“We stand with Australians in need until they can stand for themselves”: breaking cycles of dependency 

Mission Australia CEO, James Toomey, talked to Third Sector about what success means for them and how to break cycles of dependency to add value to people’s lives. 

Learning through the years that reasons behind lack of independence are different for everyone, and that ways for people to become more self-sufficient are complex and varied, Mission Australia has offered a wide range of solutions and applied them over the long term. Their team of 3,000 staff and volunteers use different evidence-based approaches, often applied in unison and inspired by Christian values.  

“We stand together with Australians in need, until they can stand for themselves. It’s an ethos that’s bound us together for over 160 years, and remains at the heart of our work today,” Toomey said. 

Having existed for many decades, Toomey said they are constantly asking themselves “what does success look like”?  

For large charities like Mission Australia, success in the conventional sense has been based on expansion, growth or increasing numbers of people they help. Toomey sees an essential paradox for an organisation which seeks to reduce homelessness, but at the same time seeks to provide more homelessness services.  

“We always need to zone in on what our goal is which is to reduce homelessness and strengthen communities –  which ultimately leads to a point where we are no longer needed. If we think we are always going to be needed we risk making people dependent on us,” he said. “Our aim is to break cycles of dependency, so we need to be mindful that we focus on activities and delivering services where we can really add value to people’s lives. This means doing what is proven to work and stop doing things which might be attractive or easy, but which lock people in dependency.” 

Homelessness is a growing problem in Australia with 116,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. This is a 14% increase since 2011. 

“It really is an international embarrassment and something we are working hard to address not only with early intervention approaches, supporting people to exit out of homelessness, helping people to maintain tenancies and providing a range of accommodation options, but also by being a courageous voice to advocate for what is needed to ultimately end homelessness in Australia,” Toomey said. 

There are many programs funded at a Commonwealth and State level, but often the funding is short-term and based on volume of activity rather than outcomes, Toomey continued. Longer outcomes-based contracts are ideal as they allow staffs to be embedded in the communities that they work and build relationships for stronger and more sustainable outcomes. 

“We work hard to promote public awareness of the work that Mission Australia does and encourage support for our work. Fundraising allows us to deliver innovative programs to meet the human need that we see, or where we can have the most impact and to ensure we have the research and evidence to inform good practice delivery”, Toomey said.  

Every year, donors generously commit to supporting Mission Australia’s services and research that empowers young people, strengthens families, tackles homelessness and increases social inclusion and opportunities for employment and training. One such research is the Youth Mental Health Report with Black Dog Institute which will be launched 23rd October this year. 

“We know that when we can intervene early, we can prevent a crisis from occurring and achieve better results, but this demands a shift towards a prevention model rather than a focus on crisis and emergency response. We have seen some positive initiatives in this area, but there is still much more that needs to be done,” Toomey said. 

Systemic challenges to the advocacy on homelessness include lack of social and affordable housing and the difficulty to access long-term accommodation. Mission Australia’s ‘Out of the Shadows’ report highlighted that among clients of Specialist Homelessness Services who had experienced domestic and family violence, long-term housing was needed by 30 per cent, with only four per cent receiving the service. 

Similarly, the low rates of Newstart and Youth Allowance pushes charities like Mission Australia to support more people who can’t put food on the table and keep a roof over their head while studying or looking for work.  

Ensuring the adequacy of income support is one of the most important and effective ways of preventing poverty and reducing homelessness across Australia, Toomey said, and they will continue to advocate for this and other policy changes that will improve the lives of all Australians, reduce homelessness and strengthen communities. 

“We need a coherent national homelessness strategy and a long-term commitment from government to build new social and affordable homes. To even begin to house those who are in need, the Commonwealth and State and Territory governments must commit to the building of 300,000 new social homes and 200,000 affordable rental properties across Australia by 2030,” he said. 

Toomey continues that it is of vital importance that new social and affordable homes are created within communities of opportunity, with infrastructure connected to education, training and support services.  In addition, he also suggested for a national homelessness plan that tackles the drivers of homelessness including family violence, poverty, alcohol and other drugs and mental health issues.  

“Our evidence shows that Housing First model works to address chronic homelessness, ensuring homeless people are rapidly rehoused and then supported to maintain that housing by dealing with any underlying factors,” he said. 

Toomey acknowledges that as a values-based human services organisation, it is the excellence of their staff which distinguishes them in the eyes of the people they serve. Their focus is always on ensuring the best possible support is provided and Toomey believes that pastoral care delivered by their staff Chaplains is an important part of this. 

“I want Mission Australia to continue to be known as a values-led organisation, that works in cooperation with other organisations to meet human need across Australia. I am confident that if we continue down this path we can achieve reduced homelessness and strengthened communities across our nation,” Toomey said. 

Pearl Dy

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Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.

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