2026 Queensland
Impact Housing Strategic Alliance Summit 
Wed 21 October 2026

8.00am - 8.25am

Arrival and Registration

 

8.30am - 8.45am

Welcome and Introductions

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8.45am - 9.15am

Housing First in Practice: Turning Queensland’s Supportive Housing Policy Intent into Integrated, rights-based delivery  systems

The Queensland Supportive Housing Policy sets a clear shift in direction for housing and homelessness responses across the state, anchored in a Housing First approach where access to stable housing is not conditional on service engagement and tenancy is recognised as the foundation for long-term wellbeing.

 

This session unpacks what the policy actually requires in practice, moving beyond principle into implementation.

​At its core, the policy mandates a structural separation between housing and support services, while simultaneously requiring tightly coordinated delivery between providers. This creates a deliberate balance: safeguarding tenant rights and preventing institutional control, while ensuring people with complex needs are not left unsupported.

 

The session will explore how this separation–coordination model is designed to work in real-world service systems, and where implementation tensions typically arise.

​A key focus is the policy’s insistence that partnerships are not optional but a core system requirement. Cross-government alignment, place-based collaboration, and formalised provider partnerships are positioned as essential mechanisms for achieving outcomes rather than supplementary good practice. Participants will examine what “structurally required partnerships” look like in commissioning, contracting, and frontline service delivery.

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The policy is explicitly outcome-led, shifting accountability away from program activity and toward measurable system impacts such as tenancy sustainment, reduced homelessness recurrence, decreased pressure on hospitals and justice systems, and improved long-term community integration.

 

The session will examine how this reframes performance expectations across housing, health, and social service systems.

Finally, the policy is grounded in a rights-based and risk-aware framework, drawing on the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019, UNCRPD principles, trauma-informed care, and cultural safety—particularly for First Nations communities. It also promotes mixed and non-institutional tenancy models to prevent service dependency and segregation.

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This session will provide a practical interpretation of how these principles translate into commissioning design, service agreements, and frontline collaboration in Queensland’s evolving supportive housing landscape.

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9.15am - 10.15am

Building Connected Housing Pathways: Integrating SDA, SIL, STA, MTA and Mental Health Housing Across Queensland
Queensland's disability housing system extends far beyond Specialist Disability Accommodation.

 

As demand for integrated housing solutions continues to grow, providers are increasingly working across Supported Independent Living (SIL), Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), Short Term Accommodation (STA), Medium Term Accommodation (MTA), Mental Health to support people with diverse and changing needs.

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Rather than operating as standalone service models, these housing pathways are most effective when they work together -providing flexible accommodation and support that responds to participant goals, hospital discharge, recovery, transitional needs and long-term independent living.

This session explores how Queensland's disability housing system is evolving through greater collaboration between housing providers, disability organisations, hospitals, mental health services, community housing providers, developers, support coordinators and government.

 

Delegates will gain practical insights into how integrated housing pathways can improve participant outcomes, reduce service fragmentation and create a more sustainable and responsive housing system for people with disability and complex support needs.

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Key Discussion Points;

• Understanding the role of SDA, SIL, STA, MTA, ILO and mental health housing within Queensland's disability housing system.

• Creating connected participant pathways from hospital, rehabilitation, crisis accommodation and community services into long-term housing.

• Building stronger collaboration between housing providers, support providers, hospitals, allied health, community housing organisations and government.

• Responding to changing participant needs through flexible accommodation models.

• Supporting psychosocial disability and mental health  through integrated housing and recovery-focused supports.

• Creating sustainable housing solutions that improve independence, community inclusion and long-term housing stability.

• Future opportunities for innovation and collaboration across Queensland's disability and impact housing sectors.

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10.15am - 10.30am 

Q & A  and Panel session 

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10.30am - 10.45am 

Morning tea 

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10.45am - 11.15am 

Faster Housing Delivery: Modular Construction, Government Funding and new models for Impact Housing

Queensland's commitment to modular construction and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is transforming the way housing is delivered.

 

With significant investment flowing through QBuild, QuickStarts Queensland and the Residential Activation Fund, providers now have new opportunities to develop social housing, SDA, transitional accommodation and workforce housing faster than ever before.

​This session explores how modular and prefabricated housing can reduce delivery timeframes, improve project feasibility and create scalable housing solutions for vulnerable populations.

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Attendees will learn how government funding, planning reforms and innovative construction approaches are changing Queensland's housing landscape.

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​11.15am - 12.00pm 

Housing as Healthcare: Why Hospital Discharge has become a housing challenge

Across Queensland, hospitals are experiencing increasing pressure from delayed discharges where patients are clinically ready to leave but have nowhere appropriate to live.

 

For people with disability, psychosocial needs, acquired injuries and complex support requirements, housing shortages are creating bottlenecks throughout the healthcare system.

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This session examines the growing intersection between housing and healthcare, exploring successful Hospital-to-Home models, discharge pathway programs and collaborative approaches involving hospitals, housing providers, allied health professionals and support services. Attendees will gain practical insights into how housing solutions can improve health outcomes while reducing pressure on acute care systems.

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12.00pm -  12.45pm  

Lunch  

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12.45pm - 1.20pm  

Beyond Crisis Accommodation: Building Long-Term Housing Pathways for Domestic and Family Violence Survivors

Emergency accommodation remains a critical response to domestic and family violence, however long-term housing insecurity continues to place many victim-survivors at risk of returning to unsafe environments.

As demand for housing support grows, governments and service providers are increasingly focused on sustainable housing pathways that extend beyond crisis response.

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This session explores emerging models of transitional housing, rapid rehousing, modular accommodation and integrated support services designed to improve safety, housing stability and long-term outcomes for women, children and families escaping violence.

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1.20pm - 1.50pm 

Mental Health Housing in Queensland: Moving from Crisis Response to Recovery-Focused Accommodation

Queensland's mental health system continues to face increasing demand, with housing instability recognised as one of the most significant barriers to recovery.

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Traditional accommodation models often fail to provide the stability and support required for people living with psychosocial disability and complex mental health needs.

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This session examines innovative housing models that combine accommodation, clinical services and community supports. Topics include supported housing, Housing First approaches, step-up step-down facilities, psychosocial recovery programs and emerging partnerships between housing and mental health sectors.

 

1.55pm - 2.25pm 

From Custody to Community: Housing Solutions that reduce homelessness and reoffending

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Secure housing is one of the strongest predictors of successful reintegration following release from correctional facilities.

 Yet many individuals exiting custody continue to face significant barriers to accessing suitable accommodation, increasing the risk of homelessness, social isolation and recidivism.

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This session explores successful re-entry housing programs, transitional accommodation models and cross-sector partnerships designed to support long-term community reintegration.

 

Attendees will examine the role of housing providers, community organisations, justice agencies and local government in creating pathways that improve outcomes while reducing pressure on public systems.

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2.25pm - 2.45pm 

Panel Session  

 

2.45pm - 3.00pm 

Break 

 

3.00pm - 3.30pm 

From Crisis to Stability: Youth Homelessness, Housing Pathways and System Pressure in Queensland’s 2026 Service Landscape

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Queensland’s youth housing system is under significant and escalating pressure, with demand for crisis accommodation, transitional housing and long-term pathways continuing to outstrip supply across both metropolitan and regional areas.

 

Recent developments highlight a system in transition - where government investment in Youth Foyers, Housing and Support Link Services, and early intervention models is expanding, but frontline services are still reporting high levels of unmet need and repeated turnaways of young people in crisis.

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This session examines the current reality facing young Queenslanders aged 12–25 who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability, including those exiting child protection, mental health services, domestic and family violence environments, and youth justice systems. It explores how fragmented entry points into crisis accommodation and long waitlists for social housing are contributing to cycles of instability and repeated service contact.

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A key focus is the Queensland Government’s current reform direction, including the rollout of eight new Youth Foyers

(16–25 years) designed to integrate accommodation with education, training and employment pathways, alongside expanded Specialist Homelessness Services and hospital-linked housing supports.

These initiatives represent a shift toward structured transitional housing models, but raise critical questions about access, eligibility thresholds, and geographic equity -particularly for regional communities where services remain limited.

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The session will also examine the growing intersection between youth homelessness and complex needs, including mental health, neurodiversity, trauma backgrounds, and justice system involvement.

With increasing evidence that early housing instability is a predictor of long-term system dependence, the discussion will focus on what effective “crisis-to-stability” pathways actually require in practice.

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Finally, the session will address system-level pressures shaping outcomes in 2026, including workforce constraints in youth services, rising rental barriers for young people in the private market, and the role of cross-sector collaboration between housing, health, education, and community services.

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It will challenge participants to consider whether current reforms are scaling fast enough to meet demand, and what a genuinely integrated youth housing system should look like in Queensland over the next 5 years.

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Closing Strategic Panel

3.30pm - 4.30pm 

Connecting the Housing Continuum: Creating Integrated Pathways across Disability, Health, Mental Health, Justice and Community Housing

Housing challenges do not exist in isolation. Participants frequently move between hospitals, disability services, mental health programs, crisis accommodation, community housing and justice systems. Fragmented service delivery often creates gaps that leave vulnerable people without stable housing outcomes.

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This closing panel brings together leaders from housing, health, disability, community services and government to discuss how Queensland can create more connected and effective housing pathways.

 

The discussion will focus on collaboration, funding, innovation, system reform and practical strategies for improving outcomes across the housing continuum.

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Sundowner 

4.30pm - 6.30pm