Looking for homelessness or housing support? Find Help

Homelessness Advocacy Service

Get homelessness or social housing service support

If you have a problem with a homelessness assistance or social housing service—such as a transitional, housing manager, support service, or rooming house—our Homelessness Advocacy Service (HAS) can help.

Contact HAS

To access support, please contact:

HAS Advocate
[email protected]
1800 066 256

What is HAS?

Our Homelessness Advocacy Service (HAS) is the primary advice service for people seeking or receiving assistance from any Victorian community-managed homelessness assistance or social housing service.

The goal of HAS is to achieve mutually beneficial resolutions for consumers and service providers.

Some examples of problems you might want help with include:

your rights not being respected

breach of privacy and confidentiality

not understanding the information you have been given

being unsure of the best way to resolve an issue

not receiving the service you believe you have a right to

discrimination

not being treated with dignity and respect

being excluded from a service

feeling unsafe in accommodation.

How can we help?

Every request for support is different, and everyone has different needs, so support varies from case-to-case.

HAS will be guided by you to advocate on your behalf, provide you with accurate information, and advise you about your rights. The focus is always on trying to resolve the problem.

As a guide to what you can expect from HAS, responses might include:

clarifying the situation and trying to address any confusion or misunderstanding

contacting relevant services, discussing the problem and how best to resolve it

providing support to negotiate complaint processes

providing support at a meeting with a service

referring to a range of services (such as material aid, support, and external complaint bodies)

writing support letters

problem solving.

Your rights

HAS recognises everyone’s right to live with dignity. Support provided by HAS is based on this approach and is underpinned by the principles, rights, and responsibilities outlined in the Consumer Charter for Homelessness Assistance and the Homelessness Assistance Service Standards.

When seeking support from HAS, you have certain rights and responsibilities. These are set out in the HAS Consumer Charter of Rights and Responsibilities as a clear commitment from Council to Homeless Persons.

Find more information about HAS and your privacy with our frequently asked questions.

If you are not satisfied with the service provided to you by HAS, you can make a complaint.

Looking for homelessness and housing services?

If you require homelessness and housing support, call the 24 hour, statewide, toll-free number, 1800 825 955 to speak with a housing and support worker.

Alternatively visit our Need help? page for more information.

HAS resources

Find more information about HAS by downloading the resources below.

Help us to spread the word about HAS within your service by printing and displaying the resources, or distributing to people you work with.

If you require the HAS information sheet in a language other than English, you can access translated documents in a range of languages.

Would you like to make a complaint about CHP?

Learn how to make a complaint about a CHP service or interaction. This guidance should be read alongside the CHP complaints procedure.

Subscribe to CHP eNews

Get the latest homelessness insights and updates straight to your inbox with Council to Homeless Persons eNews.