Housing and Community Support PDF Print E-mail

Community Connections Program
The Community Connections Program (CCP) seeks to actively engage and provide support to people who live in low cost accommodation or are homeless and have complex unmet needs.

QSS staff conduct extensive outreach work to facilitate clients to access the program visiting local caravan parks, elderly units and other locations to reach people in need. The program provides individual case co-ordination, with QSS staff helping clients to link with other services, and providing them with practical support and assistance. Community development is also a key component with Quantum staff working to support networking, promote effective relationships with housing providers and develop social support programs for clients.

Housing Support for the Aged
The Housing Support for the Aged (HSA) Program provides support to clients referred by the Community Connections Program, and other service providers, who are aged over 50 years and about to enter public housing. The program aims to support their capacity to live independently and retain a quality of life. Quantum staff work with individuals providing practical support, assistance and referrals for clients to access services including community care services to promote their health and well-being.

Social Housing Advocacy Support Program
The Social Housing Advocacy Support Program (SHASP) is an independent service that supports public tenants within the Gippsland region offering casework assistance, advice and referrals.
Key components of SHASP involve:

  1. Support: Access to support provided by the Program occurs through referrals from the Office of Housing (OoH). Support offered includes assisting OoH applicants in establishing their eligibility for, and access to, public housing.  It provides assistance and support to new OoH tenants in establishing and maintaining their public housing accommodation as well as intensive individual support to tenants where their tenancies are at risk of breaking down.
  2. Advocacy: The Program provides advocacy for tenants of public or community housing. This form of assistance is provided to self-referred clients or clients referred by other service providers and involves advocacy in relation to: disputes over maintenance, OoH complaints processes, appeals of OoH decisions, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) appearances, neighbourhood disputes and a range of other issues.
  3. Tenant Participation: The Program provides support to initiating and maintaining tenant involvement in OoH planning and consultation processes and assisting tenants to establish and development local tenant groups.
  4. Community Facilities Management: The Program supports local OoH tenants in the operation and utilisation of OoH’s community facilities throughout Gippsland.

Tenancy and Consumer Advocacy Service
Access to this service is through referrals directly from the Department of Justice: Consumer Affairs Victoria. The services delivered include advocacy for clients at VCAT hearings, dispute resolution support, and assistance to referred clients to help them utilise a range of negotiation and advocacy approaches in disputes with traders and landlords. 
The service also provides information and advice including explaining to referred clients their rights and the processes they are required to use in exercising those rights.
Housing Support for Indigenous Tenants
This service is for Indigenous people who are tenants or prospective tenants of the Office of Housing or The Aboriginal Housing Board Victoria. The program aims to establish or sustain Indigenous tenancies by supporting tenants to address issues placing their housing at risk.
The service provides case management with QSS staff maintaining a strong outreach presence to reach clients, as well as maintaining strong local networks with service providers.