Integrated Housing Exits Youth Justice Program policy

• Eligibility
• Nominations and assessments
• Managing tenancies
• Case management plans

The Integrated Housing Exits Youth Justice Program provides accommodation and support to young people with a history of offending - eg having completed a custodial sentence, period on remand, on a community based justice order. The program aims to reduce their risk of exiting custody into homelessness and re-offending.

The policy applies to:

• Housing SA
• community housing providers (CHPs)
• Youth Justice
• Helping Young People Achieve (HYPA).

Youth Justice assesses and refers eligible young people to the program. HYPA nominates eligible young people for properties, and provides customers with intensive support. Housing SA and CHPs are the housing providers, and manage the tenancies and properties assigned to the program. All organisations work closely together to meet the aims of the program.

Eligibility

Young people are eligible for the program if they meet all of the below conditions:

• they’re aged between 16 to 25
• they’re eligible for public housing in line with the Eligibility for public housing policy, if Housing SA is the provider
• they’re eligible for community housing in line with the Eligibility for community housing policy, if a CHP is the provider
• they agree to participate in the program
• they agree to enter into a case management plan
• they agree to the conditions of a 12 month lease agreement.

Young people must also have either:

• completed a custodial sentence or a period on remand in the Adelaide Youth Training Centre
• previously completed or been undertaking a community based justice order.

Nominations and assessments

Youth Justice and HYPA jointly assess a young person’s suitability and eligibility for the program. HYPA nominates customers for vacant properties, taking into account:

• recommendations from Youth Justice and the housing provider
• housing density
• location of supports
• if the property type and area meets the customer’s needs.

Managing tenancies

Customers are given a 12 month fixed term lease agreement. They may be offered another fixed term lease agreement for up to 12 months if they could still benefit from further support from the program.

Housing providers manage the property and the tenancy in line with their organisation’s policies - eg setting and charging rent.

The housing provider collaborates with HYPA to address any tenancy or property management issues.

At least three months before the end of the tenancy, the housing provider, HYPA, and the customer meet to review the tenancy. Based on the customer’s support needs and level of engagement, it may be determined the customer either:

• needs another lease agreement
• doesn’t need another lease agreement
• should transfer to another property.

If the customer’s subject to a current youth justice order, Youth Justice’s also consulted to discuss any tenancy or property management issues, or when reviewing the tenancy.

Case management plans

HYPA:

• provides intensive, assertive support to customers for as long as they participate in the program
• develops case management plans with customers before they start their tenancy
• continuously reviews case management plans in collaboration with Youth Justice and the customer.

Case management plan reviews focus on:

• the customer’s ongoing support needs
• the customer’s housing requirements
• how engaged the customer is
• what actions to take next - eg develop strategies to help them move into alternative accommodation.

Related information

Controlling documents

• National Partnerships Agreement on Homelessness
• Residential Tenancies Act 1995

Supporting guidelines

• Integrated Housing Exits Youth Justice Program guidelines v1

Date this policy applies from

10 May 2018

Version number

1

The online version of the policy is the approved and current version. There is no guarantee that any printed copies are current.