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Author Archives: chia_adm

Housing issue ignored in Qld campaign

News Qld No Comments
Brisbane skyline

Almost half of all low-income households in Queensland are suffering from housing stress due to a failure of governments to address the issue.

Despite a 13 per cent increase in federal funding over the past seven years, Queensland continues to lag behind the rest of the country in supplying social and affordable housing according to the state’s peak body for community housing providers (CHPs).

Chair of CHPs for Queensland, Josephine Ahern, said the issue was of vital importance to Queensland but one that’s probably not on the political radar of parties during the current campaign.

Read CHPs for Qld’s media release.

News NSW No Comments

National Tier one and largest not for profit housing provider, Community Housing Limited (CHL) is excited at the prospect of providing social housing to over 2,200 more people on the NSW Mid North Coast.

In an announcement made by the NSW Minister for Social Housing, Pru Goward, CHL was successful in its tender under the Social Housing Management Transfer Program for the Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Nambucca areas.

CHL will take management responsibility for around 1,300 additional properties, currently managed by Family and Community Services (FACS). Alongside this portfolio growth, CHL will also take responsibility for managing all applications for social housing and private rental assistance in the area, and will take a lead role in coordinating the social housing and homelessness sector across the Mid North Coast region.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for CHL to provide more services to more people, in places where the company has a long history of serving the community”, says Steve Bevington, Managing Director of Community Housing Ltd.

The NSW Government is transferring the management of around 14,000 social housing tenancies to community housing providers by 2019 bringing the total stock under management by community housing providers to 32 per cent.

Properties are scheduled to transfer in late 2018 with the NSW Government maintaining ownership of all of the properties and leasing them to CHL for a 20-year period.

“CHL is looking forward to working closely with tenants and communities, our key partners in the region and FACS over the coming months, to make the transfer a success and improving the overall social housing outcomes in the region,” adds Dr Lucy Burgmann, NSW State Manager for CHL.

This transfer will close to double the total number of properties under CHL’s management in NSW to 2,900 bringing the total national portfolio to around 7,500 properties.

Federal Innovation National Affordable Housing Agreement News No Comments

CHIA Chair Michael Lennon has been asked to take part in an innovative community engagement initiative that aims to connect everyday Australians with decision-makers and experts and develop solutions to key issues.

The not-for-profit Australian Futures Project is running the #WTF (What’s the Future?) project over four weeks this month, covering four key issues facing Australians: the energy crisis; the future of work; housing affordability; and, thriving kids.

On Monday, October 23, Mr Lennon will be one of eight housing affordability experts fielding  questions from the public via various #WTF social media channels. The public will then be invited to contribute their solutions to the issues, which will be added to a report that brings together the facts and discussion and will be used to inform a roundtable debate by decision-makers.

Community organisations will then be funded to act on solutions.

CHIA members and stakeholders are encouraged to be part of the debate. Go to the #WTF website for details on how to take part.

1,201 NSW public housing transferred to community housing

News NSW No Comments
NSW housing transfer property

Leading Sydney community housing organisations Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company have been awarded the NSW Government tender to manage 1,201 public housing tenancies in the northern beaches for the next 20 years.

The winning partnership under the Social Housing Management Transfer Program will see the two experienced housing organisations take over management of the properties over the next 20 months and assume all housing customer service functions – allocations, tenancy and maintenance – previously delivered by Department of Family and Community Services in the area. Bridge will also be responsible for managing and coordinating services support from government and non-government organisations.

The Minister for Family and Community Services, the Hon. Pru Goward, today announced the winners of all nine packages, representing 14,000 public housing properties across New South Wales, including three portfolios in metropolitan Sydney. Bridge Housing CEO John Nicolades said: ‘I am delighted that Bridge Housing’s enormous investment in the past three years in becoming fit for significant growth has paid off. Over the past decade, we have successfully integrated public housing estates and multi-unit developments into our tenancy management, including in Balmain and South Coogee, but on a much smaller scale.

‘Our two organisations will separately manage housing in the northern beaches portfolio but with an alignment of best practice processes and principles, and with Bridge Housing as the contractual partner with government.

‘I am confident that our new northern beaches tenants will feel welcome and supported and that the government will see its housing assets very well maintained under the combined management of Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company.’

Women’s Housing Company CEO Debbie Georgopoulos said: “Women’s Housing Company brings our specialisation in housing and supporting single, vulnerable women to the partnership and will manage 12.5 per cent of the new portfolio, focussing on locations where single women are housed.’

‘Our partnership with Bridge Housing will enable us both to do what we have been doing best for more than 30 years and for Women’s Housing Company to house more people from one of the fastest growing demographics of homeless in Australia.’

Bridge Housing’s portfolio will grow from around 2,000 properties to some 3,100 properties while Women’s Housing Company will grow from almost 750 properties to over 900 properties. The Package 8 portfolio stretches across Mosman and the newly formed North Beaches local government areas and comprises houses, townhouses and units, 724 of them one-bedroom units or studios. The vast majority of households are single person and about 50 per cent of tenants are women. Tenants will remain in their current homes under the management transfer.

Bridge Housing and Women’s Housing Company will keep new and existing tenants informed as information about the transition process becomes available.

(With thanks to Bridge Housing for this article)

Housing hub home for disabled dwellings

Federal Innovation NDIS News No Comments
Housing Hub website homepage

HOUSING HUB IS HOME FOR DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION

The Housing Hub is a new way for Community Housing Providers to list their disability housing vacancies, and people with disability to find suitable housing.

The housinghub.org.au website:

  • lists housing vacancies for people with a disability, including NDIS housing, existing Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) properties, new SDA builds, non-SDA supported accommodation, private rental and properties for sale
  • enables eligible people to submit an Expression of Interest in NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation housing
  • has a library of useful information about housing options and planning your move.

The Housing Hub will continue to grow and develop nationally, with more vacancies, features and information continually being added. Help make the site a success for people with disability by spreading the word and sharing the link housinghub.org.au 

Landscape shift for affordable housing

Bond aggregator Budget Federal Innovation National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments
symposium powerpoint

Landscape shift for affordable housing

Attendees of an affordable housing symposium, held at Griffith University, heard CHIA CEO Peta Winzar speak about the Federal Government’s September release of key reports, draft legislation and a consultation paper, which collectively signal a major shift in government thinking in relation to financing social and affordable housing.

Ms Winzar told the symposium that these four measures, together with some complementary budget measures announced by some state governments this year, have the potential to significantly alter the financing landscape for affordable housing.

  1. The Affordable Housing Working Group,

The Affordable Housing Working Group, which was set up by state and federal treasurers to investigate innovative ways to finance affordable housing has released its report with three recommendations.

Its prescription for closing the funding gap between rents and operating costs contain no surprises – targets, planning mechanisms, tax reform, contributions from affordable housing providers, and so on.  This is a list which could have been written a decade ago.

While it acknowledges the need to increase direct subsidies for affordable housing, the working group’s report stops short of suggesting how this might be done.

The report does contain some good examples of how to increase housing supply at no cost or low cost to government, for example, redevelopment of public housing properties, with the government getting a return either in cash or in replacement dwellings, or government taking a share of the profit from development of government land, in partnership with a developer or a CHO, or cross-subsidisation through a mix of market sale, affordable sale, affordable and social rent in a development

It also makes some valuable recommendations about strengthening the regulatory framework for community housing, and overhauling the national industry development framework for community housing.

  1. Bond Aggregator 

The aim of the bond aggregator (BA) is to raise institutional finance at scale from the wholesale bond market and then lend the money to Community Housing Providers (CHPs) for longer terms and at a cheaper rate than those offered by banks. The CHPs would apply for loans, pay a small fee towards the administrative costs of the BA and their borrowings would then be aggregated.

The government’s proposal is for the Bond Aggregator to sit under the new National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), but there are still some design issues to be sorted out, for example:

  • Exactly how long the term of the bond would be – probably up to 10 years. This would give CHPs certainty about financing costs and remove the need for them to renegotiate with their bank every three to five years
  • How much cheaper the BA would be – this would depend on the credit-worthiness of the community housing sector and whether the government guarantees the bond
  • the proposal that the borrowing be secured against the title of properties held by the CHP, which raises interesting questions about the conditions under which state governments would allow properties under long-term management by CHPs to be used as security for a loan.

Treasury is seeking feedback on these questions and others as part of its broader consultation on the structure and operation of the NHFIC.

  1. NHIF report

The Commonwealth Government is currently running a consultation on the National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF) and the NHFIC. What’s innovative about this in a housing context is that it is a legislated vehicle at the Commonwealth level but it will be able to invest in City Deals at the state and territory level.

It will also be able to invest in projects at the government’s direction and the aim is for its investment returns to enable it to be self-sustaining over the medium term.

Note that it is intended to prioritise development projects with an affordable housing component.

The consultation paper on the NHFIC and the NHIF is on the Treasury website, consultation closes on 20 October 2017.

You can download Ms Winzar’s presentation here.

 

 

 

 

NDIS SA No Comments

‘Home’ will be the theme for the opening of Housing Choices South Australia’s (HCSA) new offices in downtown Adelaide today.

Located in Waymouth Street, the new offices will help accommodate the significant growth Housing Choices SA has undergone following its successful merger with Common Ground Adelaide and, most recently, the successful transfer of 840 public housing tenancies to HCSA under the SA Government’s Renewing our Streets and Suburbs program.

A free lunchtime barbecue will be held for new and existing tenants during the day. Staff are setting up a diorama of items donated by guests, which exemplify what ‘home’ means to them. HCSA State Manager Julie Duncan, Managing Director Michael Lennon and Chair Arthur Papakotsias will join friends, supporters, politicians and staff to officially open the space.

Federal NDIS News No Comments

The Summer Foundation and AHURI are conducting a national study into the demand & supply of specialist disability accomodation (SDA) NDIS housing and are seeking community housing organisations’support to complete the provider survey.

The main survey aims to obtain information about current SDA dwellings. An optional survey focuses on SDA dwellings that are under construction or soon to be.

Click here to complete the online survey,

All organisations that participate in the survey will receive notification and a final copy of the SDA Housing Demand report. Those that complete the optional section will receive a copy of the early findings, ahead of final report publication.

We are seeking completion of survey responses by the 17th October 2017.

If you have any queries related to completion of the survey, please email [email protected]

If you have any more general enquiries, please contact [email protected]

 

 

CHL supports kids dreams

Innovation News Tasmania No Comments
scholarship winners and CHL CEO Steve Bevington

Community Housing Ltd (CHL) has helped four disadvantaged young people achieve their dreams through its scholarship program, which is now in its fourth year.

CHL awarded the cash grant scholarships to young people in Launceston, Tasmania, to help them achieve their sporting, education or artistic goals and set them up for a career.

The program is now fully self-supporting with active participation from the communities its supported, The previous recipients are all still working or studying in their chosen fields.

Click here to read more.

 

 

News No Comments

 The Community Housing Industry Association of Australia will hold its Annual General Meeting at 11am on Wednesday 29 November 2017 in Room C.21 at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Elections that will take place at the AGM 
All positions on the CHIA Board of Directors will fall vacant at the AGM.

There are 12 positions on the CHIA Board:

  • Eight Directors classified as ‘Region Directors’ (one from each state and territory) serve for annual terms
  • Four Directors classified as ‘Additional Directors’ (also known as national directors who are elected by broad vote of full membership across Australia) serve for two-year terms.

As a voting member of CHIA you can nominate for, and vote on, the position of Region Director or Additional director on the CHIA Board and for the positions on your Regional Committee. Please note, however, that if you have not paid your renewal fee for 2017-2018 before 17 October 2017 you will not be eligible.  We encourage members to consider nominating for the Regional Director position and the Additional Director position to ensure the Board of the national industry body benefits from input and perspectives from all states and territories.

Regional Committee members are elected for two year terms with half the Committee members retiring annually by rotation. CHIA Board and Regional Committee members retiring by normal rotation can re-nominate to fill vacancies.

Region Director 
A Region Director is a representative of a State or Territory who has been voted on to the board by voting members in that jurisdiction, other than in New South Wales and Victoria. The Region Director also acts as the Chairperson for the Regional Committee in his or her home jurisdiction.  In New South Wales and Victoria the state peak body will nominate the region director for the CHIA Board.

Nomination Process for Directors 
Candidates for Director Positions must be members of CHIA or employees of a CHIA member. The following steps must be followed in all states except New South Wales and Victoria:

  1. The candidate must be formally nominated, in writing, by two voting members as a candidate for the position of Director. In the case of Regional Director, those members must be from the same jurisdiction as the nominee. The nomination papers must be received thirty business days before the schedule date for the AGM.
  2. The candidate must notify CHIA in writing of their consent to act as Director by 17 October 2017 (30 business days before the AGM).
  3. CHIA notifies members of every candidate for election at least seven days before the AGM.

Voting Process for Directors 
Only full CHIA members have the right to vote. These are known in the constitution as ‘voting members’. Associate members do not have the right to vote in these elections.

Directors will be elected by ordinary resolution of the voting members present in person or represented by proxy at an annual general meeting (effectively a postal vote).

Candidates are only elected if they have received more than 50 per cent of votes cast. If there are two or more candidates for a Regional Director position, the candidate with the most votes will win the election, so long as they have received 50 per cent of votes cast.

Regional Committees 
The constitution obliges the CHIA Board to establish a Regional Committee once there are three or more voting members in that jurisdiction. Regional committees comprise the Region Director for that Region (the chairperson) plus up to 11 additional members. In addition:

  1. There can only be one regional committee per jurisdiction.
  2. A regional committee member need not be a CHIA member or employed by a CHIA member.
  3. Regional committee members are not officers of CHIA merely by holding that position.

In New South Wales and Victoria the state peak body performs the role of the regional committee.

Nominating Regional Committees Representatives 
Candidates in a particular jurisdiction are entitled to nominate for the representative committee in that jurisdiction alone. They must send a nomination form to CHIA by 17 October, 2017 signed by the voting member nominating the candidate.

Next Steps  
Nomination forms for the CHIA Director and Region Committee positions, as well as a Director’s consent form are attached below. Nomination forms should be completed and returned to CHIA before October 17, 2017, in order to be considered for election at the AGM. Those nominating for the CHIA Director position must also complete the Director’s consent form.

Please direct questions about the AGM or election process to Shelly Forceville at the CHIA office via [email protected] or call 0412 804 989.

Download the nomination forms here:

  1. Nomination form for CHIA Region Director
  2. Nomination form for CHIA Additional Director
  3. Nomination form for CHIA Region Committee
  4. Director’s consent form
News No Comments

The Community Housing Federation of Victoria celebrated its brand new day on September 28 when it officially rebranded as CHIA Vic, complete with new marketing collateral, website and signage.

CHIA Vic CEO Lesley Dredge said that now more than ever, the industry needs strong representation at state and national levels and aligning our branding will assist us in providing clear and consistent messaging about our sector.

‘National issues have a state impact and we want to do what we can to promote community housing as a strong and united industry,’ Ms Dredge said.

You can check out the new website at chiavic.com.au and update your contacts by switching the latter part of email addresses with @chiavic.com.au

Bond aggregator Budget Federal National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments

The Commonwealth Treasury has released the Affordable Housing Working Group’s final report on the complementary measures needed to support the bond aggregator.

The working group made three recommendations:

  1. That the Commonwealth and state and territory governments progress initiatives that close the funding gap, including direct subsidies for affordable low-income rental housing, the use of affordable housing targets, planning mechanisms, tax settings, value-adding contributions from affordable housing providers and innovative developments to create and retain stock.
  2. The Commonwealth and state and territory governments and the community housing sector develop and implement a uniform national regulatory framework to support the implementation of a bond aggregator and the growth of the sector nationally.
  3. The National Industry Development Framework for Community Housing be revised and updated in light of the Review of the National Regulatory System for Community Housing.

You can download the full report here.

NDIS No Comments

CHIA is assisting the Summer Foundation and AHURI to discover more about the availability of specialist disability accommodation through a survey of Community Housing Providers. The survey will help investors and lenders better understand demand and inform housing providers about what to build and where.

SDA providers have until October 5 to complete the national study into the demand for  National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) housing.

There are two focus areas to the survey:

Section 1 – a mandatory survey, which seeks to obtain information about the current SDA dwellings.

Section 2  – an optional survey seeking information about the total number, location (NDIS region), size and type (NDIS design category) of committed new dwelling builds for SDA enrolment. New dwelling builds refer to dwellings that are under construction or soon to be under construction and intended for SDA enrolment.

Organisations that participate in the survey will receive a copy of the SDA Housing Demand final report.

Organisations that complete the optional section of the demand study survey also will receive a copy of the demand study early findings ahead of final report publication.

Summer Foundation will use the results to commission a report to inform investors, lenders and housing providers about demand and where investment is needed. The report will also help identify potential investment risks.

There is also an of the survey fields attached if this is more convenient (e.g.).

Click here to take part in the online survey can be found here, or download the excel version here if you would prefer to cut and paste your SDA data.

Any queries about the survey can be made via [email protected].

More general inquiries about the Summer Foundation Housing and Demand Study project should be directed to [email protected]

 

Bond aggregator Budget Federal National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments

Community housing organisations have an opportunity to provide the Commonwealth Government with feedback on the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

The Commonwealth Treasury has released a consultation paper on the potential structure and governance of the new corporate Commonwealth entity, which was announced as part of a series of measures in the 2017-18 Budget aimed at improving housing affordability.

The NHFIC is to have two functions:

1. A $1 billion National Housing Infrastructure Facility (NHIF), which will use tailored financing to partner with local governments to fund infrastructure.  The aim is to accelerate housing supply (the consultation paper proposes that priority be given to projects that include a certain amount of affordable housing).

2. An affordable housing bond aggregator, which will access the wholesale bond market to enable community housing providers to obtain cheaper finance on better terms, to expand supply. A report by consultants EY found the bond aggregator would be able to deliver interest savings of 0.9 to 1.4 per cent on a 10-year debt, depending on the level of government support.

EY estimated that the CHP sector will need to access around $1.4 billion of debt over the next five years, which should provide the necessary demand and scale needed to support affordable housing bond issuances.

The Treasury is now seeking feedback on the potential structure and governance of the NHFIC, and how the NHIF and bond aggregator will work.

CHIA and the state community housing peaks will be developing a joint submission and individual organisations that wish to develop their own submissions will need to do so by the Friday 20 October deadline.

You can download the consultation paper and the final report on the Bond Aggregator here 

Tenancy help on wheels

Innovation News Qld No Comments
tenancy office on wheels

Distance and disaster pose no threat to Churches of Christ Housing Services’ (CofCHSL) ability to deliver its housing management services, with the deployment of an office on wheels that can access far-flung communities throughout Queensland.

CofCHSL commissioned a custom mini-van fit-out with the aim of creating a self-sufficient mobile workspace. The result is a sophisticated office on wheels, powered by solar panels backed up with a petrol generator for when there is no power connection available.

CofCHSL General Manager, Frances Paterson-Fleider says the van is used on a daily basis, but could also be deployed to provide support in the event of a natural disaster.

‘It can provide power to recharge mobile devices including phones, laptops and tablets during an emergency,’ Ms Paterson-Fleider says.

‘It also has a signal booster system for mobile phones and internet connections in remote areas, and a UHF radio, ensuring good communications can be maintained at all times.’

On a daily basis, the purpose-built mobile office is able to deliver vital housing management services across a wide geographical area and encourage greater engagement with tenants to ensure they are able to benefit from the service’s partnering activities, Ms Paterson-Fleider says.

The mobile office offers wireless internet and printing, an electric awning, TV with USB and DVD player, secure storage for lap tops and personal items when on the road, and rear seating that can transport up to five people.

It is also equipped with state-of-the-art security cameras, a refrigerator, microwave oven, and a toilet.

 ‘It can be used as a mini conference centre,’ Ms Paterson-Fleider says. ‘It even has fresh water and waste tanks so you can make a cuppa and wash up.’

 

 

Commonwealth to ‘unlock’ community housing’s potential

Federal National Affordable Housing Agreement National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation News No Comments

The Commonwealth Government wants to ‘unlock the potential of the community housing industry’, according to the Assistant Minister to the Federal Treasurer, Michael Sukkar MP.

Minister Sukkar addressed a well-attended lunchtime forum, organised by CHIA and the Community Housing Federation of Victoria, in Melbourne yesterday, along with Productivity Commissioner Stephen King.

Minister Sukkar told community housing organisations, and stakeholders, ‘There is always going to be a place for state governments’ public housing stock, but increasingly we see the future being community housing providers.’

You can read a media release detailing Minister Sukkar’s very positive comments about community housing by clicking here.

 

 

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