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Social Impact Bond for people experiencing homelessness

19 December 2017
Two hands holding a cardboard house

Sacred Heart Mission (SHM) is proud to announce it will deliver the first Victorian Social Impact Bond (SIB) with the Victorian Government, which will expand its successful and innovative Journey to Social Inclusion Program (J2SI).

The SIB is a partnership with government, the social services sector and investors to create lasting positive change for communities and individuals and has been used worldwide to address complex social issues.

Cathy Humphrey, CEO, says confirming this next stage of the J2SI vision, will increase the Mission’s capacity to make a real impact by significantly contributing to ending chronic homelessness in Melbourne.

“SHM has been developing, piloting, modifying, evaluating and scaling J2SI for over 10 years,” Cathy says.

“This has been achieved through extensive research by SHM and others on the causes and consequences of long-term homelessness, and the rigorous testing of the J2SI intervention though randomised control trials to ensure people can escape the cycle of chronic homelessness.”

The J2SI SIB will bring together government, SHM, philanthropy and investors to fund the J2SI program, that will be run by SHM with service delivery commencing in August 2018 for 180 participants (60 per year for three years), who will receive support for three years.

Under the SIB structure SHM and investors will receive payments from government if specific outcomes are achieved, which will be rigorously evaluated throughout the intervention. SHM will be speaking to potential investors to secure guarantees over the coming months.

The J2SI program takes a housing-first approach, that supports people to get and sustain housing.

It is delivered using a trauma-informed model with assertive intensive support including helping to build skills for pathways to employment, training, education and volunteering, and ultimately fostering independence.

Housing has been negotiated as part of the service delivery and will be provided through head leasing arrangements with housing providers.

Quotes attributable to Minister Foley:
“Sacred Heart Mission has been working on an innovative way to tackle homelessness in St Kilda and we look forward to helping them expand this project.”

“J2SI is part of a series of initiatives the Victorian Government is working on to address homelessness and rough sleeping, including our $9.8 million Towards Home project and the $50 million Rapid Housing Assistance program.”

ENDS

CONTACT

Holly Cooper
Communication and Advocacy Manager
Email: hcooper@sacredheartmission.org
Phone: 0424 137 763