Actions to address health literacy and equity in social housing, Victoria

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Victoria, a significant number of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks occurred in high-risk accommodation settings. The High-Risk Accommodation Response (HRAR) program was established by the Victorian Dept of Families, Fairness and Housing in 2020 for high-risk accommodation settings including public housing, community housing, rooming houses, supported residential services and other sensitive settings, to engage with and respond to the needs of vulnerable communities during the multiple COVID peaks and outbreaks in these settings. Connect Health & Community Star Health Merri Health Peninsula Health and Bendigo Community Health Services partnered with Centre for Global Health and Equity at Swinburne University of Technology to undertake real-time research into the lived experiences of these communities, and to inform service provision, communication and engagement during the pandemic. The publication ‘Actions to address health literacy and equity in social housing, Victoria’ captures the research, findings, analysis and recommendations that can be applied more broadly to improve health literacy and equity for social housing residents. This report provides unabashed insight to the situations many Victorians find themselves in. It also reveals the strength and resilience that have helped many prevail, despite significant societally embedded adversities.