Hank Petrusma

Concrete ways to give all a home reflects on how Tasmanian politicians pulled together to help tackle homelessness in the state

Sepsis survivor Shelley Brooks with daughters Ebonee and Paige. Picture: Eddie Safarik

“I HAVE been given a second chance”.

“I will now die a happy man”

These are the quotations of two people who were the tenants of the Common Ground properties when they were opened in Goulburn and Campbell St in 2012, with a partnership between the federal, state and local governments, the business sector, service organisations, community groups and many individuals. With Common Ground, homelessness ended for about 50 people.

Given the recent media publicity surrounding the Tasmanian Labor

Party and a focus on the former premier Paul

Lennon (which I have no desire to comment on) I felt that I need to comment about Paul’s commitment to helping end homelessness.

Mr Lennon used his initiative in 2007 to bring to Tasmania the founder of Common Ground in New York, Roseanne Haggerty and after visiting South Australia, who had already started on this model, came back to make it happen in Tasmania.

His government supported by successive premiers in David Bartlett and Lara Giddings invited me to start Common Ground Tasmania (CGT) to work in co-operation with state, federal, local government and the private sector to deliver supportive housing services to homeless people and more affordable housing for those in significant need.

My one condition to Mr Lennon was to allow me to choose my own board and I was humbled, honoured and proud to have had the most amazing team of passionate, skilled and committed Tasmanians to form and establish the Common Ground model of supportive housing in Tasmania.

They provided many thousands of pro-bono hours put in over many years – in other simple words “an unpaid board”.

The clear goal of the board when it was established was to deliver supportive housing services to homeless people and more affordable housing for those in significant need. For me as chairman of Common Ground there were significant outcomes to this partnership:

ENDING homelessness transcended political boundaries and certainly from 2008-2012 all the political parties; the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Greens, in a tri-partisan manner embraced and supported the Common Ground model.

THE amazing financial

The Common Ground housing complex in Campbell St.

support from the foundation members, business community, service organisations and many individuals as well as many volunteer hours by Hobart schoolchildren.

THE passion and commitment from our managing director Liz Thomas, her staff and board members

THE $3810 campaign to furnish all the units for the formerly homeless was another outstanding success.

The Common Ground model created a permanent, vibrant mixed community of formerly homeless people and low-income tenants by providing support services from the site and links back into the community with opportunities for employment, education, training and social networks.

It is a model that has for many taken time to understand. Homelessness transcends politics. The Common Ground model is just one part of the homelessness solution and I acknowledge that many organisations are also playing their part, who are likewise doing their utmost to assist those vulnerable people in our midst and who need support.

So, Paul, I thank you for your initiative in 2008 seeking to work towards ending homelessness in Tasmania.