The territory's system for accommodating people experiencing homelessness is "not working well", with only 22.2 per of clients referred to an accommodation service over a four-year period, a report has found.
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An evaluation of OneLink, which connects clients with service and housing providers, reported that "few emerge at the other end of the process with a tangible outcome".
Between 2017 and 2021, 22.2 per cent of clients were connected to an accommodation service, while 43.5 per cent were referred to a support service.
"The fact that there are so few concrete outcomes for clients is a source of frustration for clients, for people who work at OneLink and for service delivery organisations," the report written by OCM for the Community Services Directorate in June found.
"Those figures don't surprise me at all," EveryMan chief executive Greg Aldridge said.
"Anyone in the homelessness sector will tell you that there's a bottleneck in the supply."
EveryMan is one of the territory's community housing and service providers.
A limited supply of low-income rentals in the ACT and a shortage of social housing is the overarching issue for the service.
People experiencing homelessness, or in high-risk situations, waited an average of 56.6 days in the quarter ending June 2022 for emergency housing, up from 44.9 days in the March quarter.
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The report found that the service contracted by the government to run OneLink since July 2016 had failed to effectively deal with issues it faced.
"Our assessment is that Woden Community Services does not have the capacity and capability to manage OneLink," it stated.
This assessment was informed by poor referral rates, alongside feedback that clients were telling their stories to many service providers, that the relationship between OneLink and service providers is "generally reported as poor" and that the model is not delivering on expected outcomes.
The evaluation report was published alongside the ACT's Strategic Investment Plan for the Homelessness sector, which sets out changes to the way specialist homelessness services are designed and funded.
The next stage of the strategic plan will involve community support services being funded with long-term agreements.
"The OneLink report highlights key areas for further expansion of the service which will be explored through the commissioning process through the sector, to further develop and deliver the best possible service in our homelessness landscape," ACT Minister for homelessness Rebecca Vassarotti said in a statement.
The evaluation was based on stakeholder consultation with 22 accommodation and support services, 28 OneLink clients, eight peak bodies and 14 staff at Woden Community Services.
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Miriam Webber
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
Miriam Webber is a federal politics and public sector reporter, with a keen interest in integrity, transparency and accountability in government. She has been a member of the federal political bureau since 2023, and previously worked as the city reporter. Reach her at miriam.webber@canberratimes.com.au
