Home at last: layers of care transforming lives in Darwin
In Darwin, Northern Territory (NT), finding and keeping a safe place to live is no simple task. High costs and limited availability are major hurdles. This Homelessness Week, as The Salvation Army works to ‘end homelessness — for good’, the Salvos’ homelessness team in Darwin highlights the importance of layered support — offering not only shelter and advocacy, but also the additional tools needed to secure and maintain a tenancy.
For Darwin-based grandmother, Marcia, the journey from having nowhere to call home to finally opening the door to her new residence was full of challenges. Not only was affordable and secure housing difficult to find, Marcia was also contending with long-term health and mobility issues, which made the process even more complicated.
When Marcia finally received the keys to her long-term community housing — secured through a partnership between The Salvation Army and Venture Housing — she says the feeling was one of great relief.
If you are worried that you are at risk of homelessness or facing homelessness, visit our homelessness support services page to see how you can find help.
Like many women over 50 who have raised families, Marcia had envisioned a future filled with visits from her grandchildren and connection to community. She had never imagined being without a home. Yet, an extreme shortage of affordable rentals and community housing, along with family members already living in overcrowded situations, left her with few options.
Salvos case manager, Catherine, explains that during Marcia’s time at The Salvation Army’s House 49 — which offers 69 hostel-style rooms and two units, alongside intensive case management and living skills programs — she received targeted support to build stability, including help managing medical appointments and support in her search for permanent housing.
“Knowing how important it was to find Marcia a suitable long-term home, the case managers worked very hard behind the scenes to reach out to organisations that could help,” Catherine says. “It was vital, especially with the Northern Territory community housing waitlist stretching to eight to 10 years!”
Now settled in her own unit, Catherine says Marcia greatly appreciated the support she received through The Salvation Army’s homelessness team in Darwin, and that she is now in a “much happier and more stable space.”
“Marcia also loves having her grandchildren visit whenever she wants. The ability to have friends and family over has significantly improved her wellbeing. She’s even treated herself to a makeover — a reflection of how much happier and more confident she feels in her new home,” Catherine says with a smile.
The hardest year for homelessness
Catherine explains the past 12 months have been among the hardest for finding accommodation, as rents have soared, community housing has shrunk, and private rentals have tightened due to factors like the rise in short-term holiday letting.
She says supporting community members at House 49, as well as across The Salvation Army’s homelessness services in the region, is about more than finding a bed.
“It’s about working across a range of areas — connecting with healthcare, alcohol and other drugs rehabilitation, mental health services, counselling, pastoral care, family reunification and more,” she says. “It’s not just the house itself that is important — it’s the safety, stability, sense of peace, and a place for family that makes it home.”
Despite frustrations stemming from a lack of affordable housing, Catherine says her job is rewarding.
“As soon as you see someone get into their new house and put furniture in there and see how happy the community member is — it makes it all worth it,” she says.
Learn more about how we can end homelessness in Australia — for good. Visit salvationarmy.org.au/homelessness-week.
Catherine’s deep empathy in her role comes in part from her own lived experience. As a child, after her father left, her family had to vacate defence force housing and struggled for years, often relying on support from services like The Salvation Army.
“We lived in a car for a short time before we got housing. I also remember sitting across the park when my mum would come to the Salvos for vouchers and Christmas help. That’s why I love working here — I understand what our community members are experiencing,” she says.
Holistic model of homelessness support
Drishtant Banskota, who manages three of The Salvation Army’s five homelessness services in Darwin, says affordable housing and strong case management are important — but addressing underlying barriers like health, education and basic living skills is just as crucial for maintaining housing stability.
“For example, you can’t just tell someone to contact Centrelink or fill in a housing or job application if they have no English literacy skills,” Drishtant says. “Many people coming from remote communities bring rich cultural knowledge, practical skills and strong community ties — but they may not have lived in an urban environment or used digital systems before.”
As well as accommodation through House 49, The Salvation Army runs a range of programs, including the Supported Housing Program — a 10-bed program linked with mental health services for people without accommodation — and the Street to Home outreach service, helping ‘long grassers’ (people living outdoors) reconnect with family, access services and apply for housing.
Other services like Doorways emergency relief and Moneycare free financial counselling also play a role. All Salvos staff in Darwin’s homelessness services are trained as facilitators of The Salvation Army’s Positive Lifestyle Program — a course exploring topics like grief, anger, relationships and goal-setting — to help break down barriers to stability.
Recognising that sustainable living goes beyond accommodation, House 49 hosts a range of daily activities aimed at building life skills. These include an outreach service, language and job-readiness programs (STEPS), informal alcohol and other drugs conversations, life skills outings like museum visits, boxing fitness classes, and partnerships with Darwin’s Indigenous Men’s Service.
More action on homelessness is urgently needed. When we work together, we can be more effective in ending homelessness — for good.
Drishtant says the skills and compassion of the wider team make an enormous difference to those struggling with homelessness in the area — and it’s exciting to see some community members who have had little formal engagement connect with literacy and job-readiness programs.
“We recently had a community member who had never attended school before, come to STEPS two days a week from 9am to 2pm and finish the course. In the midst of many struggles, we see many good news stories,” he says.