Outreach Service
BOARDING HOUSES

Our work with Boarding House residents
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Boarding House Outreach Services (BHOS) supports occupants and owners of general boarding houses in six inner west Local Government Areas, including parts of the City of Sydney, the Inner West (formerly Leichhardt, Marrickville and Ashfield LGAs), Canterbury-Bankstown, Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield. It includes two programs:

•  The Boarding House Outreach Service which is funded as part of the Government’s Specialist Homelessness Services reform program ‘Going Home Staying Home’. Newtown Neighbourhood Centre is the lead agency overseeing the service delivery, and we work in partnership with the Community Restorative Centre (CRC) and Women and Girls Emergency Centre (WAGEC).
• The Boarders & Lodgers project offers social support and assistance to residents of general boarding houses in the Inner West Local Government Area who are frail, aged or prematurely aged. Our activities include friendly visits, outings and community engagement wellness programs.

BHOS provides ongoing case management support to occupants of boarding houses who are at risk of homelessness or those who have just become homeless and are looking to move into a boarding house.  Case management support is tailored to meet the needs of individual clients and the staff work from a person-centred, strengths-based approach.

Case workers support boarding house occupants, within the context of an outreach model of service. The outreach model means that clients can meet with staff in a variety of community settings, rather than in one office setting. Our aim is to work in partnership with clients to address and resolve the underlying causes of their housing insecurity and work towards achieving ongoing housing security.

The Boarding House Outreach Service is staffed by a manager, two team leaders who support a team of case workers.

As part of our case management support, clients are supported to access mainstream and specialist services.

Services we provide

We can provide:

• Referrals and advocacy to other services, including Centrelink
• Applications to Housing NSW
• Information and advice
• Employment and education opportunities
• Social support and community linking
• Support to access mental and physical health services
• Support to access alternative accommodation
• Support to access drug and alcohol services
• Support around legal issues

For more information or to make a referral, please contact our Team Leaders on 02 9509 1800.