ICMS

Overview

The Tangentyere ICMS has operated since October 2007. The ICMS provides support to people who are:

  • Sleeping Rough
  • Homeless
  • ‘At Risk’ of Homelessness
  • Escaping Violence
  • Remote Community Visitors
  • Released Prisoners

The ICMS incorporates the following categories of support:

  • Photographic Identification
  • Emergency Relief
  • Advocacy
  • Prisoner Release Strategy
  • Return to Country
  • Referrals
  • Case Management

Return to Country

Return to Country is a user-pays program that provides up-front financial assistance to people stranded in Alice Springs, enabling them to return to their home community. Travel must be to the person’s home address.

Assistance is provided in the form of bus tickets, fares or fuel vouchers. Where possible the ICMS will assist people to use existing forms of public transport or improve the viability of using private transport.

Clients are required to repay the cost of travel plus 10% for administrative costs. Repayment is made through Income Management or Centrepay Deductions. RTC is by appointment only.

Requirements for RTC:

Documents Service Area
Centrelink Income
Income Statement
Evidence of Address
 Communities (NT, SA, WA)
NT Towns
Regional SA and WA
SW Queensland
Adelaide, SA

Tangentyere ID Card

The Tangentyere Card is photo ID which is accepted by banks and service providers.

Tangentyere ID Card

To obtain a Tangentyere Card a client must be able to provide at least 1 document from column 1 and 1 document from column 2:

Identity Verification
Column 1 Column 2
Birth Certificate
Birth Extract
 Health Care Card
Medicare Card
Keycard
Pension Card
Centrelink Income Statement
Drivers License
18+ Card
Proof of Identity Reference
What if a client cannot provide a birth certificate?

Where a client cannot provide a ‘birth certificate’ the ICMS can apply on behalf of the client to Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). The ICMS cannot issue a Tangentyere Card without a ‘birth extract’ or ‘birth certificate’.

NT ‘birth certificate’ applications take 1-3 days; interstate applications take 3- 4 weeks.

What is required to make an application for a Tangentyere Card?

The minimum requirements are as follows:

  • 2 forms of Identity Verification
  • Client Details
  • $20 (1st Card)

Please note the following costs:

Payment Type Cost
First Issue
Replacement (lost card)
Annual Renewal 		$20
$5
$20

Service Providers
(regarding Tangentyere card referrals)

In the interest of efficiency it is recommended that referring organisations provide assistance to clients to complete the following forms (attached to website) prior to attending the Tangentyere ICMS:

  1. Client Identity Database Form
  2. Proof of Referral Authorisation Form
  3. Proof of Identity Reference Form (only when client has no other ID)

Interstate Birth Certificates


Interstate BDM Fees and Identity Verification Requirements
  Standard Priority # ID Docs Certification
South Australia $39.50 $70.00 2 n/a
Western Australia $44.00 $78.00 2 n/a
Queensland $34.00 $60.30 2 Certified 1.
New South Wales $44.00 $65.00 3 n/a
Victoria $26.60 $31.20 3 Certified 2.
Tasmania $37.24 $63.84 2 n/a


South Australia http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/bdm/
Western Australia http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/
Queensland http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/bdm.htm
New South Wales http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/
Victoria http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/ots/home
Tasmania http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm

  1. Justice of the Peace, Lawyer, Commissioner for Declarations, Notary Public and Court House
  2. Authenticated by the Police

Emergency Relief (ER)

The ICMS can assist clients facing financial hardship through provision of Emergency Relief (limits apply). The types of financial assistance are as follows:

  • Food Vouchers
  • Accommodation
  • Funeral Travel
  • Blankets (1 per person)
  • Utility Bills
  • Rent Arrears

ER is by appointment only. Clients are only eligible to apply for food vouchers once every 6 weeks and other financial assistance once every 6 months. Eligibility is subject to assessment.

Requirements for ER:

Income Statement or Pay Slip
Relevant Tax Invoice or Bill
Eligibility Assessment
Willingness to be referred to a support program

Prisoner Release Strategy

The ICMS provides assistance to inmates of the Alice Springs Correctional Centre (ASCC) through the following programs:

  • Prisoner Pre-Release Information Sessions
  • Tangentyere Card Outreach Program

Referrals are received through the ‘Prisoner Pre-Release Information Sessions’ and through the ASCC ‘Repatriation Officer’.

Referrals

The ICMS can make referrals for some categories of support including the following:

  • Transport
  • AOD Programs
  • Crisis Accommodation
  • Domestic Violence
  • Income Support (Centrelink)
  • Housing
  • Legal Advice
  • Medical

Advocacy

The ICMS can act on behalf of clients as an advocate for the following:

  • Court Support
  • Territory Housing Applications
  • Priority Housing Applications
  • Income Support (Centrelink)
  • Letters of Introduction
  • Financial Exclusion
  • Medical Issues

Advocacy will be provided through the attendance of meetings, court proceedings, letter writing, and email and by phone.

Case Management

The ICMS can assist people with case planning to address complex needs.

The ICMS is a voluntary program. The program works collaboratively with other service providers. Whilst accepting most eligible referrals the program requests clients are fully consulted prior to referral.


Referrals, Advocacy and Case Management are concerned but not limited to the following processes, desirable outcomes and presenting reasons:

  • Territory Housing Applications
  • Crisis Accommodation
  • Transitional Accommodation
  • Financial Exclusion
  • Priority Housing Applications
  • Medical Issues
  • AOD Issues
  • Transport
  • Domestic Violence
  • Income Support
  • Court Support
  • Tenancy Issues

The Tangentyere ICMS provided assistance to in excess of 4500 clients during the period July 2008 to June 2009. Many of these clients have been forced to camp in public spaces due to a lack of accommodation.

The issue of homelessness is complex and it should be recognised that homelessness isn’t limited to people sleeping rough.

The Homelessness Australia website describes the diversity of homelessness using the Mackenzie and Chamberlain definition as follows:

  1. Primary homelessness is experienced by people without conventional accommodation (e.g. sleeping rough or in improvised dwellings).
  2. Secondary homelessness is experienced by people who frequently move from one temporary shelter to another (e.g. emergency accommodation, youth refuges, and “couch surfing”).
  3. Tertiary homelessness is experienced by people staying in accommodation that falls below minimum community standards (e.g. boarding housing and caravan parks). This definition was adopted by the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness in 2001 and is widely used in our sector.

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