Since 2005, our founder and president Rosanne Haggerty has been working with officials in Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, to bring Common Ground’s solutions to homelessness to this region.

Haggerty was first invited to Adelaide as part of the State’s Thinkers in Residence program. The program invites internationally renowned “Thinkers” to advise the State on challenging social issues including economic development, sustainability and social inclusion. Adelaide Thinkers then help frame policies for the State in these critical issue areas and engage the community in new ways of working together to achieve common goals.

Rosanne Haggerty (left) with supporters from Adelaide, left to right: Stephen Young, Deborah Hamilton, Monsignor Cappo, Hon. Jay Weatherill MP, Anthony Toop, Stephen Norris, Kim Boehm, and Theo Maras

On July 12 2006, Australian officials announced plans to build a new supportive housing residence in Adelaide modeled on our buildings in the United States. The new project will be the first supportive housing in South Australia and will advance the State’s goal of reducing homelessness by 50% by 2010.

Out of this collaboration Common Ground Adelaide is not only creating supportive housing, but has also implemented our approach to working with the chronically homeless living on the street. In its first year, the Adelaide Street to Home program found homes for 184 people living on the streets and lowered street homelessness by 5% in South Australia, at a time when it was increasing by an average 19% in other Australian states and territories.

Click the image above to read Rosanne Haggerty’s final report on ending homelessness in Australia

To find out more about Common Ground Adelaide, visit www.commongroundadelaide.org

Latest News from Australia

• First Lady of Australia Visits Our Flagship Building, April 2nd, 2008
• City flats for homeless, November 19th, 2007
• Common Ground Adelaide and South Australia Lead Nation in Reducing Homelessness, July 3rd, 2007
• Housing for Health: from the Australian Desert to New York, June 28th, 2007
• Common Ground Adelaide announces first supportive housing residence in South Australia , March 23rd, 2007
• Common Ground Featured on ABC News Australia , September 2nd, 2003