, leadership and management; and better define and develop the core business of homelessness support.
The first significant act of the Homelessness Stream was to enter into a consultative process to develop a three-year strategic plan. This cascaded from a national focus to state and territory specific plans, is responsive to national and local environments and situations, and is tailored to fit the realities faced by homeless populations across the country.
Bringing together decades of service delivery experience across all areas of the eight Australian service systems (including the Commonwealth), and expertise, data and research, and development in the area of homelessness, several core areas of strategic focus were identified:
- Focusing on vulnerable peoples and communities that are over-represented in homelessness statistics
- Enhancing the role and voice of people with a lived experience of homelessness within The Salvation Army
- Developing a universal Model of Care for The Salvation Army’s Homelessness Stream
- Improving fit-for-purpose facilities, housing and support; including significant investment in redevelopment and refurbishment of existing stock and a property growth strategy
- Developing workforce capability, culture, leadership and management
Through the formation of state-based reference groups, state plans are now linked to reporting and accountability measures, which regularly chart progress, and enable collaboration among the various offerings within The Salvation Army.
Critical intra-Salvation Army partnerships with Salvos Housing, Chaplaincy, social services from Youth, Family Violence, and Alcohol and Other Drugs streams, Doorways (material aid) and Moneycare (financial counselling) work alongside the Homelessness Stream to achieve identified outcomes.
Salvos ‘Model of Care’ informs action towards ending homelessness
Development of the Homelessness Stream ‘Model of Care’ is central to The Salvation Army’s commitment to ensure that practice wisdom, the voices of those with lived experience, and contemporary evidence-based research and literature, guide and inform the response to those experiencing, or who are at risk of homelessness.
The Model of Care enables the Homelessness Stream workforce to provide consistent, high quality and innovative services, placing the wellbeing of individuals at the very centre.
It was developed within an extensive consultation framework that included leadership, frontline workers and volunteers, and with those who have a lived experience of homelessness.
From the unifying, ambitious, yet attainable vision of ‘ending homelessness’, the Model of Care examines the conditions required, and the practices and approaches necessary, to best assist people who are experiencing, or who are at risk of homelessness.
Everyone should have access to a safe, affordable home. To find out more about homelessness in Australia, including how you can end homelessness, visit: salvationarmy.org.au/homelessness-week
It situates these foundations, principles and frameworks within the context of the unique Salvation Army organisation.
The Model of Care sits within a Salvation Army Homelessness Toolkit, available to all the organisation’s workforce to learn and grow from, be supported by, and contribute to.
Work in the area of homelessness essential to The Salvation Army. As an organisation and church, The Salvation Army is called by its mission, vision and values to offer and deliver practical assistance, side-by-side with pastoral care, to those struggling with disadvantage. How we deliver this, and the empathy and education resourcing our decisions and actions is enhanced through the Model of Care.