Evolve Housing News, June 2022

Evolve Holiday Fun Club!

Sick of hearing ‘I’m bored’ from your kids every school holidays? Find fun events that keep your kids busy without spending a lot of money!

See inside on page 4

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

IN THIS ISSUE Reduce your Energy Bill See how to keep costs low.

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Mould prevention Tips on keeping airborne mould spores from spreading.

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Evolve Holiday Fun Club Keep the kids busy without costing you a fortune.

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Living Skills Check out some life hacks with our new Living Skills program.

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Community Gardening Checkout the latest Vegepod.

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Staff updates Mark Lenic and Heidi Bain make

National Sorry Day Evolve Housing staff and tenants received a traditional smoking ceremony.

HotNews!

a seachange.

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Coming Events Digital Trivia, Crafts & the Zoo. Page 8

EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS T HRIVING CO MMUN ITIES FO R ALL PEO PLE

Evolve Housing held an event with staff and residents for National Sorry Day on Thursday 26 May to show our respect on what is an important day for our nation. We experienced a traditional smoking ceremony and shared traditional Indigenous food from Kallico Catering.

COMMUNITY GARDEN see page 6

National Sorry Day is a day of acknowledgment, reflection, and healing to build understanding of the injustices to the Stolen Generation. At the event, our CEO Lyall Gorman took the opportunity to share that Evolve Housing will be creating a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). “This will enable us to strengthen our understanding and relationships with our Indigenous employees, our Indigenous clients and their communities,” he said. Thank you to all tenants who attended this event.

RAG Chat

How to access support services through Evolve The Resident Advisory Group (RAG) had the Evolve Housing Support Unit speak with us and tell us what they do to help tenants, so we wanted to pass the information on.

As a tenant of Evolve Housing, you have free access to the Support Unit’s services to help you improve any

Reduce your energy bill this Winter There’s nothing worse than the terrible feeling of shock when you open an electricity bill and it’s higher than you expected—not to mention the worry about how you’ll pay it.

With living expenses rising across the board, we could all benefit from saving on electricity and spending our money elsewhere.

Check out our tips for how to stay warm in winter

areas of your life you feel you need help in. The Support

without raising your electricity costs at:

Unit can help you with things like your finances, physical

evolvehousing.com.au/winter.

health, mental health, education, training, employment, or social needs.

When you access the Support Unit, a member of the team will meet with you to help you create your own

Energy bill rebates Did you know that you may be able to get a rebate from your energy company, to reduce your electricity bill?

Personal Support Plan based on your needs. They can

A rebate is an amount of money that is returned to or

refer you to specialist support services that can help you

discounted from your bill. If you are able to successfully

(like employment agencies, or mental health services).

access a rebate, it may appear on your energy bill or

They will also check in on you every now and then to

sometimes the discounted amount will be credited to

make sure you’re doing well.To access this support, just

your bank account.

contact your Housing Manager and let them know that you would like to access Evolve’s Support Team.

You may be eligible for a rebate if you have a Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card, or a DVA Gold Card.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON)

How to make a complaint or appeal

has put together a handy list of all the rebates available to Australian citizens, which you can access on their website at: https://www.ewon.com.au/page/customer-resources/

At Evolve Housing, we acknowledge that complaints provide valuable feedback.

help-paying-bills/rebates.

You can make a complaint by emailing:

and independent complaints handling service for all

ihear@evolvehousing.com.au, by calling us on

electricity and gas customers in NSW, and some water

1800 myevolve (1800 693 865), or by writing to:

customers. You can contact them if you are having

9–13 Argyle Street, Parramatta 2150 NSW.

trouble with your energy company in general.

Are you unhappy about a decision made about your

EWON is an independent body that provides a free

You can also contact them if you need help accessing

tenancy? You can lodge an appeal within three months

a rebate, or if you think you’re entitled to a rebate but your

from the date of the original decision.

energy provider did not give you one. You can call EWON

To lodge an appeal, please fill out the Appeals form,

for on 1800 246 545 from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

which you can access online at:

You can also visit EWON’s website for tips and

http://bit.ly/Appeal-Evolve-Housing or by contacting

information about energy saving and bills in general at

our office on: 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865).

ewon.com.au.

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Mould prevention tips What is mould?

Mould is a form of fungus and is spread primarily by airborne spores that will develop and grow on almost any surface providing the following conditions are present: • A relative indoor humidity of 80% or higher.

Normal house fluff can block wall or ceiling ventilators and

• Moisture, usually from condensation. Mould can develop in the

exhaust fans and impede proper ventilation of the property.

absence of condensation, but its growth is accelerated by the presence of moisture.

• Turn on exhaust fans, particularly when bathing, showering, cooking, doing laundry and drying clothes.

• Research shows that certain ingredients in most paints, household dust, and cooking fumes provide excellent food for mould.

Warm moist air

Sooty mould, the most common type, leaves surfaces with a

Warm air will not cause condensation on a cold surface, but warm

brown or black stain and usually occurs on the walls and ceilings

moist air will. Warm moist air can be created by:

of bathrooms, bedrooms and in cupboards. Untreated, this mould

• steam from cooking

will spread to other rooms in the house. Green furry mould grows

• washing dishes or clothes

on organic or organic-bearing surfaces, such as shoes or clothes.

• clothes dryers that are not externally vented • steam from bathrooms

Condensation and mould

• drying damp clothes inside

The winter season brings with it condensation and mould growth problems in houses, units, townhouses and villa homes. Condensation and mould can occur in any type of home construction, including weatherboard, brick veneer and solid brick.

Condensation and its causes Atmosphere heavily laden with water vapour is referred to as being of high humidity. When highly humidified air comes in contact with any cold surface such as a wall or ceiling, it chills and water vapour is extracted from the air, remaining as condensation on the cold surface. High humidity has an accumulative effect on absorbent materials such as clothing hanging in the cupboard or bedclothes, making them damp. Condensation will also cause rust on metal surfaces such as spring wire mattresses.

How to prevent condensation Condensation cannot occur if humid moist air is removed and replaced by dry air. This can be achieved very simply through better ventilation of dwellings.

Ways of improving ventilation • Open windows and doors when weather permits to improve cross ventilation.

• On cold nights, when the house or unit is closed against the cold, ventilation should be ensured during the day.

• Room ventilators and exhaust fans should be kept clean.

What can I do to reduce mould in the property?

• Mould growth is restricted by the circulation of dry air. It follows that proper ventilation will prevent most mould growth.

• Open doors and windows to allow air to circulate; particularly in the bathroom during cool weather.

• Keep bathroom walls, showers, shower curtains, baths and basins as dry as possible—open the door to allow air to circulate through the room.

• Clean your bathroom and property regularly. Wipe away moisture on windows and walls to keep them dry.

• Allow sunlight into the property as much as possible, especially in the bathroom, laundry and kitchen.

• Wash and dry damp clothes, and dry and air damp shoes outside as soon as possible. To prevent green fluffy mould on clothes and footwear, ensure that they are thoroughly dry before storage.

Leave the wardrobe doors open where possible.

• Remove fruit and vegetables from plastic wrapping and refrigerate within 27 hours. Discard mould items. Keep food fresh in sealed containers or with use of cling film.

• Evaporation trays in air conditioners, dehumidifiers and refrigerators should be cleaned frequently.

• Do not run evaporative air condition systems with water during times of high humidity (over 65%). If the air is feeling humid, run the evaporative air conditioning system without water. Always ensure windows are open when running an evaporative air conditioning system.

• Regularly clean carpets and rugs to prevent mould spores using a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vacuum cleaner. Most new vacuum cleaners include HEPA filters.

EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 3

Evolve Holiday Fun Club Are you sick of hearing ‘I’m bored’ from your kids every school holidays? Want to find fun events that keep your kids busy without spending a lot of money?

Sign up to Evolve’s Holiday Fun Club for exclusive access to free and low-cost events designed for kids and families.

We are aiming to hold a variety of events to suit all interests including sports, arts and crafts, science, computers, nature and more. At the moment, any Holiday Fun Club events will be based around the Sydney region (including Western Sydney).

All you have to do is register your name and contact details at https://bit.ly/HolidayFunClub, and we’ll send you information about family-oriented events throughout the year via SMS or email.

ROBOTICS Watch out Bill Gates and Elon Musk—some of Evolve’s younger residents are ready to take you on, after participating in our Imaginate Robotics workshops in the Easter school holidays.

In the workshops, which were held in Bankstown and Merrylands, primary school aged residents and their families learned about robotics and programming, and even built their own moving robots.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for these fun events!

4 | EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS

Living Skills Get life hacks with our new Living Skills program Tenants of Evolve Housing can now access Living Skills, an interactive online course that teaches a range of life skills on topics including relationships, rights and responsibility, financial skills, and more.

The Living Skills program has been created specifically for Evolve Housing tenants by our Support Team. The program is split up into six different sections, and uses fun comics with a cute koala character to get across the information. There is a short quiz after each section of the program to test your knowledge. This is a selfdirected course that residents can complete at their own pace.

If you are interested in doing the Living Skills program, please contact your Housing Manager and ask them for access.

Thank you to Parramatta City Council for partly funding the Living Skills project, and Up2Speed for working on the animation.

©2021 Evolve Housing. Written and drawn by Dangergene, Up2Speed

Photo: Evolve Housing residents at the Imaginate Robotics event.

EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 5

Community Gardening

Evolve Housing team updates

Farewell to Mark Lenic Green thumbs!

Evolve Housing staff Rob, Jo and Debbie went on a road trip up north to visit some of Evolve’s Specialist Disability Accommodation properties last month.

Our General Manager of Resident Services, Mark Lenic, is retiring this month after 81/2 years with us. Mark has dedicated 30 years of his life to social housing, and has made an incredible impression on the sector.

Prior to working at Evolve Housing, Mark worked for the

They worked alongside residents and our partners at Community Greening, Vegepod and Ability Options to install community gardens for our residents.

NSW Government in various public housing related positions.

A few of Mark’s achievements at Evolve include: creating a new maintenance contract, moving closer to a support delivery model that provides wraparound support to tenants

These gardens have been designed by Vegepod specifically for people living with disability, and we hope that our residents will enjoy using them!

who need it, and a strong focus on compliance that resulted in exceeding government expectations.

Reflecting on his time working at Evolve, Mark said: “I have found my time at Evolve to be one of the most rewarding experiences. The daily good news stories of the many tenants we have assisted is overwhelming.”

“Having been associated with social housing for most of my working life, I have developed an appreciation for the struggle many people face and it gives me great pleasure to see the changes we can make in so many lives.”

“I am blessed to have had 8½ years with the compassionate and caring staff who work tirelessly to ensure many others have a place to call home and I leave Evolve Housing knowing we will continue to make a difference to so many more people.”

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There’s lots of families that I got to know well over the years.

Either they came to family fun events or through the support programs. It was great to watch these kids grow up, to turn into teens and young adults!

Do you have any favourite moments, highlights or achievements from your four years at Evolve?

I think the best Imaginate school holiday event was one where lots of Evolve staff were running things. They were making t-shirt prints and terrariums with kids – paint and dirt was everywhere by the end of it!The vibe in the room was so fun,

Heidi

Farewell ...and overseas travels

lots of laughs and noise from every stall.

The Women’s Group was definitely another highlight. A great mix of women, I don’t think they realise how much I personally got from those coffee catchups. They taught me a lot about

Many of you would have gotten to know our Community Development Officer Heidi, who has worked at Evolve Housing for the past five years and was a regular friendly face at events.

family, culture and the strength women pull from to raise children on their own.

Sadly, Heidi has moved on from Evolve to travel overseas and pursue her passion for working in international development.

Before she left, we sat down with Heidi for a quick chat to reflect on her time with Evolve Housing.

What are you planning on doing next?

I’m heading overseas next month! First to spend time visiting old friends, then I’ll get back into international development, potentially somewhere in the middle east. I was working in that field before I started at Evolve and I’m excited to get back to it. I also have a strong sense of adventure, so living out of a suitcase in a country that’s foreign to me, is my happy place.

Over the years in conversations with residents, they’ve spoken of amazing places where they grew up and have fond memories of. I hope to get to visit some of these places myself now—they’ve inspired me!!

Event round-up: Seniors Day Our residents had a lovely lunch in the garden as part of the 2022 Seniors Festival.

Evolve Housing’s Resident Engagement Team joined

What have you enjoyed about working at Evolve?

20 of our residents in Parramatta Park for a day of

Working closely with lots of residents and hearing their

socialising and delicious food.

stories and the amazing life journeys – some challenging

The day gave residents an opportunity to reconnect

and heartbreaking. What many have managed to overcome

in the great outdoors, enjoying each other’s company

is inspiring. I wish more of the general Australia public could

while engrossed in the lush green surroundings.

understand some of their stories.

EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 7

Events coming up

If you have questions about any events please call tel. 1800 693 865 and ask for Rob.

Digital Trivia

Our Digital Trivia sessions are continuing to be held on the last Thursday of each month at 11am.

These sessions are an easy, quick way to test your knowledge, keep your brain active, and have fun. Questions are based around a different theme each month, and lasts only 30 minutes, with the chance to win a prize.

Get crafty and creative

You play the game on your mobile, meaning you can join

Enjoy a fun day of creativity with our Crafty Kids event in

in anywhere! The dates and topics for our next six Digital

the July school holidays. Evolve staff will work with kids to

Trivia sessions are below. You can register for any (or all!)

help them create colourful and wonderful arts and crafts

of the sessions online, and we will contact you with the link

projects to take home.

when it’s time to play.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Visit our What’s On page and click the Digital Trivia link for

When: Wednesday 6th July, 10.30am

instructions on how to register:

Where: Wentworthville Community Centre, Grevillia Room, 2

evolvehousing.com.au/whatson

Lane Street, Wentworthville.

June Digital Trivia session

How to register: evolvehousing.com.au/whatson

Game topic: Movie trivia Date: Thursday 30th June at 11am

July Digital Trivia session Game topic: Sports quiz Date: Thursday 28th July at 11am

August Digital Trivia session

Go wild at Sydney Zoo

Picture: Toby Zerna

Game topic: World History Date: Thursday 25th August at 11am

Have a great day out at the new Sydney Zoo in Blacktown.

Explore a range of animal species from all over the world, while

September Digital Trivia session

also learning about animal conservation and wildlife. This event

Game topic: Star Wars trivia

will be open only to Evolve Housing families, making it a good

Date: Thursday 29th September at 11am

way to meet other tenants with kids.

Attendees will get a FREE ticket.

October Digital Trivia session

Please note that spaces are limited and tickets will sell out

Game topic: Australian animals

fast, so get in quick!

Date: Thursday 27th October at 11am

Bookings open on Wednesday 15th June at 9am. To book, visit our What’s On page and click through to the Sydney Zoo link:

November Digital Trivia session

evolvehousing.com.au/whatson

Game topic: Music trivia

When: Wednesday 13th July, 10am

Date: Thursday 24th November at 11am

Where: Sydney Zoo, 700 Greater Western Highway, Bungarribee

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.