The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has received overwhelming support from homeless people for a proposed National Homelessness Charter that would identify the rights and responsibilities of service providers and consumers.

Consumers also support a proposed national complaints handling system.

The proposals are included in FaHCSIA’s stage two consultations report concerning a National Quality Framework for the Provision of Services to People who are Homeless or at Risk.

Released earlier this year, the FaHCSIA report is based on consultations with service providers and with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The report was produced by Ipsos-Eureka Social Research Institute and finalised in July 2011.

During the consultation process:

• Consumers voiced support for a National Homelessness Charter. This charter would be expected to identify the rights and responsibilities of service providers, authorities and consumers.
• Consumers endorsed the idea of a national complaints handling system. An effective complaints handling procedure would ensure that complaints were administered confidentially and consistently, rather than in an ad-hoc manner. 
• Consumers saw effective case management and inter-organisational communication as central to administering National Quality Standards.
• Consumers endorsed a system of self-assessment alongside external assessment to enable service providers to monitor their progress in meeting sector standards. Consumers felt that any assessment process should integrate feedback from clients.

The Homeless Persons’ Legal Service (HPLS) made a submission to the consultation, calling for a legislative-based National Charter of Rights for Homeless People, together with a system of rights-based National Quality Standards to drive continuous improvement for homelessness services.

The HPLS submits that such a right-based approach to quality improvement must include standards to ensure the involvement and participation of homeless people directly in matters that involve them.

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