Our approach
Foundations and frameworks for practice
Model of Care
Based on current best practice evidence and supported by an intersectional human rights framework, our model of care is part of our commitment to ensuring that practice wisdom, lived experience and contemporary evidence guide and inform our responses to homelessness.
The model of care is a national overarching framework ensuring visibility and consistency in our approach to serving people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. It specifies the guiding statements, approaches and practices we use in designing, delivering and developing homelessness services.
We follow these guiding statements in all services and locations, and works with non-government and government agencies to provide targeted support and services:
- Ending homelessness is possible
- Safe, secure and affordable housing is a human right
- Homelessness is everybody’s business
- Services uphold dignity and self-esteem and recognise the intrinsic value of human life
- Homelessness can affect anyone; its impacts are far reaching and long lasting
- Homelessness in Australia is a result of systemic and structural failures or inadequacies
- The voices of people with lived experience should inform all we do
- Experiences of homelessness are complex and dynamic
Demonstrating our commitment to inclusion
We recognise the challenges and barriers experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTIQA+ communities, people living with a disability and culturally and linguistically diverse groups (such as migrants and refugees). We are committed to making sure our homelessness support services are safe and welcoming spaces. We offer equity of access to support as a core condition of service delivery. Some of the ways we demonstrate this commitment are through:
- Ensuring all people participate in, and have control over, decision making matters which affect their lives
- Providing staff with workplace cultural support and professional development, including opportunities to critically reflect on their own beliefs, values and understanding of culture(s) and the perspectives of others, and are committed to learning to avoid barriers and cultural biases in service delivery
- Providing access to appropriate and trained interpreters
- Getting to know clients to ensure we have a genuine understanding about what is important to them and our services are culturally safe for them, and
- Actively engaging the expertise of relevant cultural and support organisations, advocates, community leaders, elders and individuals to develop our understanding of the unique issues facing our communities and peoples
First Nations peoples
Our services are welcoming and culturally safe
- Facilitating pathways and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations relevant to their needs
- Committing to advancing The Salvation Army Reconciliation Action Plan and acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of Country in meetings, events and gatherings
- Connecting with Elders in communities to develop local partnerships
- Embracing and participating in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander days of significance; recognising history, culture and achievements
People of LGBTIQA+ communities
Our services are welcoming and culturally safe
- Maintaining confidentiality and only disclosing a person's gender identity, sexual orientation, or intersex status with consent
- Avoiding assumptions about people's gender by asking about and using their identified names and pronouns
- Developing and maintaining relationships with LGBTIQA+ specialist services
- Facilitating LGBTIQA+ training for our staff to ensure our services are inclusive
- Ensuring local services have procedures and practice guidance to implement LGBTIQA+ inclusive services
Rainbow Tick Accredited
You can feel even more safe at 16 of our Victorian homelessness locations that are Rainbow Tick Accredited.
People with disability
Our services are welcoming and safe
- Delivering services and programs that are designed in such a way that any person living with disability can participate in all programs, events and activities
- Ensuring our physical and social environments are accessible and safe
- Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to access buildings and other facilities
- Ensuring people with disability receive information from our services in a format that will enable them to access the information readily
- Ensuring people with disability have the same opportunities as other people to provide meaningful feedback to our services, including comments, compliments and complaints, and have the same opportunities as other people to participate in all public consultation by The Salvation Army
Inclusive and welcoming
