What is the HOME Advice Program?
The Household Organisation Management Expenses (HOME) Advice program is an early intervention program aimed at assisting families at risk of homelessness to manage their finances and household expenses in order to prevent future accommodation crisis. The HOME Advice program funds one community organisation and one Centrelink social worker in each state and territory, who work collaboratively to assist families at risk of homelessness. Centrelink social workers provide clients with detailed advice on a range of Centrelink services, while community organisations provide specialised assistance around a range of issues. The program is part of the National Homelessness Strategy managed by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA). In the 2004–05 Commonwealth Budget the Australian Government committed $10.4 million over four years to the HOME Advice Program. The Budget measure extended the successful Family Homelessness Prevention Pilots (FHPP). State and Territory program sites are: