Courageous couple Shannyn and Wayne self-referred to our HART4000 Homelessness Service after enduring six months of homelessness.
After working with the couple in case management, the HART4000 team helped them to successfully secure a safe property through the Department of Housing. With the additional assistance of Mobile Support, Shannyn and Wayne are currently maintaining their tenancy very well, and are now focused solely on their individual recovery journeys.
HART4000
At Communify, we believe that housing is a basic human right. Our Homelessness Assessment and Referral Team, known as HART4000, works closely with clients in the greater Brisbane region who may be homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Located in Fortitude Valley, HART4000 is a centre-based service that aims to support people to secure safe, sustainable and long-term housing. After making an initial assessment of a person or family’s needs and goals, clients are then supported through case management to access housing and remain safely housed.
How it started
By the time they engaged with the HART4000 service, Shannyn and Wayne had endured many harrowing challenges. They had both experienced unstable housing since 2007, as well as a history of incarceration. Shannyn had an accident prior to engaging with HART4000 that left her wheelchair bound. This compelled the couple to seek safer accommodation off the streets.
They attempted to find suitable hotel accommodation, but were unable to afford the disability-accessible hotel rooms that Shannyn needed. Once the couple presented at HART4000, the team allocated them a case manager who advocated for Shannyn and Wayne to retain a booking in a disability-accessible hotel room, while providing referrals for emergency relief.
How Communify helped Shannyn and Wayne
The HART4000 team spent several months working with Shannyn and Wayne in case management, investigating every possible avenue to source stable housing for the couple. Their case manager assisted the couple to complete their social housing and private rental applications, and provided numerous other supports. This included providing referrals to community housing providers, transport to community housing property viewings and ultimately, assistance to view and sign the lease the couple secured for their public housing property through the Department of Housing in December 2021.
Shannyn and Wayne’s story highlights the severe impact that a lack of affordable housing options can have upon the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community. Without access to a case manager at HART4000 and ongoing advocacy by the team, this couple would still be experiencing homelessness. Shannyn and Wayne’s triumph of securing safe housing, despite the challenges they faced, is a testament to their strength and the vital importance of the HART4000 homelessness support service to our local community.
