In 2026, the Give Where You Live Foundation’s Social Innovation Lab turned its focus to one of our region’s most urgent challenges — homelessness.
Guided by insights from our Home Truths research, we brought together people with lived experience, frontline organisations, government and community leaders to explore the root causes of homelessness and identify innovative solutions that can create lasting change.
To help bring these ideas to life, the Foundation launched its Innovation Fund, investing $150,000 into two projects that will take place over the next 12 months.
We’re proud that The Power in You Project (PIYP) has been awarded $100,000 to deliver a regional Throughcare Pathway Pilot Program supporting people leaving custody who are at risk of homelessness, unemployment and re-entering the justice system. The model focuses on coordinated, lived experience-led support beginning prior to release and continuing through reintegration into the community.
This project is in response to increasing pressure across homelessness, justice and crisis response systems within the Geelong region, recognising the critical importance of the first days and weeks following release in reducing disengagement, homelessness and recidivism.
This will be a collaborative, cross-sector model bringing together justice, housing, employment, health and community partners to strengthen continuity of care, improve participant stability and reduce system fragmentation. The approach builds on PIYP’s existing operational programs and lived experience workforce, which have already demonstrated strong participant engagement, employment outcomes and reduced justice re-contact.
This project will be a staged regional demonstration model focused on pre-release engagement. With a strong focus on post release-day coordination, peer navigation, housing pathways and employment participation, with ongoing evaluation, reporting and continuous learning embedded throughout delivery. The long-term vision is to establish a scalable regional reintegration model that can inform future justice and homelessness responses across Victoria.
Through our Social Innovation Lab, this project is just one of the ways we’re backing bold new ideas that have the potential to create lasting impact for our community.