Investigative Panel into building and retaining an effective homelessness sector workforce

Abstract

• This project adopted an organisational psychology perspective to explore the effective workforce preparation, attraction, recruitment and sustainment strategies required to deliver a better developed and supported specialist homelessness services (SHS) sector workforce. • The work undertaken within the SHS sector is increasingly complex and places high demands on staff, presents challenges with respect to meeting the physical and psychological needs of staff, and has weak employer brand awareness. In combination, these pressures contribute to staffing shortages and worker retention issues. Meanwhile, the demands for these services are continuing to increase. • SHS agencies are aware of the challenges and have implemented a range of strategies to improve financial security, motivation and the recruitment of a skilled workforce. However, given the resource constraints these organisations face, their capacity to continue to meet these challenges is limited. • A range of organisation- and sector-level policy recommendations have been made to better prepare, attract, recruit and retain employees in the sector, including training and development, redistribution of tasks away from administrative activities for frontline and managerial positions, raising brand awareness of the sector and modifying recruitment strategies. • Changes implemented by individual SHS organisations will have limited impact on the overall sustainability of the workforce in the sector unless significant policy reform is made to the funding model. The sustainability and development of the sector workforce on a meaningful scale also requires the supply of social and affordable housing, improved job security, access to more competitive remuneration and improved investment into workforce training and development. These changes require state- and national-level government commitment.