Roma House stars in new Under 1 Roof film

Mission Australia’s Roma House in Brisbane has played a starring role in a new short film to promote Under 1 Roof – a consortium of inner-city housing and community agencies working together to reduce homelessness.

The six-minute film, which was produced by Griffith Film School through its Community Engagement program, was launched last month by the Queensland Minister for Community Services and Housing, Karen Struthers.

The film aims to highlight Under 1 Roof’s efforts to better integrate service delivery to Brisbane’s 5,000-plus people who are homeless – almost half of whom live in the inner-city.

Roma House Service Manager, Kelly Sciacca, makes an appearance in the film, as do two Roma House clients who share their experiences of being homeless and the support they’ve received to find stable housing and rebuild their lives.

One formerly homeless man’s words at the end of the film beautifully capture what it means to find a safe haven after so many years of precarious living: “To feel that your place is your own place, it gives you a feeling of security.”

At the South Bank launch, which was attended by about 80 representatives from the community services, government and business sectors (pictured), Ms Struthers announced a $300,000 one-off grant for Under 1 Roof. This funding will go towards a demonstration project aimed at providing more integrated and effective client support.

Under 1 Roof was initiated by Fortitude Valley Rotary back in 2006. The club’s past President, Julie Heckenberg, said the funding will allow the consortium to better co-ordinate services: “The consortium ensures there is ‘no wrong door’ for people in need in our community and all the local services and agencies are now working in a more coordinated way to significantly reduce homelessness in Brisbane.”

Mission Australia State Director Penny Gillespie added that the government-funded demonstration project will provide an opportunity to further develop and expand the consortium model. “The demonstration project will allow us to continue to improve the way we address disadvantage and homelessness in Brisbane. By fine tuning this collaborative model we can provide a framework for other community organisations in Queensland to consider."

To learn more about how Brisbane organisations are working together to tackle homelessness in the city, watch the Under 1 Roof film by Griffith Film School.

Learn more about Mission Australia's pathways away from homelessness.