Homeless children in SA and Together4Kids, specialist children’s therapeutic service

The opportunities presented by the National Affordable Housing Agreement propelled the SA Homelessness Strategy Unit into implementing a range of reforms that built on existing strengths of the specialist homelessness services sector. As a major contribution to homelessness service system reform, SA took the decisive step of considering accompanying children as clients of specialist homelessness services. This was a major achievement that recognised the impact that adult problems can have on children’s wellbeing. Children who are homeless frequently come from families with multiple and complex needs relating to domestic/family violence, mental illness, drug and alcohol misuse, unemployment and poverty. Increasingly both policy and research attention has focused on the need for efforts to prevent and to intervene early to limit the negative effects of homelessness on children’s development and their relationships.