Program

9:30-10am – Registrations and morning tea on arrival

Location: Foyer

10am – Welcome to Country

Kellie Phillips – Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation

Location: Convention Centre

10:15am – Opening from CHP Chair

Celia Adams – Chair of Council to Homeless Persons

Location: Convention Centre

10:30 – 11:30am – Plenary Panel: Bring on the Build

Bring on the Build: The infrastructure and economic case for a social housing building blitz in Victoria

Location: Convention Centre

For years Victoria’s housing peaks have called for a large-scale social housing build. But this year the State’s expert infrastructure advisor Infrastructure Victoria has joined the call, recommending the Victorian Government build 4000 additional social homes per year from 2026. In this opening plenary, our expert panel will discuss the infrastructure and economic case for such a build, as well as the factors that motivate governments to take action.

Facilitator: Deborah Di Natale – CEO of Council to Homeless Persons

Panellists:
Jill Riseley AM – Deputy CEO of Infrastructure Victoria
Dr David Hayward – RMIT University
Ryan Smith – Head of Government Relations, Research and Advocacy at St Vincent de Paul Society and former Victorian Minister for Youth Affairs

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

11.30-11.50pm: Ministerial Address

Location: Convention Centre

Address by Victoria’s Minister for Housing, the Hon. Harriet Shing.

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

12-12.45pm: Breakout Panels

Choose from three compelling panels:

Integrating Health and Homelessness Responses 

Location: Conservatory

We know that homelessness has profound health impacts, and that the health sector is also an important intersection where early intervention supports can be delivered to avoid homelessness. So how do we better integrate health and homelessness services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.  

Panellists:
Michael Bull – Peer Support Worker, Uniting Vic.Tas.
Frances Cieslak – National Head of Partnerships and Service Innovation, OneBridge
Chris Cooke, Resident Advisory Group member – Ballarat Community Health Mobile Community Connector (MCC) Program
Laura Mahoney – Executive Director, Homelessness Solutions & Impact, Launch Housing
Dr Zeb Leonard – Federation University
Juelz Sanders – Team Leader, Street2Home, Central Highlands and Metro West, Uniting Vic Tas

This session is generously supported by Home Victoria

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Lived Experience Conversation Hour

Location: Convention Centre

Their experience. Their agenda. A panel of lived experience experts take the mic to discuss the topics that matter most to them right now in the work to end homelessness.

Panellists:   
Shaini – Lived Experience Advisor, MCM
Vanessa – Lived Experience Advocate
Jason Russell – Lived Experience Advisor, Council to Homeless Persons
Jess – PESP Graduate, Council to Homeless Persons

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

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Panel 3 – Housing First from Turtle Island to Kulin Nation – what we can learn, what we can lead.

Location: Victoria Room 2

Join a rich conversation about Housing First in practice in Canada, and here on Country with Aboriginal leadership. What are the conditions that allow Housing First to thrive – from cultural grounding to multidisciplinary practice – and how might we strengthen Housing First practice and outcomes in Victoria?

Panellists:
Karen Anderson – Housing and Homelessness Manager, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative
Zach Biggin – Coordinator, MS2H, Housing First, Health and Wellbeing, Launch Housing
Alison Fraser – Manager, Learning and Practice Excellence, Council to Homeless Persons
Liza Vanspall – Director of Client Services South, East, CBD, and Homelessness, Ngwala Willumbong

12.45-1.45pm: Lunch + Parity launch

Enjoy lunch in the Foyer and, if you feel like continuing the Conference program, join us for the first Lunchtime Learnings session, starting at 1pm:

1-1:45pm – Parity launch event: A Fair Go For Regional Victoria

Location: Convention Centre

The large distances in regional and rural areas can create challenges for service delivery, different from those experienced by agencies’ metro counterparts. Representatives from around regional Victoria join us to discuss what the “tyranny of distance” means for people experiencing homelessness, and the innovative, relational responses that are enhancing local coordination.

Facilitator: Kim Thomson – Parity Editor, Council to Homeless Persons

Panellists:
Jo Hallissy – Team Leader, Outreach Connections Program, North East Victoria, The Salvation Army
Janine Lawler – Team Leader, Transitional Services, NESAY
Renee Murtagh – Ovens Murray & Goulburn Homelessness Network Coordinator
Stacey Park – Manager Assertive Outreach and Housing First Programs, Central Highlands, Uniting Vic.Tas
Megan Waters – Service Manager, Homelessness, Junction Support Services

1.45-3:20pm: Breakout Panels & Workshops

Choose from two panels and two interactive workshops:

1:45 – 2:30: Ending First Nations Homelessness – Lessons from outreach and the entry points (panel) 

Location: Convention Centre

How Victoria’s two new Aboriginal entry points and outreach programs like Melbourne Zero are improving our understanding and response to First Nations homelessness.  

Facilitator: George Hatvani – Head of Systems Change and Advocacy, Launch Housing

Panellists:
Karen Anderson – Housing and Homelessness Manager, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative
Amber Maihi – Executive Manager of Housing and Homelessness, Ngwala Willumbong
Shalese Smith – Manager of the Aboriginal Homelessness Entry Point, Ngwala Willumbong
Liza Vanspall – Director of Client Services South, East, CBD, and Homelessness, Ngwala Willumbong

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

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1:45 – 3:20: Beyond Four Walls: Therapeutic options for young people at risk

Location: Victoria Room 2

Explore the benefits of alternative therapeutic approaches to support young people who are at risk of homelessness, particularly those who may not be comfortable with traditional talk-based therapies. While evidence-based talk therapies remain valuable, trauma-affected young people often benefit from complementary or alternative modalities that engage the body, creativity, and environment.

Presenters:   
Ben Bradley – Principal Practitioner, Courageous Minds
Robert Coller – Therapist, Youth & Family Therapy
Natalya Garden – Therapeutic Practitioner, Mountain Bike Therapy Australia
Monika Reichler – Psychologist, Geelong Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Sally Richter – Manager, Family Services, MCM
Linda Schwan – Senior Capacity Building Worker, Family Reconciliation Mediation Program, MCM

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1:45 – 3:20: Rigour Without Harm: Navigating impact measurement in trauma-informed practice and time-poor services (workshop)

Location: Conservatory

In today’s housing crisis, homelessness services face mounting pressure to demonstrate their impact while managing unprecedented demand with limited resources. In this environment, it is no surprise that outcomes measurement is often seen as a burden or even an unaffordable luxury. Yet when done well, it is a powerful tool for better practice. This workshop will explore why outcome measurement matters now more than ever and provide a collaborative space to discuss practical strategies to address common challenges.

Presenters:   
Claire Coxon – National Homelessness Specialist, The Salvation Army
Stefano Verrelli – Research Analyst, Centre for Mission Impact, The Salvation Army
Jasmine West – Peer Support Worker, J2SI

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2:35 – 3:20: Redefining Local Government’s Role In Ending Homelessness (panel)

Location: Convention Centre

Victoria’s 79 councils are the closest level of government to communities across the state. This panel will explore the evidence, opportunities and challenges for local government in responding to homelessness, with input from research, metropolitan and regional councils, and community collaboration leaders. It will invite delegates to consider new ways of partnering with local government to build knowledge, skills and alignment across sectors.

Facilitator: Leanne Mitchell – General Manager System Change and Partnerships, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and 2019 Churchill Fellow

Panellists:
Kath Brackett – Director Community and Sector Development, Municipal Association of Victoria
Hayley Cain – Social Planning Officer, City of Ballarat
Shari McPhail – General Manager, Homelessness and Housing WAYSS (for South-East Housing and Homelessness Alliance)
Vicky Vacondios – Lived Experience Adviser, Council to Homeless Persons

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

3.20-3.50pm: Afternoon Tea

Location: Foyer

3:50 – 4:50pm – Plenary Panel: What a Difference Lived Experience Makes

Location: Convention Centre

Lessons in the transformational power of lived experience expertise, and how to integrate it throughout a sector, from allied sectors and international homelessness sectors.

Facilitator: Kathy Wilson – Director of Lived Experience, Council to Homeless Persons

Panellists:
Zach Biggin – Coordinator, MS2H, Housing First, Health and Wellbeing, Launch Housing
Clare Davies – CEO, Self Help Addiction Resource Centre
Catherine Hemingway – Associate Director Equality Justice, Victorian Legal Aid
Katie Larsen – Director Lived Experience, MIND Australia

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

4:50-5:30pm: Victorian Homelessness Achievement Awards

Location: Convention Centre

Celebrate the exceptional efforts of workers, consumers and organisations within the homelessness sector, with the Victorian Homelessness Achievement Awards. Who will take home the awards this year?

MC: Lucas Testro, Director of Policy & Communications, Council to Homeless Persons

The Victorian Homelessness Achievement Awards 2025 are generously supported by Sacred Heart Mission.

5:30-6:30pm: Networking drinks

Location: Foyer

Join us for drinks and nibbles, as you continue the conversation with your colleagues in the sector. And take in CHP’s Walk In Her Shoes exhibition, displayed in the venue for the duration of the Conference.

9am – Welcome to Day Two

Diana Connell – McAuley Ambassador and Lived Experience Advisor

Location: Convention Centre

9.10-10:10am – Plenary Panel: Beyond Silos

Beyond Silos: Building transformative partnerships to end homelessness

Location: Convention Centre

Ending homelessness requires more than programmatic solutions – it demands coalitions that cut across government, philanthropy, and grassroots community leadership. This plenary will explore what it takes to move beyond silos and cultivate authentic collaborations that shift outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Drawing on lessons from the homelessness sector as well as successful models in allied fields, it will consider how local government, philanthropy, and community organisations can work together to create systemic change.

Facilitator:
Shankar Kasynathan – Manager of Advocacy, Council to Homeless Persons 

Panellists:  
Kath Brackett – Director Community and Sector Development, Municipal Association of Victoria
Mark Goodie – CEO, Merri Outreach Support Services (MOSS)
David Pearson – CEO, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness
Kate Wheller – CEO, Community and Information Support Victoria

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

10.10-10:40am – Morning Tea

Location: Foyer

Generously supported by Victorian Zero, sponsored by the Victorian Alliance to End Homelessness.

10:40am-12:15pm – Breakout Panels & Workshops

Choose from four panels and one linked panel & interactive workshop:

10:40 – 11:25: Safe at Home – Preventing homelessness through early intervention with households experiencing family violence (panel)

Location: Convention Centre

Explore the process of codesigning and implementing a new ‘Safe at Home’ trial in the Geelong and Barwon region, that aims aims to shift the default system from one whereby women have to leave their homes to escape violence, to one where women, children and young people are supported to stay in their own homes while the violence is disrupted and the needs of each family member are individually addressed (including ensuring accountability and support for the person using violence). Panellists will discuss the challenges, opportunities and early lessons from the trial, highlighting why this is more than just a program, but rather a response that challenges us to be open to different ways of thinking and working if we are to solve the significant social problems of homelessness and family violence.  

Facilitator: Jocelyn Bignold – CEO, McAuley Community Services for Women

Panellists:
Dacia Abela – Senior Program Manager, Economic Housing and Rights Program, Westjustice
Diana Connell – McAuley Ambassador and Lived Experience Advisor
Bernadette McCartney – Executive Director, Services, Meli

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

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10:40 – 11:25: Bay Views for All – the fight to save Barak Beacon (film screening and Q&A) (panel)

Location: Victoria Room 2

Film screening of the documentary “Bay Views for All – The Fight to save Barak Beacon”. Shot over two years, the story follows seven residents from when they receive news that their homes are to be redeveloped, through to the eviction of the last remaining resident. 

Panellist:
Kerrie Byrne – Save Public Housing Collective

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10:40 – 12:15: Worker Safety and Wellbeing – Regulation & practice (linked panel & workshop)

Location: Conservatory

This essential panel and workshop combo will provide a critical update on new regulations on worker safety and wellbeing, followed by a workshop leading participants through practical strategies to nurture psychosocial safety in the workplace.

Panellists and Presenters:
Swagata Bapat – Director of Workforce Development and Innovation, Council to Homeless Persons
Dr Deb Batterham – Deputy Director AHURI-Swinburne Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Swinburne University
Ella D’Abbs – Lived Experience Engagement Specialist, Research, Evaluation & Data, Launch Housing
Clay O’Brien – Lead Organiser, Australian Services Union Victorian and Tasmanian Authorities and Services Branch

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11:30 – 12:15: Ballarat Youth Frontline: Partnerships for prevention (panel)

Location: Convention Centre

Ballarat is on the frontline of youth homelessness prevention – and local collaborations are delivering results. This panel will highlight programs that respond directly to young people already experiencing homelessness, while also working upstream to intervene early and ultimately prevent homelessness in the first place. Featuring a panel of service providers, community health partners, and young people with lived experience, this conversation will illustrate how a regional city can, in real time, deliver innovation through partnership, collaboration and prevention-first thinking.

Facilitator: Kate Dharumasena – Team Leader of Community Engagement & Intake, Uniting Ballarat

Panellists:
Philippa Cane – Innovative Health Services for Homeless Youth, Ballarat Community Health
Jen Pollard – Meals for Change, Uniting Ballarat
Jack Weibgen – Housing and Homelessness Practitioner, CAFS
Johnny Valkyrie – Lived Experience, Pride in Place

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

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11:30 – 12:15: Older People’s Housing Conditions and Precarity: a national snapshot  (panel)

Location: Victoria Room 2

Exploring the findings of new research, conducted by Housing for the Aged Action Group in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology, that quantifies the extent of housing precarity among older adults in Australia by examining key dimensions such as housing affordability, financial hardship, housing conditions and quality, overall housing satisfaction, tenure security, and mobility.

Panellists:
Fiona York – Executive Officer, Housing for the Aged Action Group
Dr Piret Veeroja – Research Fellow, Swinburne University
Lyn – Lived Experience Advocate

This panel is generously supported by The Salvation Army

12.15-1:15pm – Lunch + Victorian Zero Launch

Generously supported by Victorian Zero, sponsored by the Victorian Alliance to End Homelessness.

Enjoy lunch in the Foyer and, if you feel like continuing the Conference program, join us for the first Lunchtime Learnings session, starting at 12:45pm:

12:45-1:15pm – Launch of Victorian Zero

Location: Convention Centre

Launching Victorian Zero, sponsored by the Victorian Alliance to End Homelessness, the new statewide association of Victorian Zero projects.

Panellists:
George Hatvani – Head of Systems Change and Advocacy, Launch Housing
Laura Mahoney – Executive Director, Homelessness Solutions & Impact, Launch Housing
David Pearson – CEO, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness
Paul Turton – Executive General Manager, VincentCare

1:15-2:50pm – Breakout Panels & Workshops

Choose from four panels and one interactive workshop:

1:15 – 2pm: Developing a Lived and Living Experience Workforce within the Homelessness Service System (panel)

Location: Convention Centre

With reforms underway in the homelessness service system and the need for a new Victorian homelessness strategy, we have a unique opportunity to advocate for investment to embed meaningful leadership and involvement of people with lived and living experience throughout the SHS. How can we enhance the capability of the homelessness and community housing sectors to recruit, develop, and support a Lived and Living Experience Workforce? What valuable insights can we draw from our colleagues in mental health and AOD sectors? Where are there strong examples of lived experience leadership already in practice, and how can we leverage these learnings to create positive change across sectors? 

Panellists:
Amanda – Lived Experience Adviser, Council to Homeless Persons
Goodie Hiensch – PESP Graduate, Council to Homeless Persons
Nina Joffee-Kohn – Consumer Academic, Centre for Mental Health Nursing, Melbourne University School of Health Sciences
Eila Lyon – Consumer Workforce Development Co‑ordinator, The Collective, SHARC
Annette Mercuri – Project Lead, Tandem
Vicky Vacondios – Lived Experience Adviser, Council to Homeless Persons

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

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1:15 – 2pm: Partnering with ACCOs to Deliver Better Outcomes: learnings from Sacred heart’s J2SI program (panel)

Location: Victoria Room 2

Learnings in partnership development from Sacred Heart Mission’s collaboration with the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) and Uniting Vic/Tas Ballarat to deliver their Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) program. Panellists with share details about the project, along with insights from the challenges, learnings and successes encountered along the way. 

Facilitator: Sigrid Rynehart – Head of Service Design and Development, Sacred Heart Mission

Panellists:   
Garry Bourke – Head of Evaluation and Learning Centre, Sacred Heart Mission
Bobby Meloury – First Nations Intensive Case Manager, BADAC
Glenn Pierce – Specialist Peer Settlement Worker, Uniting Ballarat

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1:15 – 2:50: A Zero Project in Our Region – Let’s do it (workshop)

Location: Conservatory

This workshop will provide tangible resources, processes and practical advice to unpack needs and systems requirements to get a Zero Project established in attendees’ local regions. Covering issues of place, rationale, participants, resources and funding, attendees will leave with three pieces of gold to support your plan to get you started. 

Presenters: 
Hayley Cain – Ballarat Zero, Social Planning Officer, City of Ballarat
Deirdre Harris – Geelong Zero, Neami National
George Hatvani – Head of Systems Change and Advocacy, Launch Housing
Glenn Pierce – Ballarat Zero, Uniting VicTas
Michelle Twigger – Regional Homelessness Network Coordinator, Central Highlands Homelessness Alliance
Alastair Vick – Geelong Zero lead, Neami National

This session is generously supported by Neami National

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2:05 – 2:50: Supporting people at the intersection of homelessness, family violence and immigration (panel)

Location: Convention Centre

Explore the complex intersections facing people experiencing homelessness in the context of family violence and insecure immigration status, and how multi-agency collaboration and trauma-informed practice can foster pathways to safety and stability. The session will discuss the importance of culturally responsive, client-centred approaches and systems advocacy in supporting people with intersecting vulnerabilities.

Panellists:   
Jessica Alford – Youth Services Practice and Compliance lead, Meli
Lauryn Borthwick – Team Leader, The Geelong Project, Meli
Michelle Carlon – Senior Caseworker Family Violence Support Aspire Program, Meli
Jessica Chapman – Senior Youth Homelessness Support Case worker, Meli
Zak Davidson – Manager Youth Services, Meli
Ben Prior – Team Leader Youth Entry Point and City Limits Youth Refuge, Meli
Gordan Saravanja – Team Leader Adult Housing, Meli
Josephine Taylor – Director Youth, Housing and South West, Meli

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

This session is generously supported by Meli.

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2:05 – 2:50: Coercive Anti-Homeless Measures at Local Government Level: Building a cross-sector collaboration to advocate for housing first and human rights-based approaches (panel)

Location: Victoria Room 2

Amid heightened gentrification coupled with our deepening housing and homelessness crises, coercive measures are increasingly being used to target people sleeping rough at the local government level from Victoria to Queensland. This includes the introduction of private security contractors being engaged to protect “community safety” and assist local laws officers in the execution of their duties, as well as tightening of and increased reliance on anti-camping bylaws. Advocates from community legal centres in impacted local areas of Victoria, together with recorded audio testimony from people with lived experience of homelessness, will discuss the current wave of anti-homeless measures, and how we are building cross-sector and community-based coalitions to resist these and advocate for evidence-based housing first policies and alternative first responder models.  

Panellists:
Shifrah Blustein – Managing Lawyer, Inner Melbourne Community Legal
Jess Richter – Legal Director, Southside Justice

2.50 – 3:20 – Afternoon Tea

Location: Foyer

Generously supported by Victorian Zero, sponsored by the Victorian Alliance to End Homelessness.

3:20-4:10pm – Closing Plenary: Reflections & Paths Forward

Location: Convention Centre

As this year’s Conference draws to a close, we come back together for a session to share audience reflections on the two days of discussion, together with the thoughts of a panel of sector leaders, frontline practitioners and lived experience experts. 

Facilitator: Lucas Testro – Director of Policy & Communications, Council to Homeless Persons

Panellists:
Goodie Hiensch – PESP Graduate, Council to Homeless Persons
Natalie McDonald – CEO, Quantum Support Services
Peter McGrath – Homelessness State Manager Victoria, Salvation Army

This session will also be available virtual on demand.

This session is generously supported by MCM.