Author Archives: chia_adm

CHIA members vote for constitutional change

Federal News No Comments

Members from around the country voted yesterday to make some changes to CHIA’s constitution in a move that will strengthen CHIA’s relationship with state peak community housing bodies.

CHIA Chair Michael Lennon says members overwhelmingly supported the changes at a Special General Meeting, held in Adelaide.

‘This is an important milestone for CHIA. These constitutional changes will streamline and formalise the relationship between CHIA and the state peaks, enabling them to provide advice and input to the CHIA board on matters relevant to their state.

‘We anticipate that the Community Housing Federation of Victoria and the NSW Federation of Housing Associations will seek associate membership of CHIA, which will enable them to nominate a Director to the CHIA Board.’

In other states and territories, members will continue to elect the Region Director who will represent them on the CHIA Board.

‘In bedding down our formal relationships with each state and territory, CHIA is in a stronger position to provide a nation-wide perspective on national issues for the community housing sector,’ Michael says.

Prized policy role available at CHFV

News No Comments
CHFV logo

Grab the opportunity to have an impact on Victoria’s housing affordability crisis in this challenging part-time role as a policy and projects role for the Community Housing Federation of Victoria (CHFV).

In this part-time role –  30.4 hours a week (can be worked over four or five days) –  you will play a critical role in policy development, project management and advocacy for the community housing industry body. You will be working closely with our member organisations, government and other stakeholders to develop, promote and represent the sector.

Click here for details.

Queensland expands its national influence via CHIA

National Affordable Housing Agreement News Qld No Comments

The community housing sector in Queensland has expanded its influence nationally with a landmark agreement between the state peak body, CHPs for QLD, and the national peak, the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA).

The bilateral agreement means that membership of CHPs for QLD will include membership of CHIA, which represents the community housing industry in all states and territories.

Chair of CHPs for QLD, Josephine Ahern, says the agreement will enable Queensland community housing organisations to have input into national policies that impact on their day-to-day activities and lift their ability to expand services to meet the needs of disadvantaged Australians.

‘CHPs for QLD is focused on representing the sector on State issues but Federal issues also impact on our members,’ Ms Ahern says.

‘This agreement with CHIA will provide a forum for our members to have their voices heard, it will enable them to be kept in the loop on Federal matters and they will also be able to access CHIA’s resources.’

CHIA CEO, Peta Winzar, welcomed the agreement formalising the relationship that has been fostered with the Queensland community housing peak.

‘We are keen to get input from CHPs in QLD about national policies and sector-wide matters,’ Ms Winzar says.

‘We want to hear the perspectives of Queensland providers on national matters, be it housing affordability in general, the new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, or the impact of climate change on community housing operations. This agreement will open the way for this to happen.’

Federal News Productivity Commission No Comments

The community housing sector has delivered a comprehensive response to the Productivity Commission’s draft report into human services, including housing, which was released in June.

The submission was a collaborative effort between CHIA, the state and territory community housing peaks, and other key industry players.

The submission advocated for a whole-of-system approach represented by a National Affordable Housing Strategy, which would carefully coordinate initiatives across all levels of government, the public, not-for-profit and for-profit sectors and which would make necessary reforms to tax, welfare and housing assistance programs in a coherent way.

“The “broken” system described in the Draft Report derives not from a lack of mechanisms to support consumer choice and a deficit in the accountability of public housing systems, though both need to be tackled. It derives from decades of underinvestment that has left the social housing system struggling to cope with overwhelming demand. A social housing system that is not broken caters not just for the choices of individuals but needs the needs of the community generally – by providing homes that are decent and well-maintained, by supporting inclusive and integrated communities and by ensuring that providers are accountable to tenants and financially sound.”

Representatives from CHIA and the NSW Federation of Housing Associations will present the report to the commission’s public hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, July 25.

Click here to read the full submission.

SA Budget wrap

News SA No Comments
SA logo

Shelter SA welcomes the Targets outlined for social housing in the next financial year, in particular the revised claims process for Housing SA Bond guarantees to increase protection for private renters.

The activity indicator on the number of public housing rental opportunities provided by Housing SA is reducing from 38,710 (the 2016-17 Estimated Result) to a projected 34,050 in 2017-18.  The reduction reflects approximately 4,000 properties that will be transferred to the community housing sector and it is assumed that the remaining 660 of those properties will be sold, further reducing the public housing available to people living on low incomes across South Australia.  The overall reduction in public housing will worsen housing stress for people living on low incomes and potentially increase the number of people experiencing homelessness, adding further strain on an at capacity service system.

Shelter SA is very pleased that there has been no reduction in assistance to people living on low incomes through the Housing SA Private Rental Assistance Program with a slight increase in customers expected in the next financial year.  It is also pleasing to see a slight increase of 415 high needs clients who will be placed in housing by Housing SA, no reduction in the number of rough sleepers assisted into accommodation through specialist homelessness services and a modest increase in the number of Aboriginal customers assisted into housing by Housing SA from 4,230 to 4,590.

The National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, now combined with the National Affordable Housing Agreement is assured in the South Australian Budget for the next 12 months – $18.1 million in partnership with the Commonwealth Government.  The new National Affordable Housing and Homelessness Agreement is yet to be negotiated.

A new revenue measure will see foreign residential property buyers pay a stamp duty surcharge from 1 January 2018 which will amount to $48.8 million over four years – it would be ideal if some of this revenue could be used to create more social housing and avoid the need to continue to sell off our public housing assets.

Click here to view the SA State Budget.

With thanks to Shelter SA for this report.

News NSW No Comments

Sydney-based community housing provider Bridge Housing took out a gold award at the 2017 Australasian Reporting Awards for its 2016 annual report.

It was Bridge’s fourth consecutive gold award and fifth overall.

The Annual Report Awards are aimed at improving the communication of business information and the standards of financial reporting and are designed to enable organisation to benchmark the quality of their annual reports against world best practice.

Bridge was competing against entries from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Russia.

Bridge CEO John Nicolades says, ‘The recognition we receive through these awards is warmly welcomed and further motivates our Board, management team and staff to strive for best practice governance, communication with our stakeholders and financial reporting in the year ahead.

‘Bridge Housing takes pride in being an organisation that always works to high governance standards and transparency. Congratulations to the other winners for their hard work and achievement.’

You can view Bridge’s annual report here.

Entries for the 2018 ARA will open on September 1.

 

News Victoria No Comments

CHFV Board member and Swinburne University academic Terry Burke has put up a spirited argument in support of community housing as a sound platform for fair social housing in an article featured in The Conversation this morning.

CHFV mobilised its response in The Conversation to tackle recent criticisms made in the online publication, and other media, around the transfer of public housing to community housing as the government ‘wriggling out’ of its responsibilities.

Prof Burke clearly states the case for community housing providers playing a key role in public housing renewal programs.

‘The (not-for-profit) sector can grasp the opportunities offered by policy reform in a way the public sector cannot, and provide sustained affordability and security,’ Prof Burke argues.

Click here to read the full article.

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

Don’t miss your opportunity to hear about major issues impacting our sector, directly from those in the hot seat.

Book your seats now to hear from Assistant Minister to the Treasurer, the Hon Michael Sukkar, about the Federal Government’s housing initiatives such as the bond aggregator, and Productivity Commissioner Stephen King, who is presiding over the current investigation into ways to improve the delivery of Human Services – including affordable housing.

Productivity Commission update

Federal News Productivity Commission No Comments
Productivity Commission logo

CHIA and the state and territory peaks are compiling the sector’s response to the Productivity Commission’s draft report Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice In Human Services.

The report, which includes housing, is looking at innovative ways to improve outcomes through introducing the principles of competition and informed user choice whilst maintaining or improving quality of service.

It is expected CHIA Chair Michael Lennon, CHIA CEO Peta Winzar, and NSW Federation of Community Housing’s CEO Wendy Hayhurst will make a presentation to the commission’s public hearing in Canberra on Tuesday, July 25.

The sector response will be made available to CHIA members.

Federal Training No Comments

Swinburne University is recruiting part-time students for its Graduate Certificate of Social Science (Housing Management and Policy). The course is open to those currently working in housing and homelessness who have either a degree or five years relevant work experience from anywhere in Australia.

See the Swinburne website for details.

News Victoria No Comments

Melbourne’s The Age newspaper has today published an opinion piece by CHFV Executive Officer Lesley Dredge that calls for a creative approach to the Victorian Government’s public housing renewal program.

The article reinforces the urgent need to revitalise ageing public housing estates and demonstrates the ability of not-for-profit community housing providers to deliver vibrant, mixed-use precincts that provide tenants with the dignity that comes from having secure, affordable and appropriate housing to call home.

Click here to read the full article.

Feedback on new housing agreement

Budget Federal National Affordable Housing Agreement No Comments
Parliament House

CHIA will feed back to the Federal Government the results of its consultation with community housing providers on the new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

The agreement aims to increase the supply of new homes and improve outcomes for Australians across the housing spectrum, particularly those most in need. It is set to replace the National Affordable Housing Agreement, which failed to grow social housing stock or reduce waiting lists.

CHIA has asked the state and territory peaks to consult their members and report back in preparation for a position paper. Members can also provide their feedback directly to CHIA by sending an email to [email protected]

Treasury Insider to speak with CHIA Board

Federal No Comments

 

A Principal Adviser to the Federal Treasury’s Social Policy Division, Marty Robinson, will discuss the details of the budget’s housing package with the CHIA board at their next meeting.

With question marks hanging over the detail and proposed implementation of the swag of measures announced in the budget, Mr Robinson’s insider knowledge will provide board members with valuable insights.

Topics expected to be covered include the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement, and the Managed Investment Trust measure. The role CHIA can play in shaping the design and implementation of these key national initiatives will also be a key agenda item.

The CHIA Board will meet on June 23.

Budget Federal No Comments

What is your organisation’s reaction to the idea of compulsorily deducting rent payments from your tenants’ welfare payments?

The idea was first announced by the Federal Government in the 2016 Budget but legislation enabling public housing and community housing providers to automatically deduct rent from income support and Family Tax Benefit payments is expected to be introduced this year. The exact circumstances that would trigger compulsory withholding of rent payments have not yet been revealed, but tenants with a poor record of paying their rent will obviously be in scope.

How much impact this measure would have is unknown. After all, many tenants already use Centrepay to make their rent payments.

CHIA is aware that this could be a divisive issue for our members, with some welcoming the security of certain cashflow and prevention of homelessness, others believing it denies tenants the opportunity to be responsible for their own finances.

We expect that this legislation will be considered by a Parliamentary committee and to help us prepare a submission on behalf of community housing providers, CHIA is seeking your input on this issue.  Please click on the link to take part in our first online survey.

Federal Productivity Commission No Comments

The Productivity Commission published its draft report Introducing Competition and Informed Choice into Human Service on June 2 and invited comment.

The brief for the report, which includes housing, is to look at innovative ways to improve outcomes through introducing the principles of competition and informed user choice whilst maintaining or improving quality of service.

With a July 14 submission deadline, the community housing sector has had to mobilise quickly to create a coordinated response to this important report.

Led by CHFV, representatives of all the relevant state-based peaks, CHIA, and PowerHousing have participated in teleconferences on the subject with NSWFHA compiling responses from each of the representatives, which will be used to brief the consultant who has been hired to write the sector’s joint-submission.

The submission will be made available to CHIA members

Tasmania sets its budget

Budget News Tasmania No Comments
Tasmania government logo

Shelter Tas welcomes the State Government’s commitment of $62m over the next 2 years in its Budget 2017-18. While this creates a solid base for implementing Affordable Housing Strategy, without additional investment in social housing, Tasmania will continue to fall well behind meeting demand for affordable housing. We are disappointed that the $60m Stamp Duty windfall created by the current housing boom has not been re-invested into social housing to alleviate the growing rental crisis that is squeezing low income households out of the housing market.

The key features of this year’s Budget that we particularly welcome are:

  • $15m for further implementation of Tasmania’s Affordable Housing Strategy
  • The major projects announced, including the completion of the Devonport Youth Supported Accommodation Facility, the relocation and expansion of the Hobart Women’s Shelter, additional units for young people at Thyne House in Launceston and Moonah
  • $12m for social housing units in major urban centres
  • The establishment of the Affordable Housing Working Group to investigate government land potentially available for increased housing supply. As a participant in this Working Group, Shelter Tas will be seeking an increase in the supply of social housing along with more innovative approaches in the planning system
  • $6m funding for a HomeShare program to assist low-income Tasmanians purchase their own home and the continuation of the First Home Builder’s Grant and reduced Stamp Duty on new house and land packages.

Shelter Tas urges the Tasmanian Government to negotiate away the State’s public housing debt as part of the new national housing agreement that was announced recently in the Federal Budget.  Tasmania can no longer afford to return half the State’s annual funding allocation, almost $16m each year, back to the Federal Government.

Click here for further information on housing and homelessness initiatives in the Tasmanian Budget 2017-18, read the Shelter Tas media release here or ABC article ‘Tasmanian budget report card: Generally good results, but some room for improvement’ here.

Reprinted with thanks to Shelter Tasmania’s eNews

 

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