Housing Connections

Please note Feros Care will be postponing their usual visiting service at Housing Connections until further notice due to the COVID-19 situation.

The Red Cross Homelessness Hub at Housing Connections will be open Monday - Friday over the Christmas and New Year period, including all public holidays 🎅🏼🎄

If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness over the Christmas period, Australian Red Cross Homelessness Hub can assist, and will be open 8.30am-5.00pm Monday-Friday over the Christmas/New Year period, including public holidays.
All other organisations will be closed from Friday 22nd December, reopening on Tuesday 2nd January.

Finding it hard to get into the city to see Department of Housing & Public Works? Don't forget, they are available here at the Housing Connections Centre every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9am-1pm, and can help with starting or updating your application, as well as assist with any RentConnect queries you might have.

Do you need to start a Dept of Housing application, or update your details? We're pleased to announce that Department of Housing & Public Works are available at Housing Connections Centre every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9am-1pm. Their friendly staff can help you with starting an application for housing assistance and updating existing applications! RentConnect will also be available to help you with finding and applying for a rental property!

LawRight Qld

Disappointing - LawRight Qld have offered a visiting service here at Housing Connections Centre for over two years, for two hours per week, and in that short time frame each week on average 5 people present seeking legal assistance. This is such a loss for the Townsville community.

MEDIA RELEASE: Housing and Homelessness Network

With effect from 30 September 2017, an essential service for many of Townsville’s most disadvantaged citizens will end due to loss of government funding.

LawRight has for the past 3 ½ years provided legal services to people:

• Suffering homelessness, disability and mental illness;
• Who have experienced domestic and family violence and elder abuse
• With disputes and court cases who cannot afford a lawyer
• And Not for Profit Organisations (including charities, kindergartens and disability organisations) with legal issues.

These are services in the civil and consumer law area which cannot be met elsewhere in Townsville.

LawRight has clinics at the Housing Connections Hub and the Women’s Centre in Aitkenvale and for those needing assistance in court, at the Townsville Court House.

Our organisations have relied on LawRight as a service to refer our vulnerable clients with legal problems and needs.

The ending of LawRight is a great loss to the Townsville community. This service will now be available in Brisbane, Toowoomba and Cairns, but not in Queensland’s largest regional town, Townsville. This is a setback for the region when it can ill afford to suffer cuts in community services.

FUNDING DISAPPOINTMENT

We are immensely disappointed that LawRight will not receive government funding for the following services:

- Townsville
- LegalPod
- Mental Health Law Practice
- Extra support for the Cairns HPLC

We were successful in our application to operate a Duty Lawyer service at QCAT to provide comprehensive services for parties impacted by domestic and family violence.

Thank you for your support and we’ll let you know the path ahead when we can.

It's a public holiday here in Townsville today for the Townsville Show, but if you are in need of housing or homelessness assistance the Housing Connections Centre is still open normal hours, 8.30am-5pm.

The cyclone threat for Townsville has now passed, so the Housing Connections Centre is open as usual today.

Due to adverse weather conditions expected later today as a result of Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie, Housing Connections will be closed today.

Merry Christmas from everyone at the Housing Connections Centre! We'd like to remind everyone that assistance is available over the Christmas and New Year period from Australian Red Cross Homelessness Hub - their opening hours will remain as normal from Monday-Friday 8.30am-5.00pm including any public holidays. Everyone else will be business as usual from Tuesday 3rd January 2017!

ABC News

Australians accessing homelessness services has reached record numbers, along with a spike in people seeking support for domestic and family violence. If you're experiencing homelessness or domestic violence, help is available here at Housing Connections from a range of different organisations including Australian Red Cross, The Women's Centre Townsville, Coast to Country Housing Company and Sharehouse Youth Accommodation Program inc.

Australians are accessing homelessness services in record numbers, and the proportion of people seeking support due to domestic and family violence has risen sharply, a report finds.

Althea Projects Inc.

Media Release

Minister for Communities, Women and Youth, Minister for Child Safety and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence The Honourable Shannon Fentiman

Mums and Dads across Queensland are urged to call 13Family (13 32 64) for extra support when times are tough this Christmas.

Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman said the festive season could be a challenging time for many Queenslanders as they struggled to meet both family and financial pressures during the school holidays.

“Many families struggle with the extra pressures associated with this time of year,” Ms Fentiman said. “The best thing to do is to ask for help when you need it. Simply call our 13Family (13 32 64) hotline and get connected to the right service at the right time“. This means families who need advice – or more hands-on support – can be linked up with their local, community-based Family and Child Connect service.

“No problem is too big or too small. Whether you’re having issues with family relationships, budgeting, housing or other concerns, Family and Child Connect can provide information, advice and support to keep families safe this Christmas.”

Ms Fentiman, who today visited the North Brisbane Integrated Family Support service, said the hotline received more than 25,000 calls for help from Queensland families between January and October. “In that time, Family and Child Connect services have linked more than 7000 families with specialist support and provided information, advice and resources to more than 5500 Queensland families,” Ms Fentiman said.“This includes linking families to places like the North Brisbane Integrated Family Support (IFS) service, where almost 400 local families have worked in partnership to resolve domestic and family violence issues, get mental health support and practical parenting skills like cooking, budgeting and learning how to manage difficult behaviour". “This is a fantastic service designed to help parents boost their practical parenting skills and this is just one of many ways we are working with families so they can get the help they need earlier, before small problems become big ones.”

Act for Kids Executive Director of Services, Dr Katrina Lines, said it was important families ask for help if they need it by calling the 13Family hotline.“Together with other community organisations and supported by the government, we run the Family and Child Connect service, which can be accessed by anyone who is struggling or who knows a family that is struggling, over Christmas,” Dr Lines said. “There are a number of ways families can look after themselves over Christmas and a lot of it just comes down to making good decisions for them and their kids.
“Setting a budget and sticking to it so you don’t overspend, keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum, making sure kids are getting plenty of time outdoors and away from their devices to let out all their energy.”

The Palaszczuk Government provides more than $1.5 million a year to support the work of Act for Kids and Communify at IFS Brisbane North. Ms Fentiman said all parents could brush up on their skills and access expert advice over the holidays by undertaking the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program.

“Triple P is available free of charge to all Queensland parents and carers of children up to 16 years,” Ms Fentiman said. “Regardless of your situation, Triple P can give you practical ways to parent more effectively and give your children the best opportunities to reach their full potential. “Make 2017 a great year for your family by taking part in Triple P.”

For more information:

Family and Child Connect:
o Call: 13FAMILY (13 32 64)
o Visit: www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/family-child-connect

Triple P
o Visit: www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/positive-parenting