AMN443 Semester 1: Product Innovation Report - Six-Month Help Program

This product innovation report details the 'Six-Month Help' program, a service designed to prevent homelessness in Australia, targeting individuals at risk of becoming homeless. The program, a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Urban Development, Mission Australia, Ikea, and Khalsa Aid, offers temporary housing in shared accommodations or community buildings for up to six months, with the first two months rent-free. The program also provides free food and utilities for the first month, job placement assistance, and encourages community service participation. The initiative aims to provide a supportive environment, connecting participants with employment opportunities and promoting self-sufficiency. The report includes a detailed description of the program's steps, stakeholder contributions, potential risks, and references to relevant sources, highlighting its cost-effectiveness and sustainability for the young Australian population.

Product Innovation
Product Innovation: The Six Month Help
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Product Innovation
Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
The Six-Month Help Program................................................................................................3
Detailed Description.............................................................................................................4
References.................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Homelessness can be a very scary and dire state in which a person can be. Lack of a stable
roof and security is something that can deter the best of people (1). As a society, it is essential
to look out for such people and ensure that they are helped in the best way possible. There is
always a stage when a person is more or less aware of the fact that he or she might soon be
homeless. It is this time when the person has to act and make the best used out of the
innovation proposed in this particular assignment.
In this product innovation report, we will focus on a service which will enable these “soon-to-
be-homeless” people a chance to take care and make arrangements for themselves in advance
till they are able to make arrangements for themselves. This short term service titled “The
Six-Month Help” will be provided by the ministry of urban development, Australia, in
association with the service company Mission Australia (2). This service will focus on
helping people who are about to be homeless and not just the ones who are. Hence, this
service will leave a lot of scope for people who take quick and corrective action and are able
to anticipate their situation well.
The Six-Month Help Program
As mentioned above, usually people become aware that they are going to be homeless a little
early than it actually happens. There are various reasons why someone can be homeless:
financial crisis, domestic violence, unstable family life, disaster and much more (3). Hence,
this service program rolled out by the Ministry of Urban Development, Australia will focus
on.
The details of these service programs are as follows:
Name: Six Month Help
Service to: people who register to be homeless within a week up to a maximum period of six
months with the first two months being free. The age limit is 18-26 year.

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Service by: this program is a collaborative effort of Mission Australia, Ikea, Khalsa Aid and
Ministry of Urban Development, Australia.
Features of the service:
The six-month housing service will allow the person/family to take an accommodation in
shared quarters, pop-up homes, garages and community buildings for six months till they are
able to find a permanent or a better living arrangement for themselves. During this time, the
first two months the rent will be free and for the first month, free food, medication and shelter
will be given to these people (voluntary basis ie, if they are able to afford food, they can wave
this off)
The inspiration behind this prototype was to give people a second chance before its too late.
It was about letting them know that there is someone to help them before they are on the
roads and that they will be helped.
Detailed Description
It is well known by this time that homelessness is a huge factor and contributor to stress and
depression in people which either results in drug addiction, suicide or increased crime rates.
Some women and men even resort to prostitution and other illegal/immoral activities to
support themselves. This is not good for them and for society. Hence, this service program
will help these people to not only find a house for themselves but to also find an environment
where they will be able to think about their future and plan well.
The plan will be carried out in the following steps:
 Person (to-be-homeless) will register with online portal stating reasons and
requirement of stay
 The person moves in and is provided stay free for the first two month and free food
and utilities for the first month (4)
 A person is encouraged to find jobs by connecting them to a majority of service
portals where they can apply. Here, Mission Australia helps these people by
connecting them to resources with relevant jobs and employers
 Once they find a job (if they do), they are required to move out within a month to
make space for others

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 If they don't find jobs, they have six months to stay there free and look for a job. They
have to engage in some community service in order to get food and other utilities for
themselves at subsidised rates
However, to put this plan into action, a lot of contribution is needed from the relevant
stakeholders to ensure that there is enough housing available for these people. For this, along
with the Ministry of Urban Development, Australia, Ikea, Khalsa Aid and Mission Australia
will work together.
The Ministry of Urban Development, Australia will build small living quarters which will be
furnished (basic) by Ikea as a part of their CSR. To help lighten the burden of Ikea, Mission
Australia has proposed a fundraiser to collect funds to get these houses up and running.
Ideally, the cost of one such apartment (for two people sharing) would be $250/ month
excluding the food and other utilities (5).
There are alternatives to this arrangement as well. Patrons and volunteer families who would
be willing to let out vacant rooms in their garage or houses are welcome to host these people
as well.
Fig 1: Community Housing Example, Australia
The food will be taken care of by Khalsa Aid, a volunteer-based Sikh organization which will
provide subsidised food to these people, in association with the government and Mission
Australia. The houses will be simple with beds, washrooms, heating/fans, a small fixer-upper
kitchen and make-shift utilities area. The area will be enough for two people or a family of
four to adjust in the apartment. Further, these people will need to associate themselves to

Product Innovation
work with some social cause or help the government with small activities which can
compensate their utilities bill such as food, electricity, medication etc.
Fig 2: Volunteer Activities
Mission Australia will further help these people to find jobs as per their qualification. While
it is quite expected that they might not find something big at once, there are chances they
might end up with something to get them started on their own. It is essential to ensure that
these people are made clear from the very start that while they have full support, they are
expected to support themselves as soon as possible and earn for themselves, starting for
which they have to volunteer for food and basic necessities.
These services will ensure enough support to the people and at the same time will encourage
them to find jobs and get back on their own feat. Also, this will bring a lot of volunteer
enthusiasm in the Australian community which will further strengthen the bond of the people
here.
The plan is effective in terms of cost and sustainability and will be a huge help to the young
Australian population which is completely at lack of understanding their options and ruin
their future out of desperation and unawareness.

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Risks
However, like every other project even this is prone to risks such as lack of awareness, poor
marketing, people unwilling to abide the rules etc. This model can be first implemented to
one area, and based on the response received and the ability to sustain it can then be
implemented/extended elsewhere in Australia as well. Once the government is able to
understand how changes in this services can be implemented, it will then become easy to take
this up a notch and extend to other age groups and families as well, and even to people who
are already homeless and not just for ones who are soon going to be homeless.
References
1. Kay S. Homelessness and mental health [Internet]. Mental Health Foundation. 2015 [cited
7 June 2019]. Available from: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/homelessness-and-
mental-health
2. Crothers J. Australia's homelessness worsening, census data shows [Internet]. ABC News.
2018 [cited 7 June 2019]. Available from:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-14/homelessness-in-australia-jumps-14pc-over-five-
year-period/9547786
3. Delaney B. 'National obscenity': Australia's story of housing boom and homelessness
[Internet]. the Guardian. 2019 [cited 7 June 2019]. Available from:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/17/national-obscenity-australias-
story-of-housing-boom-and-homelessness
4. WHEELER M. Food Insecurity In Modern Australia [Internet]. Particle. 2019 [cited 7 June
2019]. Available from: https://particle.scitech.org.au/food/food-security-in-australia-is-
anyone-safe/
5. Dudovskiy J. IKEA Corporate Social Responsibility - Research-Methodology [Internet].
Research-Methodology. 2017 [cited 7 June 2019]. Available from: https://research-
methodology.net/ikea-corporate-social-responsibility/

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