Services Connect will provide one point of contact for services including child protection, disability, housing, homelessness, family services, mental health and alcohol and drug treatment.

Minister for Housing and Member for Northern Victoria Region Wendy Lovell said it would better support the community’s vulnerable and disadvantaged.

“Services Connect improves the way that services work together, particularly for people and families with complex needs,” she said.

“It integrates and streamlines services, giving clients one point of contact, one plan and one client record across the range of services, rather than each service duplicating the other.”

Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said it was an important step forward to continue rolling out the model to a wider area.

Trials have been operating in Dandenong, Geelong, Preston, Shepparton and the South West Coast for the past two years.

Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge said early results had proved extremely encouraging.

“Individuals and families have told us they are looking for a simpler experience of human services, with one person to contact, for information to be better co-ordinated so they only need to tell their story once, and for their services to be managed in a co-ordinated way,” she said.

A Services Connect client support team will be established in Wodonga during the next two months to take on local Department of Human Services clients.