The Specialist Homelessness Sector (SHS) has a proud history of supporting Victorians, at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The sector is recognised as a vital safety net for people experiencing the greatest disadvantage.

Homelessness services in Victoria work to provide:

• access to safe, secure and affordable housing;
• the support needed to help people overcome the barriers to keeping a home; and
• connections to the physical, personal and community resources that foster a sense of belonging

Safe and secure housing is fundamental to health and well-being. It is foundational to people’s capacity to participate in work and community activities, as well as underpinning the care of dependent children.

The framework can be used to:

• Clarify the expectations of practitioners
• Support the recruitment of new staff by articulating required knowledge, skills and attributes
• Identify and develop learning and professional development opportunities to enhance practitioner skills
• Support supervision and annual performance planning and reviews with staff
• Identify or assess the strengths or performance of an individual or a team, to enable the sharing of ‘best practice’ across the sector.