Homelessness among children is growing, and with it, the number of children excluded from education. In 2021-22, 24% of 11,371 children aged 5 to 14 years who required help from homelessness services were ‘not enrolled’ or their ‘educational status was unknown’ (AIHW, 2024). The remaining children are at high risk of disengaging and absenteeism. Since ...
Launch Housing
Education Pathways Program
GOAL
$250,000
Australia > VIC > Metro
Field of Interest
- Education/training and employment
- Housing and homelessness
Target Population
- People experiencing or at risk of homelessness
- People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
Launch Housing
Launch Housing's mission is to end homelessness.
Launch Housing is an independent, secular, Melbourne based community organisation formed from the merger of Hanover Welfare Services and HomeGround Services on 1 July 2015.
With a combined 75 years’ experience working with people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Melbourne, Launch Housing builds on the legacy of its predecessor organisations in providing housing and support, driving social policy change, advocacy, research and innovation.
From providing high-quality housing to an innovative range of support services, we bring solutions to homelessness under one roof for thousands experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
We believe housing is a basic human right that affords people dignity. Everyone has the right to a home and it is our job to make this happen.
Project Summary
Homelessness among children is growing, and with it, the number of children excluded from education.
In 2021-22, 24% of 11,371 children aged 5 to 14 years who required help from homelessness services were ‘not enrolled’ or their ‘educational status was unknown’ (AIHW, 2024).
The remaining children are at high risk of disengaging and absenteeism.
Since 2016 Launch Housing has delivered an award-winning pilot project – the Education Pathways Program (EPP) – that has identified over 800 children aged 2-12 who are both homeless and completely disengaged from education.
The EPP is the only dedicated program in Victoria to identify children experiencing homelessness and support them to enroll in school and early learning.
The EPP helps children experiencing homelessness attend school regularly and addresses learning gaps and delays with speech therapy and clinical psychology so they can overcome barriers to full school participation.
The program builds the capacity of parents to support their children to stay in education, and the capacity of schools to understand the impact of homelessness on children and use trauma-informed strategies to improve their learning outcomes.
Funded entirely through philanthropy, the EPP supports 200 children plus their primary caregivers and 100 schoolteachers each year.
Project Outcomes
The goal of the EPP is to break the link between homelessness and educational disadvantage.
The program’s intended outcomes are for children experiencing homelessness to:
- engage in education and are supported to reach their full potential, and
- be recognised by Government as a unique group requiring tailored solutions to overcome educational disadvantage.
To achieve our goal and the program’s intended outcomes, we will support:
- children experiencing homelessness and disconnection from education to enroll and regularly attend school, have a positive attitude towards school and learning, and have their support needs and learning gaps identified and addressed.
- primary caregivers of these children to feel confident in their skills and abilities to support their children’s education.
- schools to improve understanding of how homelessness impacts learning and provide trauma-informed responses at the classroom and whole of school level.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $972,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Philanthropic supporters | $722,000 |
| Funding Gap | $250,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salaries for the Education Pathways Program, including Coordinator and Facilitators (5.6 FTE supporting 190 children, their caregivers and 100 teachers) | $705,000 |
| Speech Pathologist and Psychologist agency fees for the Education Pathways Program | $85,000 |
| Client expenses, including uniforms, bakcpacks and stationery | $20,000 |
| Governance and administration, including project oversight, finance and HR support | $162,000 |
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