Our focus on Culturally Safe Services

The continuing legacy of colonisation on economic, cultural, physical and spiritual wellbeing, coupled with the lack of appropriate housing options, are key factors underpinning experiences of chronic homelessness among First Nations Australians. Inadequate funding for culturally appropriate homelessness services, limited crisis and transitional housing and barriers to accessing housing also fails our First Nations Australians.

These failures are a major contributor to the over-representation of First Nations Australians experiencing homelessness. We see this reflected in our client numbers, particularly among the people sleeping rough. Approximately 24% of the rough sleepers Launch Housing supports identify as First Nations.

In Victoria, just under one in six Aboriginal Victorians are homeless, though some advocates believe this is likely an undercount.

Key points

This year, we continue to improve the way we do things to ensure our services and spaces are culturally safe.

• First Nations clients are prioritised in many of our programs, including Viv’s Place (10% units allocated to First Nations families), the Cornelia Program (14% residents identified as First Nations), the Better Health and Housing Program (28% residents identified as First Nations), and From Homelessness to a Home (H2H, 86% First Nations clients supported moved into social housing).
• Physical spaces across Launch Housing sites visibly acknowledge and reflect our commitment to being an ally organisation for First Nations clients.
• In our annual renter satisfaction survey, First Nations renters in a property owned or managed by Launch Housing reported being more satisfied with Launch Housing services (78%) than non-First Nations renters.

We also live the value of ‘Nothing about us, without us’ and embed this principle of self-determination into our internal practices at Launch Housing. This commitment ensures that the voices and perspectives of First Nations Peoples are central to all our efforts, guiding our decision making and enhancing our impact.

In addition to supporting First Nations clients, we implement organisation-wide initiatives to ensure that our staff and processes are equipped to deliver more effective and culturally responsive outcomes for First Nations communities. This proactive approach enhances our ability to meet the unique needs of these communities while fostering a deeper understanding and respect for First Nation cultures.

Increasing our First Nations workforce

Launch Housing is committed to increasing our First Nations workforce to 7% by the end of 2026 as a business priority. By increasing First Nations representation within our staff, we will enhance our ability to provide culturally safe and effective services to our First Nations clients and renters. This not only strengthens our service delivery but also ensures our workforce better reflects and connects with the diverse communities we serve, fostering greater trust and engagement.

We have put into practice several strategies to support us working towards our goal of increasing our First Nations workforce. This includes identifying targeted positions, supporting hiring managers to recruit First Nations candidates in a culturally safe way and providing one-on-one coaching with our Cultural Safety Advisor.

We also have a First Nations Employee Network that connects each month to share knowledge and stories, build meaningful relationships and ensure our First Nations employees have a voice that is heard, respected and included in the work we do at Launch Housing.

Working harder to be a stronger ally

In 2023, Launch Housing supported a ‘Yes’ vote because of the housing injustice and health inequities that First Nations people continue to experience today. Following the results of the Referendum, we observed A Week of Silence for the Voice that was asked for by many First Nations Australians.

Showing solidarity also means recognising the rising support to ‘Change the Date’ in Australia.

Launch Housing acknowledges the hurt caused as a result of 26 January and encourages employees to substitute this public holiday for an alternative date. This right is embedded in our Enterprise Agreement. This year, almost 100 Launchers attended the Invasion Day March on 26 January, and more than one-third of Launchers (164) substituted Invasion Day for another public holiday.

We also advocate at the policy level. Launch Housing is also a member of Steering Committee, alongside Government and Aboriginal and other community members providing leadership and direction for the Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort, the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework.
Internally, our Cultural Safety Working Group and First Nations Cultural Hub have helped us to highlight and celebrate First Nations cultures, knowledge and stories.

The Cultural Safety Working Group raises awareness of culturally significant days and is currently developing a collection of resources designed to deepen our understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

We are also currently developing an Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to help us strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Organisations, people and communities, ensuring that we embed self-determination in all that we do. Our Innovate RAP will guide us in delivering strategies that empower and elevate the voices of First Nation people across our services.

Measuring outcomes realised for First Nations clients

We are committed to establishing our own internal Truth-Telling processes, integrating oral histories and yarning circles to confront and unpack unconscious biases and privileges. This initiative fosters a more empathetic, culturally aware, and inclusive workplace, playing an important role in making lasting changes and improving our relationships with our First Nation clients, communities, and stakeholders.

These practices will be embedded in our impact measurement approach, beginning with this Impact Report and continuing into the future, driving systemic change to ensure our efforts create meaningful and enduring outcomes for First Nation clients.

• Of the 14,024 clients supported this year, 9% or 1,262 clients identified as First Nations
• The three Launch Housing Entry Points continued to see approximately 10% First Nations clients over the last 3 years.
• 17% of First Nations clients who were previously sleeping rough exited into housing with support from our Advance to Zero programs.
• First Nations clients comprised 10% of all new tenants with a secure home in one of Launch Housing’s medium to long-term properties.
• 63% of First Nations clients receiving services through one of our support programs (preventative support, intensive wrap-around support, and long-term case management) exited into secure housing.

Looking ahead to next year

We are excited to continue the deep and necessary work towards improving outcomes for First Nations clients and renters. Our goal is to establish ourselves as a leading mainstream employer of choice within the housing and homelessness sector for First Nations candidates, ensuring that our workplace reflects inclusivity and respect for First Nation culture and perspectives.

Looking ahead, we will:

• Establish a First Nations resident engagement group at Viv’s Place so that First Nations women and children escaping violence are further supported with culturally appropriate engagement with a dedicated First Nations team.
• Continue to measure and review our programs to identify the impacts on First Nations people.
• Strengthen our partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to better support Aboriginal Victorians in accessing secure, appropriate and affordable housing.
• Improve and streamline our referral pathways for First Nations clients to all of our programs, including a commitment to a minimum number of rooms reserved for First Nations clients at our crisis accommodation sites.