Join us for a community forum to have your say on the development of the National Housing and Homelessness Plan (the Plan).

This Forum is split into two sessions. You are welcome to attend both or just one of the sessions:

Part 1 - Social housing and homelessness – 1.5 hours (4.00pm – 5.30pm)

This session covers:

Social and community housing
Homelessness
The impact of climate change and disasters on housing security

Part 2 - Housing markets – 1.5 hours (5.30pm – 7.00pm)

This session covers:

Home ownership and house prices
Renting in Australia, including in affordable housing
Impacts of planning, zoning and development on access to housing

Please try to arrive 15 minutes before the session you are attending to check in for the session.

Light catering will be available between the sessions.

Who should attend the event?

The event will be suitable for:

General public.
Individuals and families with lived experience of housing insecurity or homelessness.
Not for profit and civil society organisations.
Housing and homelessness sector organisations, advocates, experts and researchers.
Support workers and providers.
Other service providers, e.g. police, health professionals and first responders.
Experts in housing, finance and urban development.

Please note that this event is designed to get feedback from the local community. Anyone is welcome to attend, but we also encourage you to share your views through an online submission via www.engage.dss.gov.au.

How to take part in the Forum

Please register to take part in the community forum. You will be able to choose to attend Part 1 or Part 2 of the community forum (or select both) when you fill out the registration process.

If you are bringing a family member or carer to support you, please ask them to register too.

The forum will run for up to 3 hours if you select to attend both sessions. Each session will include:

A presentation about key issues being considered for the Plan
Group discussion with questions about what is working well and challenges for housing in your community.
An opportunity to visit different stations in the room and provide your views in writing and by speaking to our event facilitators about key topics that could be covered in the plan.
Group discussion with questions about what actions are needed to improve housing and address homelessness in the community.

During the forum, we will use an online engagement tool called Mentimeter. You will be given a code to access the questions in menti.com when you are at the event. If you can’t or don’t want to use the online engagement tool, you can still participate and answer questions in other ways, including on paper.

Accessibility

If you have accessibility requirements, please tell us about these when you register. Auslan* and live captioning can be made available on request.

*Due to availability of Auslan interpreters, requests for Auslan must be provided 5 days before the event. It is possible the Auslan interpreters will attend the event remotely via a TV screen or other device. If this is not suitable for you, please contact us at NHHP@thesocialdeck.com.

Help and contact

The Social Deck is facilitating and coordinating these events on behalf of the Department of Social Services. For help registering, please contact The Social Deck at nhhp@thesocialdeck.com or call 0458 228 142.

*Places are limited. Events will close when fully subscribed but waitlists will be available.

More information

Visit engage.dss.gov.au for more information, including other ways to have your say and helpful resources such as a submission guide and Issues Paper.

If you require materials in another language, please contact HousingandHomelessnessPlan@dss.gov.au.

About the National Housing and Homelessness Plan

The Australian Government is developing a National Housing and Homelessness Plan (the Plan) through the Department of Social Services.

The Plan will be a 10-year strategy outlining a shared vision to inform future housing and homelessness policy in Australia.

The Plan is an opportunity to assess issues with the current housing system. It provides a chance to identify what needs to be done to improve the housing and homelessness sectors.

The Plan will set out the key changes needed in the short, medium and longer term.

The Plan is being developed in collaboration with key stakeholders including state and territory governments, local government, not-for-profit and civil society organisations, industry bodies, superannuation funds and other experts in housing, finance and urban development.

Privacy

During the registration process, The Social Deck and/or the Department of Social Services may collect your name, contact information and name of your organisation.

Your personal information will only be shared with The Social Deck and the Department of Social Services. It will not be shared with any other parties.

The department’s Privacy Policy, including information about how to make a complaint and access to and correction of your personal information, can be found on their website. The Social Deck’s privacy policy is also available on their website .