About EHN
The Eastern Homelessness Network (EHN) is a resource to the homelessness sector operating in the Melbourne's Inner and Outer East. It is one of the nine State-wide Homelessness Networks that were established in 1996. They operate across Victoria in every Department of Family Fairness and Housing (DFFH) region and are funded by DFFH to bring services together to share information, and identify common needs and gaps in homelessness service provision.
The EHN is directed by a Governance Group, the members of which are drawn from a representative range of funded Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) and are members of the Eastern Homelessness Service System Alliance (EHSSA). The Network has a funded Statewide Homelessness Network Coordinator (SHNC) to implement plans and projects of the EHN.
Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) provide assistance to some of the most marginalized people in our community. The services work with a diverse range of people which include single adults, families, women & children escaping family violence, Aboriginal people and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse groups. Service workers are often required to assist individuals and families experiencing crisis and presenting with a range of complex issues.
Eastern Homelessness Service System Alliance (EHSSA)
The EHSSA is a partnership comprising of members committed to achieving better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and/or family violence. Membership is open to all specialist homelessness and family violence funded services in the Eastern region
Its purpose is to
- provide strategic leadership for homelessness, housing and family violence in the Eastern Metropolitan Region
- bring together relevant agencies to achieve an agreed vison and mission
- Build on consistency and quality for service delivery practice amongst member agencies
- Make evidence based recommendations to the Department Families Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and Homes Victoria about responses to service gaps.
- Monitor service provision (via data collection and/or client satisfaction reviews) through the establishment and feedback of EHSSA working groups for the purposes of identifying gaps and opportunities for enhancement in service provision.
The EHSSA acknowledges the:
- important working partnership between the member agencies in responding to homelessness and family violence;
- importance of the strength of this relationship in ensuring effective responses and best service outcomes for the eastern metropolitan community; and
- respective strengths of all member agencies.
EHSSA Strategic Plan 22_25 and Implementation Plan and Terms of Reference
To find out more about the EHSSA, please contact EHNnetworker@vt.uniting.org.