Research and evaluation

The NSW Homelessness Action Plan (HAP) set the direction for statewide reform of the homelessness services sector over the five years 2009–2014. The plan focused on three key strategic directions:

• Preventing homelessness: to ensure people never become homeless
• Responding effectively to homelessness: to ensure people who are homeless receive effective responses so they don’t become entrenched in the system
• Breaking the cycle: to ensure people who have been homeless do not become homeless again.

As part of the HAP, a range of homelessness support projects were funded under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness 2009–2013 and through NSW Government funding.

The NSW HAP Evaluation Strategy was designed to assess the impact of these projects in achieving better outcomes for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The strategy was also designed to gather evidence of effective responses and identify lessons to be considered in the future response to homelessness in NSW.

The evaluation reports cover the three inter-related components of the strategy:

• Self-evaluations – gather performance information about each of the HAP projects across key areas and the views of practitioners about the effectiveness of their projects.
• Extended evaluations – analyse and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of 15 selected projects and the approaches to addressing homelessness that those projects represent.
• HAP Strategy Summary – synthesises the findings from the self-evaluations and extended evaluations as well as other evaluations on HAP activities.

Summary reports

• Homelessness Action Plan Evaluations Summary – AHURI
• Analysis of Self-Evaluation Reports

Reports on projects for people at risk of eviction

• Far North Coast Tenancy Support Program
• Mid North Coast Tenancy Support Service
• Coastal Sydney Aboriginal Tenancy Support Service 

Reports on projects for people exiting institutions

• Targeted Housing and Support Service 
• Sustaining Tenancies Following Exits from Correctional Facilities 
• Young People Exiting Juvenile Justice Centres – North Coast 
• Young People Leaving Care Support Service – North Coast
• Overarching Summary Report – People Exiting Institutions Projects 

Report on youth hub project

• South West Sydney Youth Hub Project incorporating the foyer model 

Reports on projects for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence

• Hunter HAP Domestic Violence Project
• Illawarra HAP Domestic Violence Project
• Greater Western Sydney HAP Domestic Violence Project 
• Overarching Summary Report – Long-Term Accommodation and Support for Women and Children Experiencing Domestic and Family Violence 

Reports on long-term housing and support projects

• Riverina Murray HAP Project 
• Rural Homelessness New England Project 
• North Coast Accommodation Project 
• South East Community Connections project 
• Overarching Summary Report – Long-term Housing and Support Service Model

Evidence Notes: Summaries of HAP evaluation findings

• Tenancy support for people at risk of eviction 
• Support for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence 
• Support for people exiting institutional care 
• Responding to Aboriginal Homelessness 
• Support for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness 
• Long-term housing and support
• Overall summary of the Homelessness Action Plan Evaluation Findings