Our Focus

Some of the current activities that the Mercy Foundation is undertaking in the field of homelessness include the following:

The Australian Common Ground Alliance

The Mercy Foundation is a founding member of the Australian Common Ground Alliance (ACGA). The patron of this organisation which was established in April 2008 is Therese Rein, a successful business woman and wife of the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd.

Common Ground is based on a very successful supportive ‘Housing First’ model that provides permanent housing and support to formerly homeless people in the USA. There are now also Common Ground models in Adelaide and Melbourne in Australia. This new network will primarily advocate for and support initiatives that use the Common Ground model. Common Ground also advocates for the end of chronic homelessness through a range of initiatives as well as the provision of permanent supportive housing.

The founding member organisations are:

  • Mercy Foundation, New South Wales
  • Homeground, Victoria
  • Micah Inc, Queensland
  • Common Ground, South Australia
  • Social Inclusion Unit, South Australia
  • Social Inclusion Unit, Tasmania

For more information about the Australian Common Ground Alliance contact the Mercy Foundation or the Secretariat of the ACGA, based at Common Ground Adelaide.

The current Chair of the ACGA is Stephen Nash, CEO of Homeground in Melbourne.

The Australian Common Ground Alliance hosted the First National Supportive Housing Conference in November 2009. Special guest speakers included Rosanne Haggerty (Founder and President of Common Ground USA) and Suzanne Wagner (previously from the Center for Urban Community Studies, NYC).

 

Common Ground NSW

The Mercy Foundation is actively involved in a partnership activity to actively advocate for and help implement Common Ground supportive housing developments in NSW. In August 2009, the NSW Government formally announced their funding commitment to the first Common Ground building in NSW. This exciting new development will be based closed to the Sydney CBD, with Grocon selected by Housing NSW as the developer/builder. In November 2009 it was announced that MA Housing had been selected as the successful community housing provider for the inititaive.The NSW Common Ground Advisory Group is continuing to work with all partners, including Housing NSW, on this importnat project as well as identifying possible new sites for Common Ground models in NSW.

The NSW Common Ground Advisory Group includes individuals from:

  • Mercy Foundation (A/Chair - Felicity Reynolds)
  • The City of Sydney
  • BCS Lifecare
  • KPMG

One of the most important aspects of Common Ground developments is that they bring business, government and philanthropy together. We acknowledge that ending chronic homelessness should be a ‘whole of community’ approach.

The Common Ground concept had been officially launched in Sydney at a breakfast to engage business, government and NGO leaders on 9 September 2008. Speakers included:

  • Therese Rein, Patron of the Australian Common Ground Alliance
  • Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Housing and the Status of Women
  • Nathan Rees, Premier  of New South Wales
  • David Borger, NSW Minister for Housing and Minister for Western Sydney
  • Cr Marcelle Hoff, Deputy Mayor, City of Sydney and Monica Barone, CEO, City of Sydney
  • Daniel Grollo, CEO, Grocon
 

10 year plans to end homelessness

The Mercy Foundation has been working with a number of areas and regions in Sydney to develop local or regional 'plans to end homelessness'. Based on successful planning models in the USA and Canada, these plans involve communities coming together - government agencies, NGOs and private businesses to help solve homelessness in their local regions or areas.

Nepean Region - Western Sydney

The Nepean Regional Homelessness Taskforce has been established through the Nepean Campaign Against Homelessness to develop a long term strategic plan to reduce and ultimately to end homelessness in the region. It inlcudes representatives from the four local councils (Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith), state government departments, NGOs and businesses. The taskforce is chaired by Felicity Reynolds from the Mercy Foundation. It was launched by the Hon Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing and the Status of Women on 30 September 2009.

Hornsby Area - Northern Sydney

The Hornsby local area has also been working hard to develop improved responses to people who are homeless. Led by local MP, Judy Hopwood, the Hornsby Homelessness Taskforce aims to develop a local plan and improved housing options for people experiencing homelessness within the local area. The Mercy Foundation has been represented on the taskforce and has been actively advising on best practice for local plans to end homelessness.

NSW Homelessness Action Plan

Congratulations are due to the NSW Government for their Homelessness Action Plan 2009 - a plan that includes the development of regional plans to address homelessness. It is anticipated that the work being done in Hornsby, Nepean, Parramatta and inner Sydney will be incorporated into these important new strategic plans.

 

Grants to end homelessness

In 2008 the Mercy Foundation has introduced a new grants program titled ‘ Grants to end Homelessness’. This program funds initiatives that contribute to preventing and ending homelessness. See our Grants section for more details and an expression of interest form.

The primary aim of this grants program is to encourage new and innovative ways of preventing and solving homelessness in Australia. We actively encourage robust and/or evidence based approaches that end (or substantially contribute to ending) homelessness for people involved in the project or program. Three examples of projects funded by the Mercy Foundation in 2009 are:

Marist Youth Care - Affordable Housing for Life (Long term housing and job skills for young people).

Micah Projects Inc. - Outcomes Star (Best practice evaluation of case management with vulnerable people).

Murwillumbah Community Centre - Accommodation Support Project (Housing First approach and ongoing support).

 

Foyer Foundation - for young people

In late 2009 Felicity Reynolds joined the Board of the Australian Foyer Foundation. This organisation is supporting the development of Foyers in Australia. It has close links with the UK Foyer Federation and aims to be a useful resource for organisations wanting to establish housing and services for young people using a Foyer approach.

Foyers, which were originally established in France after the Second World War to provide housing for young people who needed to access jobs or training outside their own local areas. Foyers became focal points of youth activity in townships and were a way by which young people could meet and socialise with other young people. The UK adopted the approach some years ago and adapted it for their own population of young people - with a focus on helping young people access training and jobs. For information about the UK Foyer Federation click here.