A home at last: Tenancy achievements from a housing first homelessness program

The MISHA project provided housing support and wrap around services to a group of 74 men who, prior to entering the project, were chronically homeless. The project was provided by Mission Australia and was made possible by philanthropic funding. This study examines housing outcomes, and the costs and benefits associated with achieving these outcomes.
The study found that:

  • 97% of clients were still living in their properties 12 months after being housed;
  • savings generated to housing providers due to reduced evictions were estimated at $1,880 per client in the first 12 months of the client being housed;
  • the total net savings to housing providers generated by providing tenancy support services to 74 MISHA clients over a one year period were estimated at $138,880;
  • case workers played a crucial role helping clients sustain tenancies through educating clients about their responsibilities as a tenant, advocating on behalf of clients to address tenancy issues, acting as an intermediary to facilitate communication between the client and social housing provider and assisting clients to work through their substance use and other mental health problems;

Providing tenancy support services can substantially improve tenancy retention rates for clients who have been chronically homeless and, in addition, can generate considerable net savings to housing providers.

The outcomes, along with a broader costing analysis of the MISHA project in the areas of health and justice, will be released as part of the final MISHA report in 2014.

Publication Date: 
2014
Location: 
Australia