The Community of School and Services (COSS) has become a key player in homelessness policy discussions across Australia. This evidence-based approach aims to prevent youth homelessness by proactively identifying and supporting at-risk youth before they reach a crisis point, while also driving reforms within local service systems to ensure a coordinated and effective response. The COSS Model has not only been adopted in Australia but has also inspired other initiatives, including Upstream Canada, which uses a similar approach by partnering with schools to identify at-risk youth and provide early interventions. In this blog, we will explore the COSS Model’s role in influencing current homelessness policy discourse and what its growing role means for the future of youth homelessness prevention.
The COSS Model’s Role in Homelessness Policy
The COSS Model is at the heart of several policy discussions aimed at tackling youth homelessness before it becomes a crisis. At its core, the model promotes early intervention using survey data collected in secondary schools to identify young people at risk of homelessness and reduce disengagement from education and/or early school leaving. Its core foundations include community collaboration, early identification, early intervention support work with families, and the monitoring and measurement of outcomes. It also reorganizes local support systems available to youth and their families.
Prevention has become a key issue in homelessness policy as governments seek more effective, long-term solutions to the complex issue of youth homelessness. The COSS Model’s emphasis on prevention aligns with broader trends in homelessness policy that advocate for place-based, collaborative solutions, where local schools, community organizations, and service providers work together to address vulnerabilities before they escalate into homelessness.
Key Strategies and Policy Discussions
Various policy documents have been published between 2018 and 2024, which include grey literature and resources from organizations such as governments, non-profit agencies, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), and parliamentary committees.
The following not only highlights homelessness prevention and early identification as a key policy issue for Australia’s homelessness response, but also recognizes the COSS Model’s significance and support in policy discourse:
- New South Wales (NSW) Homelessness Strategy (2018-2023): this policy and strategy document emphasized prevention and early intervention of homelessness, particularly for at-risk youth. A primary action under this strategy was the Universal Screening and Supports (USS) Pilot, based on the COSS Model, that trialled early identification and support for vulnerable youth and their families. By enhancing the mainstream services as settings where at-risk youth can be identified and assisted, the COSS Model is central to NSW’s efforts to prevent youth homelessness before it escalates.
- A National Report Card on Youth Homelessness (March 2019): This report reviewed progress since the 2008 Youth Commission Inquiry, highlighting both achievement and gaps in addressing youth homelessness. It recognized the COSS Model as a compelling, evidence-based approach for building coordinated service networks, as outlined in the National Youth Commission’s roadmap.
- Inquiry Into Homelessness in Victoria (2019-2021): In its March 2021 report, the Victorian Legal and Social Issues Committee examined the Geelong Project, as an implementation of the COSS Model of early intervention to prevent youth homelessness. Submissions from Upstream Australia and others highlighted its effectiveness, recommending expansion. The Committee agreed, calling for the Victorian Government to fund the model’s expansion to seven new pilot sites, noting its potential to reduce youth homelessness and achieve cost savings.
- Redesign of the homelessness service system for youth (April 2020): The AHURI research, part of an inquiry into effective homelessness services, emphasized the need for early intervention to reduce youth homelessness. It highlighted the Reconnect Program and the COSS Model as best-practice approaches, with the COSS Model serving as a research-backed, scalable solution for early intervention and prevention. The study framed youth homelessness within a broader system of community interventions, policies, and services.
- Ending homelessness in Australia: A redesigned homelessness service system (December 2020): The AHURI 2020 report on a redesigned homelessness service system called for reshaping Australia’s approach to homelessness, emphasizing prevention, assessment, and increasing affordable housing. It highlights the COSS model as a successful example of collaboration and integration within existing services, arguing that a reformed system should emulate the COSS model to improve early intervention and prevention across the life course.
- Inquiry into Homelessness in Australia (2020-2021): This report highlighted the significance of early intervention and prevention in addressing homelessness. The Committee recognized the COSS Model as an effective early intervention strategy and recommended expanding its use across Australia. Several submissions advocated for increased funding for such programs, including COSS. There was an emphasis on better coordination between governments, services, and local communities to improve effectiveness. It also called for a national framework for prevention and early intervention, including funding for place-based programs.
- Performance Audit: NSW Auditor General (June 2021): The NSW Auditor General’s 2021 report assessed the effectiveness of the NSW Government’s Homelessness Strategy and its response to street homelessness, especially during COVID-19. It noted challenges in identifying at-risk individuals not seeking formal help. It also highlighted the COSS Model (Universal Screening and Supports) as a key project improving early identification and prevention of homelessness.
- Towards a Youth Homelessness Strategy for Victoria (November 2021): This report identified key issues in the current youth homelessness framework, including ineffective policies, fragmented support systems, and gaps in service delivery. It highlights the COSS Model as an effective, place-based approach for coordinating services between schools and welfare providers to prevent youth homelessness. The report recommends expanding this model across Victoria.
- ACT Government Community Services Directorate (April 2022): The Review of Good Practice Models and Guiding Principles for Specialist Homelessness Services highlights the COSS Model as an effective youth homelessness intervention. The model focuses on early intervention through vulnerability screening and local collaboration. The Geelong Project – an example of COSS – reduced youth homelessness by 40% and early school leaving by 20%. Key features of effective homelessness services include prevention, early intervention, trauma-informed care, and integrated support.
- Review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (): The Productivity Commission’s 2022 review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement found it had limited impact on preventing homelessness. It highlighted youth homelessness as a key priority and recommended greater focus on prevention and early intervention. The COSS model was noted as a promising example, with the review urging governments to prioritize and fund such programs to address homelessness causes for at-risk groups like youth, Indigenous people, and those leaving care or correctional facilities.
- Council to Homeless Persons (CHP): A plan to end homelessness in Victoria (September 2022): This CHP report emphasizes the need for early intervention to prevent youth homelessness in Victoria. It identified the COSS model as a best practice approach, noting its success in reducing adolescent homelessness by 40% in areas where it’s implemented. The report advocates for expanding the COSS model to more sites across Victoria, following recommendations from the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness.
- Update on a new Homelessness in NSW ( 2024): This report acknowledges the state’s homelessness and housing crisis and emphasizes the need for a bold, new approach. It highlights the importance of early intervention, particularly for young people at risk of homelessness. The COSS Model, referred to in NSW as Universal Screening and Supports, is identified as an effective early intervention tool. The model helps identify at-risk youth through school-based screenings and connects them to local support services, aiming to prevent future homelessness.
- Victorian Government Response to the Legal and Social Committee Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria (February 2024): In its February 2024 response to the Homelessness Inquiry, the Victorian Government supported early intervention to prevent homelessness, particularly for young people. It praised the COSS model, citing its success through The Geelong Project, and committed continued funding for seven schools in the Barwon area. However, the government’s response to expanding the model to seven new sites is still under review.
- Mission Australia Youth Survey Report (August 2024): The Mission Australia Youth Survey stresses the importance of keeping at-risk young people engaged in education, as it impacts their future outcomes. It highlights the COSS Model as an effective early intervention approach for identifying homelessness risk in schools. The report recommends that governments implement universal homelessness risk screening tools in all schools to support at-risk students.
Conclusion
The COSS Model has emerged as a key strategy for preventing youth homelessness across Australia, emphasizing an early intervention methodology and a collaborative, place-based and collective impact architecture. Its success, including the Geelong Project and the Albury Project, has encouraged many calls for its broader implementation. Recognized in key policy reports from the Victorian Government, AHURI, and the Productivity Commission, the model is a proven, evidence-based approach for tackling youth homelessness. Moving forward, the integration of COSS into mainstream services, particularly through school-based screening and support, will be critical for addressing the root causes of youth homelessness and improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.
Note: Special thanks to Aleksija Milovanovic for her contributions to developing this post