Most parents at risk of homelessness want their children to be at school but a dire combination of factors, from family violence to unemployment, means attendance can fall from their list of priorities.

Creating systemic change for children disengaged from school – as well as those who have never even been in a classroom – is a key focus of Melbourne organisation Launch Housing.

“It’s very hard for the community to comprehend that one in every five people who experience homelessness in Victoria are children,” says Bronwyn James, the head of philanthropy and fundraising at Launch Housing. “At least one-quarter of those children aren’t going to school, and the longer children miss out on school, the harder it becomes to close their learning gaps.”

Launch Housing has run the Education Pathways Program (EPP) since 2016. The program has been funded entirely through donations and the organisation. It is the only program in Victoria that actively identifies children experiencing homelessness who are disengaged from education and provides multi-disciplinary support to enrol, attend regularly, and catch up on the school they have missed.

Bronwyn said that most parents at risk of homelessness desperately wanted their children to attend school.

“This is the case even if the parents themselves didn’t have a good experience at school,” she said. “They understand how important education is, but sometimes it just must fall to a lower priority due to the need to find secure housing and safety from family violence.

“We see children who have missed two to four years of school, and as well as impacting on learning and cognitive development, they also don’t know how to be in a classroom so there can be some challenging behaviours.

“That’s where our team of specialists work with the teachers, principal and the wellbeing program to help the children transition and keep going. We also work with the parents to support their confidence to help their kids engage in school.”

Bronwyn said the program has helped hundreds of children and while there had been internal assessments, Launch Housing has not had been able to afford external evidence-based evaluations of the program.

“It’s helped about 600 children, but we know that’s only the tip of the iceberg,” she said. “The program has won awards, we have been congratulated for the work, and government has acknowledged we are filling a gap – but we haven’t been able to convert that into government support for systemic change.”

Hopefully, this will soon change, thanks to a grant of $100,000 from The Ross Trust, along with $100,000 from The Arthur Gordon Oldham Charitable Trust, managed by Equity Trustees. 

The grants will cover the cost of an external resource to evaluate the program, as well as identify ways that the program could be expanded to reach more children in need.

The Ross Trust Senior Program Manager Meghan Weekes said the evaluation will focus on the programs in Port Phillip and Greater Dandenong council areas, in Melbourne.

“This is work that aligns with The Ross Trust’s focus on educational equity and social justice,” Meghan said. “The evidence base that will come out of the evaluation will be used to engage government with the goal of achieving systemic change.”

Bronwyn said the voices of real children in the program will be an important part of the evaluation.

“We know from existing research that if children are not engaged in primary school they're not going to be engaged in high school and then there is a potential lifetime of reliance on government support programs and homelessness services,” she said. “We want the government to hear from children whose trajectories are changing because they are in school.”

Launch Housing has a combined 75 years’ experience working with people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Melbourne, Launch Housing builds on the legacy of its predecessor organisations in providing housing and support, driving social policy change, advocacy, research and innovation.

The Ross Trust has a long partnership with Launch Housing, granting approximately $1.68 million since 1976.

Find out more about Launch Housing.