Ending homelessness: a toolkit for local government

Extensive consultation has been undertaken throughout development of the toolkit, with stakeholder thoughts and feedback reflected in the final fact sheets.

Local government role in addressing homelessness

Councils have a part to play in helping end homelessness in their communities.

While they are not the lead agency on this issue, they are well positioned to support initiatives that can help make a difference.

Councils support homelessness:

• as the closest level of government to the community they serve

• by having a deep understanding of the needs of their community - they are well-placed to advocate for resources and policy-making based on local priorities and needs

• through their ability to advocate across multiple levels of government, as well as influencing other internal and external stakeholders

• by creating and maintaining the right enabling environment to help end homelessness, such as through regulation of space and the built environment, driving community and local economic development and supporting resident and business wellbeing.

The toolkit includes real-world case studies, from both national and international contexts, of local government projects which are already making a difference.