Taking care into the community: Salvos shifts gears to meet Cairns' housing crisis

This Homelessness Week (4–10 August), as The Salvation Army focuses on the theme ‘End homelessness — for good’, Sarah Reardon, Program Manager for Salvation Army Homelessness Services, highlights the impact of an increased mobile outreach model. Fully operational from early 2025, the model is already helping more than double the number of families receiving support amid soaring rents and a severe shortage of affordable housing in Cairns (Qld).

A strategic shift to mobile homelessness services

The shift to increase mobile outreach for families and individuals experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness was partly born out of necessity — the previous Cairns emergency accommodation facility had aged beyond purpose. But it was also a strategic move: to support more families, not just individuals, by taking care into the community instead of bringing people into a facility.

The new Cairns Homelessness Services, operated by The Salvation Army in partnership with the Queensland Government, Salvos Housing and the wider Salvation Army, is actively working to help address the housing crisis in the state.

“Previously, the supported accommodation service offered temporary accommodation for 25 men, 10 women and five families — and only a small portion were families,” Sarah says. “However, this week alone, as Cairns Homelessness Services, we’re working with 40 families and 63 adults, so that is a really big change.

“Cairns Homelessness Services is mobile support, which means we can go to wherever the community member is — whether it be in a public space, a family or friend’s place, or perhaps a property they are residing in but at risk of losing. We can come in and support them — advocate on their behalf, if necessary, perhaps with landlords, agents or even with community housing providers.”

If you are worried that you are at risk of homelessness or facing homelessness, find out how we can help: salvationarmy.org.au/need-help/homelessness-support-services.

The new model also allows for more holistic support.

“Mobile support in housing is a very broad area,” Sarah says. “It can swing anywhere between accessing healthcare and referrals to mental health or addiction recovery services, to family reunification or legal matters.”

Sarah says that strong internal networks within The Salvation Army also help people connect with additional support needed to gain and maintain tenancies.

“We’re a good connection point with other Salvation Army services in the area — like The Salvation Army’s Moneycare [free financial counselling], Doorways [emergency help with bills, food, etc.] and the church as well, for spiritual support,” she explains.

At The Salvation Army, we believe in good for all. Learn more about how we can end homelessness in Australia — for good: salvationarmy.org.au/homelessness-week

A personal story of hope: Rye’s journey

Rye, aged in her 20s, had to sleep in her car for two nights when she found herself homeless. But some complex mental health struggles — including extreme paranoia — made the following 18 months spent in a number of homelessness shelters highly stressful.

Supported into a private house, with a share tenancy, through The Salvation Army’s Cairns Supported Accommodation Services, Rye is now living independently and says the range of benefits from having secure housing is hugely positive. She feels a sense of safety for the first time in many years. She is able to enjoy life with her pets, have family visit and stay, and take pleasure in cooking for herself and eating healthily.

She has also joined a local group to help create an art installation with a message for Homelessness Week 2025, to be displayed by The Salvation Army.

She says: “I've gone from having to hide from the world, and a level of severe insecurity and fear of the world, to being ready to give more back. I have a voice, and I want to do something good for society, so I am saying yes to opportunities like this presented to me.

“The [art] project is giving different points of view from different life experiences on the topic of homelessness, showing that the closer you get to people experiencing struggles, the clearer their stories become.

“I would like to get a degree in philosophy, but I have just put that on the back burner for now because I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I am just taking life step by step. You have no idea what it was like to pull up and see my house for the first time. It was like a breath of fresh air. There almost aren’t words to describe how much better life is.”

More action on homelessness is urgently needed. When we work together, we can work more effectively to end homelessness — for good: salvationarmy.org.au/get-involved/advocacy