Reconnect

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a restricted non-competitive process to apply to continue delivering services under Reconnect.  The Reconnect program is a community based early intervention and prevention program for young people aged 12 to 18 years (or 12 to 21 years in the case of newly arrived youth) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and their families. The Australian Government has announced up to $117 million for new three year funding agreements (1 July 2018 to 30 June 2021), with the option to extend funding for a further two years (subject to providers meeting performance objectives) for Reconnect service providers.  The aim of Reconnect is to prevent homelessness by intervening early with families and young people to stabilise and improve their housing situation and improve their level of engagement with family, work, education, training, employment and their local community. Reconnect services provide counselling, group work, mediation and practical support to the whole family, to help break the cycle of homelessness. Reconnect providers also purchase other services to meet the individual needs of clients, such as specialised mental health services. From 1 July 2018, the Reconnect program will emphasise early intervention and prevention. Refocusing early intervention and prevention will mean more young people in need of assistance are identified early and have access to services before they become homeless or disengaged, and before problems compound. The final amount of funding available is subject to the application of the efficiency dividend and indexation, which is determined through the Australian Government’s Budget process. As a result of this process, the Commonwealth intends to fund 102 Reconnect services.