Swinburne University is calling on Frontline workers who support people with a history of homelessness to participate in a research study that aims to learn more about their knowledge of brain injury.
Frontline workers includes supportive housing workers, case managers, counsellors who work with homeless clients, workers in the specialist homelessness services and others.
Study participants will be asked to complete a survey that is expected to take 15 to 20 minutes.
The Commonwealth Government’s Volunteer Grants round closes at 2:00 pm on 18 September 2018.Volunteer Grants aim to support the efforts of Australia’s volunteers by:
-providing small amounts of money that organisations and community groups can use to help their volunteers
-forming part of the Government’s work to support the volunteers who help disadvantaged Australian communities and encourage inclusion of vulnerable people in community life.
See the Funding Round Application page for details.
Anglicare plans to expand its redevelopment of the Steelworks Hotel in Port Kembla to provide additional affordable rental housing.
The welfare agency already has permission to turn the heritage-listed pub into a 22-bed residence for older people at risk of homelessness but is seeking to add an additional seven self-contained rooms in a separate building, following the acquisition of adjacent land.
The project is part of the organisation’s efforts to cater for the increasing number of people at risk of becoming homeless as they age.
Anglicare’s development manager Dean Cotter says, ‘We are committed to enriching and strengthening local communities through the provision of integrated accommodation, care and support services that are sensitive to cultural, financial and social needs of the people who will live in our homes.
‘The new proposal will allow Anglicare to assist 30 people primarily aged over 60 who are struggling to live on low incomes.
‘The project will be providing support services to rental tenants that foster independence and enable them to feel a part of their local community…and build meaningful relationships with others living with and around them.
The design for the pub will deliver 22 bed-sitter style rooms with private bathrooms and kitchenettes over two levels, with a lift included.
Construction of the first set of dwellings is expected to be completed in mid 2019.
Anglicare has opened a supported youth accommodation facility in Devonport to support young people as they move into adulthood.
Eveline House features 25 units, five of them purpose-built for people with a disability. Each tenant has a self-contained unit with access to a laundry, gym, common areas, outdoor spaces and a games room.
Anglicare CEO Chris Jones says the complex is a much-needed response to youth
homelessness in Tasmania.
‘Eveline House provides tenants with safe, affordable housing, as well as opportunities to participate in community activities, education, employment and training. It is a vibrant place where young people are encouraged to build on their existing strengths and capabilities.’
Anglicare manages similar facilities in Launceston (Thyne House) and Hobart (Trinity Hill).
Tenancies at Eveline House are for young people aged 16-24 years who are on a low income and eligible for social housing. The general tenancies at Eveline House are already full and two of the purpose-built units are occupied, with talks underway with the National Disability Insurance Scheme about the final three places.
Earlier this year, Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot showed that for young people receiving Youth Allowance, there were no affordable rental options anywhere in Tasmania.
‘No Tasmanian should have to worry about where they’ll sleep that night or how they’ll afford to eat,’ Dr Jones says.
‘Long term, affordable housing is foundational for people to fully participate in education, training and employment’.
Anglicare manages similar facilities in Launceston (Thyne House) and Hobart (Trinity Hill) and Dr Jones says Eveline House was made possible with the support of the Tasmanian Government and many advocates in Tasmania’s North West.
‘I look forward to seeing how the young people who live here will use their strengths and skills to contribute to this community.’
Community housing provider Homes North has opened its second affordable housing complex in Armidale to assist those experiencing housing stress.
The 2016 Census reported 14 per cent of Armidale households were experiencing housing stress (paying more than 30 per cent of their income in rent to keep a roof over their heads). The new Homes North five villa complex not only provides much needed affordable rental housing, it also provides access to housing for people with mobility challenges as the development meets the highest ‘liveable design standards’.
The complex has two and three-bedroom homes to offer a range of options for single people, couples and families looking for affordable rentals.
Homes North’s CEO Maree McKenzie says, ‘we are proud to make this new complex available in Armidale to those who need it in our community. The quality of design and build allows our households to live in dignity without breaking the bank. The build reduces power costs, and we ensure residents don’t pay more than 30 per cent of their income in rent. All in all, residents can live a better quality of life because of the reduced financial stress – knowing they can afford other basic living costs such as clothing, medical care and education.’
Homes North Asset Manager and construction partners, Hibbards Homes, ensured a quality build, Ms McKenzie says.
‘One resident says that her family is delighted to be in the new complex saying, “We love it here and it is so warm, we have hardly needed to use our heater this winter.”’
A new report has revealed the shocking gap between the incomes of typical renting households and the incomes required to avoid housing stress in Australia’s three most populated states.
Compass Housing’s Affordable Housing Income Gap Report, takes a new approach to the measurement of housing affordability for renters. The Report establishes the amount of additional income required to avoid housing stress on various types of rental properties in more than 300 suburbs, towns and local government areas across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. This amount is referred to as the Affordable Housing Income Gap (AHIG).
Compass spokesperson Martin Kennedy said in many cases the median incomes of renting households were tens of thousands of dollars per year below the level required to secure a basic two-bedroom apartment without experiencing housing stress. The situation for renters seeking a 3-bedroom house is worse, with median incomes up to $100,000 per year short of the level required to avoid housing stress in certain areas.
| Annual income to afford a 3br house | Amount above annual median income (AHIG) | Annual income to afford a 2br unit | Annual amount above median income (AHIG) | |
| Inner Sydney | $172,467 | $78,139 | $121,333 | $27,005 |
| Inner Melbourne | $130,000 | $50,336 | $93,600 | $13,936 |
| Inner Brisbane | $94,987 | $17,299 | $83,200 | $5,512 |
Housing stress is experienced by households with incomes up to 120% of the median that are paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
Mr Kennedy said the Report proved housing stress isn’t just a problem for low-income households. He said working families with average incomes are struggling to afford suitable rental properties close to where they work.
“To avoid housing stress in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, a typical renting household often has to choose between living a considerable distance from the city or living in a one-bedroom apartment,” Mr Kennedy said.
“Neither of those things are practical for lots of families so they are effectively forced to accept living in housing stress. This can have a real impact on living standards because people in housing stress are less able to pay for other essentials like food, utilities, insurance, healthcare, childcare, and debt repayments.”
Mr Kennedy said that even in regional towns, where prices are nominally cheaper, comparatively lower household incomes mean renters in many areas still face significant affordability income gaps. The impact is particularly severe in “commuter belt” cities close to the capitals.
“The steady decline of housing affordability for renters is part of a broader housing crisis driven by a combination of low interest rates, preferential tax treatment for investors, rapid population growth, artificial rationing of land supply, high transfer duties, and a prolonged failure to invest in social and affordable housing.”
The Report recommends the creation of a national housing plan with initiatives crossing all levels of government. They include:
Link Housing is making the move into bigger office space in light of its success in securing public housing transfers.
Link Housing CEO Andrew McAnulty has led the organisation through a period of significant growth.
Last year the organisation won tenders to manage 235 specialist disability accommodation tenancies and almost 1900 social housing tenancies, which had previously been managed by the NSW Government.
‘It is a very exciting period of growth for us. By the end of the year, we would have more
than doubled our number of staff, properties under management and clients, largely due to
the Social Housing Management Transfers (SHMT) program,’ Mr McAnulty says.
‘There was no doubt we needed more space.’
Link has recently opened a new office in West Ryde and will unveil new larger office facilities in Chatswood on September 17.
The new offices will give the not-for-profit organisation the space to continue to provide
quality, client-focused and comprehensive services to their growing community of housing
applicants and residents within Northern Sydney and beyond.
The West Ryde office is located minutes from West Ryde train station and in the same building as the NSW Government’s Families and Community Services (FACS) Northern district office, allowing Link Housing to work closely with FACS in the lead up to the SHMT ‘go live’ in December this year.
‘This is a positive change for our clients. With offices that are easier to get to and with more
space and facilities, we will be able to meet and help more people. Our expansion and new
offices is really just about taking steps to fulfil our mission and vision of enhancing lives
through community housing,’ Mr McAnulty says.
Deputy CEO of Launch Housing and CHIA Vic Board Member Dr Heather Holst has been appointed as Victoria’s inaugural Commissioner for Residential Tenancies.
CHIA Vic CEO Lesley Dredge says Dr Holst is a ‘brilliant’ choice for the position.
‘Heather has worked in the housing, homelessness and tenancy sectors since 1989. With her experience of the sector stretching from the coal face of being a frontline worker through to senior executive and board roles, she will bring invaluable knowledge and skills to this new role.’
‘Victorian tenants will have a committed and diligent advocate,’ Ms Dredge says.
As Commissioner for Residential Tenancies, Dr Holst will work closely with stakeholders across the rental sector to identify systemic issues and make recommendations to government.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz says, ‘Dr Heather Holst has long been an advocate for housing rights and I congratulate her on her appointment.’
The ACT Government has awarded Community Housing Canberra (CHC) $230,000 to establish a scheme aimed at tackling the territory’s rental housing affordability crisis.
CHC plans to develop a program, modelled on the one used by HomeGround Real Estate, that encourages landlords to rent their properties to low-income households at sub market rent.
CHC chief executive Andrew Hannan says the program will start early next year, and he urged the ACT Government to assist further by adopting a proposal by the ACT Greens that would provide landlords with incentives to participate.
The incentive would provide a land tax exemption to landlords who rented their properties via a registered community housing provider at a rent discounted by up to 25 per cent of market value.
The ACT Government is expected to release its affordable housing strategy before the end of the year.
Click here to read more.
The Victorian Government’s moves to work in partnership with the community housing industry through a new Victorian Social Housing Growth Fund and Low Cost Loans initiative has been welcomed by the industry’s state peak body.
The Community Housing Industry Association Victoria’s (CHIA Vic) CEO Lesley Dredge says, with the waiting list for social housing in Victoria sitting at 42,162 households, action on creating more affordable housing supply is urgently needed and the government’s moves to increase the impact of the community housing sector via the growth funds and low-cost loans, are significant.
To resolve unmet housing need by 2051, factoring in population growth, Victoria must add another 3,000 social housing properties each year to house our most disadvantaged, plus another 3,000 affordable rental properties each year for low income households facing housing stress.
When the government’s $1b Social Housing Growth Fund is fully operational it will provide about $60 million annually, with the aim of adding only 2,200 social housing places over five years, an important step forward, Ms Dredge says.
‘The $1bn fund is the first time there has been a long-term, ongoing commitment to produce an income stream to be used for social housing in Victoria,’ Ms Dredge says.
‘We are hopeful that once this architecture is embedded, more funding will be allocated by subsequent governments; enabling community housing organisations to leverage the funds and plug the gap between the cost of delivering new social housing and the rents they are able to charge their low income tenants.’
The Low Cost Loans initiative for community housing organisations is also a step in the right direction, Ms Dredge says.
‘Making loans more affordable will assist some community housing organisations to leverage funds to be used to house more Victorians in need,’ Ms Dredge says.
Click here for details on the Victorian Social Housing Growth Fund and the low interest loans and guarantees.
Even red tape can come with a silver lining, as proven by a delayed development site that has been used to create a homeless pop up shelter in the interim.
When red tape held up its development plans, CaSPA Care rented a former nursing home in South Melbourne to the YWCA for a nominal fee. The YWCA has turned the site into a pop up shelter by harnessing the goodwill of some key businesses.
Building company Metricon cleaned and refurbished the building then added an industrial kitchen and laundry; interior decorating company Guest Group furnished the pop up and social enterprise Two Good provided food.
The shelter can house 38 women – and is already receiving 40 applications a week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYaJKKU34aM&t=7s
A high-level gathering of planners, designers and architects from around the world has been given insight into the possible development of Melbourne from the perspective of a community organisation and its tenants.
Melbourne-based Housing Choices residents and property team members created a video on their views on Melbourne’s future for the 2018 Living Cities Forum. The forum tackles a number of big questions around architecture and issues facing Melbourne and global cities.
Housing Choices’ video provided a unique opportunity for community housing organisations and tenants to reach the people who ultimately plan, design and build the cities and suburbs we live in.
Launch Housing, one of Victoria’s largest providers of housing and homeless support services, has announced that current Managing Director of Victoria Legal Aid, Bevan Warner, will commence as its new Chief Executive Officer on 29 August 2018.
Launch Housing Chair Neil Chatfield says, ‘We are delighted to announce Bevan’s appointment. His wealth of experience working with government and communities to advance human rights in meaningful and practical ways, makes him the ideal leader to continue the transformation and long-term development of Launch Housing.
‘He is an experienced Chief Executive and skilled advocate, who has modernised and improved services for the 90,000 plus clients assisted by the legal assistance sector each year.
‘Homelessness is not a condition that can’t be fixed. It is a problem that can be solved with the right policies and priority attention from government and the wider community. An individual life of dignity and the ability to sustain productive employment, requires all people to have access to safe, secure and affordable housing.’
Mr Warner says, ‘People’s experience of neglect, financial insecurity, trauma and ill health can propel them, often unfairly, into the justice system and sometimes into homelessness. We can do better as a community. I am thrilled to be joining Launch Housing, to continue its transformation and long-term development, and to provide much needed services to people in acute need.
‘Launch Housing is an organisation I have long admired, and I look forward to meeting staff, clients, to learning more, and applying my energies and skills to help achieve its mission of ending homelessness.’
–article courtesy of Launch Housing
In an exciting development, the Victorian Housing Registrar has approved Women’s Housing Limited’s (WHL) application to become a Housing Association.
WHL’s CEO, Judy Line says the status change from Housing Provider to Housing Association, which has been 18 months in the making, is significant: ‘Becoming a Housing Association presents a wonderful opportunity for WHL and our clients – present and future.
‘As a Housing Association, WHL will have the capacity and resources to be able to provide more specialist housing for women and children.
‘For women in need, it’s about providing housing security and also a pathway out of disadvantage.’
Community Housing Industry Association Victoria Chair Haleh Homaei congratulated WHL on the news.
‘It’s a huge achievement for WHL and it’s great to have a specialist women’s housing provider within the pool of Housing Associations.’
The Registrar of Housing Agencies, Bernard Gastin, approved Women’s Housing Limited’s application for a change in category to a Housing Association under the Housing Act 1983, based on its demonstrated capacity to grow at scale through a strong track record of consistent housing growth in the past and a future growth strategy that will continue this trend.
Whilst Registered Housing Providers vary in size, they primarily manage rental housing portfolios for other parties, such as the Director of Housing (DoH). Whilst some own properties, their growth is small scale compared with housing associations.
‘WHL specialises in the provision of affordable housing for women and children and has grown its asset base of $0.3 million in 2008 (with no owned property) to $54 million by 30 June 2019. Tenancy numbers have grown from 108 to 400. This scale is consistent with Tier 1 housing provider status under the National Regulatory System for Community Housing,’ Mr Gastin says.
‘WHL has also established a pipeline of projects, including a new development in Bayswater and partnership with major developers such as Lendlease. These projects will continue to increase the supply of affordable housing by approximately 60 units by 2025-26. The growth is achieved through WHL’s own capital investment as well as leveraging generous developer land contributions and without relying solely on government funding.’
The broader Housing Registrar team also congratulated WHL on achieving this important milestone.
‘We will continue to work closely with WHL to ensure the regulatory requirements of a Housing Association are met.’
WHL joins the other nine Registered Housing Associations in Victoria: Aboriginal Housing Victoria Limited, Common Equity Housing Limited, Community Housing (Vic) Limited, Housing Choices Australia Limited, HousingFirst Limited, Haven; Home, Safe Limited, Beyond Housing Limited, Unison Housing Limited and Wintringham Housing Limited. There are 30 Registered Housing Providers in Victoria.
Haven; Home, Safe has promoted Trudi Ray to the newly created position of Chief Operations Officer (COO) as part of a restructure of Victoria’s only fully integrated homelessness services and affordable housing providers.
Prior to being appointed COO, Ms Ray was the Executive Director for Operations in the southern region of Victoria for two years after serving as Executive Director Corporate Services from 2010 to 2016.
HHS Chief Executive Officer Ken Marchingo AM said last week the appointment followed the recent departure of Executive Director for Operations (North) Niall Hensey after nine years’ service.
‘This created an opportunity to deliver a different structure that more closely supports the strategy of the Board and the organisational requirements into the future,’ Mr Marchingo said.
‘Trudi has worked closely with me for over 14 years and is an outstanding and valued member of the Executive Management Team.
‘I look forward to working with her and the Executive as we drive the next stage in the organisation’s evolution and growth.’
Ms Ray said she was excited about the opportunity to work with the General Managers and staff to turn HHS’s strategy into operational and financial success.
‘With single IT housing systems and the development of a new CRM, we are in the process of being fully data-driven where the business can be guided by real-time data,’ Ms Ray said.
‘Operations across the organisation are complex and diverse and we have a genuinely talented and committed team who daily work towards preventing homelessness and giving people a place to call home.
‘The Board has set a great strategy and with my fellow executive we will continue to keep our strategy front and centre, ensuring we build towards more homes, more supports, more partnerships and more capacity,’ she said.
Ms Ray said that while there had been significant investment and commitments made in recent times, Victoria’s overall social housing stock was on the decline when measured as a proportion of all housing.
‘Wherever you look, in metropolitan Melbourne or in regional and rural Victoria, there is a chronic shortage of affordable and available rental housing which has significant social and economic costs not just to the individuals and families but also communities,’ she said.
HHS as always will continue to work with the sector and all levels of government to advocate for the housing and support needed.
Ms Ray will maintain offices in Preston and Geelong and conduct regular staff and stakeholder meetings in the Loddon and Mallee offices in Bendigo and Mildura.
The restructure will include the creation of two Executive General Manager positions to oversee day-to-day operations in the south and north of the state reporting to the new COO.
ABOUT TRUDI RAY
Trudi Ray has been responsible for growing and managing Haven; Home, Safe’s support services and housing portfolio across the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne in addition to expanding HHS’s footprint in the Barwon South West Region since 2016 in her former role of Executive Director Operations (South).
Over the past two years, HHS has secured more homes and supports for women and families fleeing family violence and those that are homeless working in concert with many support partners also delivering on a 17-unit development in the centre of Geelong.
Trudi’s strong work ethic and diverse management and leadership skills developed over the past 14 years has stood her in good stead as she takes up the Chief Operations Officer role.
Trudi has worked out of both our Geelong and Preston offices and prior to relocating to Geelong in 2015, Trudi was HHS Executive Director Corporate Services responsible for the agency’s Human Resources, IT, Risk Management, OH&S and communications programs
In November 2016 Trudi was elected to the Board of the Community Housing Federation Victoria (now CHIA Vic) and believes in advocating strongly for those most vulnerable in our community, those that are homeless, fleeing family violence or those in housing crisis.
Trudi understands the complexities of vulnerable communities and her passion for social justice and strong community spirit extends beyond the workplace having been the youngest women to be elected a local government councillor in Regional Australia in 2004.
She is a Justice of the Peace, Interim Chair Victorian Branch of Australasian Housing Institute of Australia, a member of the Manningham Council Healthy City Advisory Committee, and has been invited to participate on the Hume Moreland Housing Action Group and Intervening early to prevent homelessness working group with DHHS.
Trudi has received certification two years running into the AHI certified housing professional Level 3, one of only seven housing professionals in Victoria to do so.
Ranked in the top 15 per cent of all La Trobe University graduates in 2013, Trudi is now mentoring other MBA students through the La Trobe Alumni.
-article courtesy of Haven; Home, Safe