Evolve Housing News, March 2022

Join the Maintenance Advisory Group!

Are you interested in making a difference in your local community?

Volunteers needed.

See page 2

t. 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865) · w. evolvehousing.com.au @evolvehousing evolvehousing AUTUMN ISSUE • MARCH 2022

Events Are Back

IN THIS ISSUE Lunch in the Garden Seniors are invited to our exclusive garden luncheon.

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Digital Trivia Test your skills to win a prize.

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Win Easter Show tickets Fill in our Find a Word for a chance to win.

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Meet Kristelle Get to know the person on the other side of the phone at our Contact Centre.

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Customer Service results Giving the best customer service.

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WIN

EASTER SHOW TICKETS HotNews!

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Women’s group Women, you’re invited to join.

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EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS THRIVING COMMUN ITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE

After two years of uncertainty and social restrictions, Evolve Housing is excited to announce that our event schedule is back and better than ever!!

LUNCH in the GARDEN

Senior residents see page 4.

We have a range of fun outings and activities planned to suit residents of all ages and lifestyles, so get ready to change out of your tracksuit pants and socialise. Read on to learn about our upcoming events, or visit: evolvehousing.com.au/whatson

RAG Chat

Join us for Digital Trivia

We are excited to share that we have successfully recruited 15 new members to our Resident Advisory Group (RAG). Thank you to everyone who nominated for the position.

Digital Trivia will be held on the last Thursday of every

Test out your knowledge, have fun with your fellow residents, and compete to win prizes with Evolve Housing’s new Digital Trivia game!

Our current group is a great mix of experienced

month, and each event will include questions about a

members and new talent, which will provide a good

different theme. Each game will take around 30 minutes.

balance of advice and opinions to Evolve Housing.

It’s free to play along. Please register your name on

These members will serve in their roles for the next

the Digital Trivia link on our What’s On page.

2 years. The role of the RAG is to provide feedback

The first ever game will be held on Thursday 28th

and recommendations to Evolve on important matters

April at 10.30am and will include questions about NRL

including policies, processes and activities.

(National Rugby League).

We will be sure to keep residents updated of the RAG’s activities over the coming year.

Winners will receive a rugby league ball that has been hand painted with beautiful Aboriginal art by our resident Todd. Todd is a proud Kullilli man who is an artist and an accomplished sportsperson.

Volunteer needed for Maintenance Advisory Group!

Evolve Housing is looking for one extra member for our newly created Maintenance Advisory Group. This group will look at how we deliver our maintenance services, and how we can improve in this area. If you’re interested in joining, please contact Rob on 0425 245 777.

Ramadan Mubarak Women’s Group If you’re a woman living in an Evolve Housing property, you’re invited to join our Women’s Group. The group

April 2 marks the beginning of Ramadam, which is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and is traditionally seen as a time for increased prayer, self-reflection and charity among Muslims.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the daytime

meets regularly for a chat, coffee and catch up. To

every day, until Eid. We send all our best wishes to our

register your interest for the next catch up, send an

residents who participate in Ramadan for a month of

SMS to Heidi on 0424 961 143.

reflection, guidance and blessings.

2 | EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS

Our customer service results

100%

At Evolve Housing, we strive to give our residents and clients the best customer service possible. To help achieve this, we have a set of Customer Service Standards with clear targets relating to all types of interaction and service we give to residents.

We aim to reach our targets and assess them quarterly to monitor our performance to ensure that we are always improving.

Some of the highlights among our results include:  Calling back and/or acknowledging or responding to a client by close of business the next business day after a phone call, email, message or missed call.

We are proud to share that in the most recent quarterly review period, October–December 2021, we achieved good results,

•

Our result: 82%, benchmark: 80%

 Acknowledging complaints within 2 working days and

with 13 out of 14 of our targets being met, and 12 out of 14

investigate and respond in writing within 20 days.

being exceeded.

•

Despite office closures and impacts from Covid-19, our staff have been putting in extra effort to maintain customer satisfaction, keep communication open and respond in a

Our result: 100%

 Rent review enquiries within 14 business days on request.

•

Our result: 100%

 Complete and advise of rent review changes within

timely manner.

14 business days.

We have attempted to avoid disruption by sharing documents

•

with tenants for digital signing, posting documents out in the

Our result: 100%

 Well-being check-in — targeted phone call to residents

mail, or allowing tenants to pick up items from the Evolve

who need extra support.

Housing office with no physical contact.

•

Our result: met KPI

 Client communication — information that affects normal Our team looks forward to continuing to work hard to meet

operations of the organisation is communicated within

our customers’ needs and provide excellent service going

2 hours via social media channels.

forward in 2022.

•

Our result: 100%

EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 3

Lunch in the Garden Senior residents of Evolve Housing are invited to our exclusive Lunch in the Garden event to enjoy a day of socialising and delicious food in the great outdoors.

We will be providing a spread of yummy food and drinks in a lush green garden setting. We’re bringing along a beautiful outdoor set-up with a long table and chairs so that everyone can mingle easily. There are two events — one in the Parramatta area on Wednesday 4th May, and the other in the Bankstown area on Tuesday 10th May. The precise locations are a secret for now and will be revealed closer to the date.

To reserve your spot, please send an SMS with your full name to Heidi on 0424 961 143.

Servicing Your Smoke Alarm Is Essential Your safety during COVID is our primary concern, and if your property is due for its annual smoke alarm service, we want to assure you that we take every precaution while our contractors are carrying out this essential service.

• are provided sanitising wipes, alcohol hand sanitiser, and gloves. They are instructed to use these items before and after each job • will confirm with you before entering your property if there are any risks or concerns • are always required to maintain 2 metres distance when

Smoke alarms are an essential service under sections 58 and 64A of the Residential Tenancies Act. As a tenant, we request that you grant access to the property for these essential services. Smoke Alarms Australia will book directly

carrying out services • can on request sanitise any surfaces they come into contact with on each visit • are directed not to work if they experience any flu-like

with you to make a convenient time. Smoke Alarms Australia

symptoms, to follow government health advice to isolate

will confirm if you have any COVID matters at your home, and

and get tested

their representatives in the field will follow a strict process when attending to each property. The priority is to keep

We thank you in advance for allowing SAA to carry out this

everyone safe.

service. In most instances, it will take 10-20 minutes and

We understand you may have concerns about allowing SAA service technicians into your property to conduct the service. We take this responsibility very seriously. SAA COVID safe hygiene and work practices are as follows.

ensure you have working early warning protection from the risk of a house fire.

As a tenant, you have exclusive access to the SAA tenant application available on the Apple or Google Play stores.

You can message SAA directly with enquiries, check on your

Field Technicians:

next scheduled service, track when the technician is on the

• wear a triple layer mask at all times when they are not in

way to their service, or log beeping, faulty, or chirping alarm

their vehicle 4 | EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS

service requests.

WIN Easter Show tickets We wish a Happy Easter to all our residents — we hope you enjoy a safe and happy holiday period!

To celebrate the Easter long weekend and school holidays, we are holding a Find a Word competition with Easter Show tickets as a prize.

The prize: We have 2 prizes to give away. Each winner will get an all day family pass to the Easter Show, admitting a family of four, and a carnival fun pass.

The tickets are only valid for Tuesday 12th April or Saturday 16th April, so winners must be available on either of these dates.

How to enter:

ROBOTICS

Correctly find all the words in the Find a Word below, then take a photo of the completed puzzle when you’re done. Send the photo by SMS to Rob on 0425 245 777 Use the subject line ‘Easter show competition’. Please include your name and phone number.

All correct entries will go into the running to win, then we will draw 2 winners randomly.

Entries close midday Friday 8th April, and we will contact the winners directly.

Easter word search competition

Join us for a fun day of learning about robotics and programming.

Perfect for primary school aged kids!

Kids will get the chance to build a robot and get it moving. There will also be the chance to win a fitness watch or lego remote control off-road buggy.

Merrylands event: When:

Thursday 14 April,

Arrive at 1.30pm for 2pm show Where: Holroyd Centre, Waratah Room, 11–17 Miller Street, Merrylands

Bankstown event: When:

Tuesday 19 April, Arrive at 1.30pm for 2pm show Where: Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown

BOOKINGS fairy floss flowers

chocolate autumn

decorate basket

holiday carrot

parade

easter

rabbit

bunny

rides eggs

april fun

hunt hat

show

Go to the ‘What’s On’ section of the Evolve Housing website and click on Imaginate to book: www.evolvehousing.com.au/whatson EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 5

I have a genuine heart for people and felt I could make a greater difference in the lives of our residents and I live this in my day-to-day role.

Having spent 16 years in the community sector I’ve seen a lot of stigma around people’s perception of housing and I wanted to shift the dial on this. My main driver is that I want to change perceptions and particularly for our residents build greater connections and end any perceived stigma.

To build healthy and supportive connections between

Kristelle

Team Leader, Contact Centre

residents and staff so ongoing, our residents continue to see, feel and hear they are valued and appreciated.

What kind of tasks does your job involve — what is a typical day like for you?

Being team leader, I review the Contact Centre workload and

We’re bringing back #MEETEVOLVE to give you a better insight into who we are as your support team! In this edition we interview Kristelle, our Team Leader, Contact Centre — someone you may have already chatted to over the phone!

Q&A

How long have you been working at Evolve Housing and within the Contact Centre team?

staff scheduling. I ensure my team has adequate coverage to manage daily responsibilities and achieve KPIs while providing direction and support.

I handle call escalations and monitor call queues to ensure all our residents are supported in a timely manner. I also evaluate staff and call handling to improve customer service.

Internally, I liaise and collaborate with our business units, support providers and contractors to provide efficient service provisions while reviewing and evaluating these services for business improvements.

I’ve been working for evolve for just over four years, with 2022 being my fifth year.

I initially started at Evolve as a Customer Contact Centre

How many clients do you and your team assist in a day?

Officer and then moved into a Technical Officer role. Based on my previous experience I transitioned into my current

They are a team of six and in a day they manage an average

standing position of Contact Centre Team Leader and have

of 150 calls a day but can receive up to as many as 300 calls

held this position for 3 years.

a day!

Can I flag though that this doesn’t include our other services

What were you doing before you came to Evolve Housing?

like webchat, website and email submissions that come in! So,

Before Evolve, I worked for the NSW Housing Contact Centre.

What kind of impact do you think the Contact Centre has on residents?

I was in that role for 16 years and my main role as operations

rest assured we are always busy helping our residents!

leader was the supervising and support of a large team of over 200 staff!

I believe the Contact Centre has a significant impact as we are a frequent contact point for residents. We provide clarity

What made you want to work in the Evolve Housing Contact Centre team?

6 | EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS

and support; whether it be raising repairs, taking payments, or discussing tenancy or maintenance enquiries.

Our interaction makes a difference, it sets the standard.

rewarding than seeing men and women stronger together,

That’s why it’s so important to me to convey that message

empowered, breaking cycles, make changes and watching a

across the team. Both individually and as a team, we are

family flourish with healed hearts in the home.

genuine and intentional in our delivery of high-quality service to our residents. It gives us a sense of awareness and

What do you do to unwind?

purpose, it becomes more than just a job, its meaningful.

Most importantly it’s our opportunity to demonstrate that we

I use quiet time to replenish and reflect. I also spend time with

care about our residents, their wellbeing and what’s important

family to fill me with joy and gratitude, family which includes

to them.

5 adult children, 17 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren— but we can’t forget my Husband, the dearest of them all!

What’s your favourite thing about working for Evolve Housing?

If you had to choose one last meal/cuisine, what would it be and why?

Seeing the passion of our staff when they’re chatting about their residents. They’re inspired and genuinely want to make

Something that reminds me of home—a ‘Hangi’ which is a

a difference themselves. That’s definitely something that’s

traditional Maori indigenous meal cooked in the ground for

unique to Evolve Housing – it wasn’t as evident in my past

a few hours. It consists of pork, chicken, beef, bread stuffing

employment.

and veggies with a smokey tea tree infusion of flavour.

What would you like residents to know about you and your team?

Evolve Housing is going on tour

Probably that we’re human too - and we’re all trying to support them the best that we can. Every member genuinely wants to make a difference for our residents.

As a team - we set high standards for ourselves, driving the importance of those values and keeping ourselves accountable. We believe our heart and character are very important to keep in check.

What inspires you?

Individuals who have overcome adversity and life challenges and are considered survivors. We may not be perfect, but we’re still here. These courageous people inspire our team to feel strengthened and encouraged to overcome our own personal challenges.

What’s your favourite after-hours activity?

My favourite activity is running men and women’s support groups with my husband and helping individuals heal from life challenges, trauma, moments in the past that have

Rob and Heidi are going on a Community Roadshow to visit Evolve Housing residents!

As restrictions are easing, we’d love to come say hello to our residents, have a cuppa and engage you in some fun activities. If you’d like to receive a visit from us at your housing block, email community@evolvehousing.com.au or call 1800 693 865 and talk to Rob or Heidi.

prevented them from moving forward. There’s nothing more EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 7

Important changes Free and confidential legal advice about Your rights in education

Change to payment methods Please be aware that from 30th March 2022, you will no longer be able to make payments to Evolve Housing at Australia Post.

Your rights at work

There are other payment options available to you,

Your right to access transport and public places Your right to get around with an assistance animal

including setting up payments directly from Centrepay, direct debit, EFTPOS, BPAY, or over the phone.

If you need assistance to understand the best payment method for you, please contact your Housing Manager.

Being included in community activities

Support programs

Dealing with discrimination

Get funding while you learn

Other areas of law, like: • Credit and debt • Guardianship • Victims compensation • Family Law • Housing

Did you know that Evolve Housing offers financial grants to support our residents who are in high school or undertaking tertiary education?

To apply for either of the programs below or to learn more, please contact our Resident Engagement Team on community@evolvehousing.com.au.

The Australian Centre for Disability Law can provide free and confidential legal advice relating to the matters listed above.

To contact the Australian Centre for Disability Law, call: 1800 800 708 or 02 9370 3135.

You can also email: adviceline@disabilitylaw.org.au For more information visit: disabilitylaw.org.au

How to make a complaint or appeal At Evolve Housing, we acknowledge that complaints provide valuable feedback.

High School Help: As we head into the school holidays with Term 2 on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to apply for our High School Help program.

This program offers targeted financial and learning support to Evolve Housing residents who have children in high school, or are in high school themselves.

After you apply, we’ll meet with you and your child to discuss their learning needs and provide a tailored support program based on your situation.

You can make a complaint by emailing: ihear@evolvehousing. com.au, by calling us on 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865), or by writing to: 9–13 Argyle Street, Parramatta 2150 NSW. Are you unhappy about a decision made about your tenancy?

You can lodge an appeal within three months from the date of the original decision. To lodge an appeal, please fill out the Appeals form, which you can access online at: http://bit.ly/Appeal-Evolve-Housing or by contacting our office on: 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865) .

KEY Grants: Evolve Housing supports residents undertaking tertiary education by providing funding of up to $4500 over 3 years.

The KEY (Keep Educating Yourself) grant is provided to help these residents cover expenses needed for their course, including TAFE courses, trade school or university courses.

Acknowledgement of Country evolvehousing.com.au/whats-on or by calling 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865) @evolvehousing evolvehousing

Evolve Housing acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land where we deliver our housing and services. We acknowledge and pay our respects to all Elders past, present and future. We welcome all First Nations People to our services, as we walk together towards reconciliation.