12th July 2017

Halving Homelessness

Project

An estimated 75 people are sleeping rough in Ballarat each night with another 300 to 400 people sleeping in insecure accommodation. An additional 50 to 70 families are waiting for housing. We want to halve those numbers by creating innovative approaches and an active network of community members able to work together with existing service providers.

Foresight Lane worked with The Committee for Ballarat, Leadership Ballarat and Western Region, and UnitingCare Ballarat to develop Halving Homelessness Ballarat. Halving Homelessness used an open innovation approach to draw on the wisdom and resourcefulness of people and organisations wanting to make an impact on homelessness.

This 2 minute video showcases the processes and aspirations of the Halving Homelessness Network

One hundred and fifty people came together at an innovation event to gather their thoughts, pool their ideas, and develop new ways of addressing homelessness in the region. Over 650 ideas for addressing homelessness were generated and teams selected the most promising ideas. These ideas were refined by teams over a three week period. Sixteen ideas were then pitched to community members and decision makers at the Pitch Event.

These ideas have been categorised into four key themes: housing supply, peer-to-peer relationships, smart services, and humanising homelessness. Each of these themes is being progressed through various projects. 

An important outcome has been the formation of a networked approach to addressing homelessness. People are collaborating across traditional boundaries and leadership is coming from unconventional sources. 

Transforming homelessness