CHL Connect December 2019

CHL

Connect National Tenant Magazine December 2019

CHL MARYBOROUGH’S INFO SESSION BUILDS OWNER ENGAGEMENT – PG 19

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A NATURAL DISASTER

FIND OUT THE LOWDOWN AT ZEST FEST

COOK CRESCENT GARDEN ESTABLISHES ITS ROOTS

CHL

Connect

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Inside this issue 03 Editor’s Message

10 VIC News

18 QLD News

04 CHL Snapshot

12 SA News

06 Are You Prepared?

14 WA News

20 AEA and Tenants Feedback Are In!

08 NSW News

16 TAS News

21 CHL Tenant Satisfaction Results 2019

22 CHL Appeals, Complaints and Feedback 23 Household Tips and Food Corner

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EDITOR’S MESSAGE Dear Tenants,

Welcome to the end of year edition of our National Tenant Magazine – CHL Connect.

The last six months have been busy with many significant initiatives happening both within the organisation and for our tenants. Some of the key highlights are as follows: Cover photo credit: CHL Maryborough Team

Editor: Preeti Daga Corporate Communications Manager

Assistance:

Freya Toloa Communications Coordinator

Copyright:

No part of CHL Connect Magazine may be reproduced without prior consent from Community Housing Ltd. If you wish to use the information write to chlconnect@chl.org.au.

Disclaimer:

We try to make the information provided in this magazine as relevant, correct and accurate as possible at the time of going to press, but readers should seek independent advice in relation to any general content published. CHL and its subsidiaries cannot be held responsible for any changes as some of the information is reproduced from credible sources.

Data Protection:

We take the privacy of our tenants very seriously and seek consents of those tenants featured in this publication prior to printing it. CHL reserves the right to use the information and images entered by the participants in any of the competitions for any promotional purposes. If you do not wish for your submitted images to be publicised then please contact the CHL connect team in writing at chlconnect@chl.org.au.

Circulation:

Over 7,500 readership, including tenants and staff, together with a wide range of people who have contact with Community Housing Ltd.

1. We celebrated our 25th Anniversary throughout the year and produced a short documentary video capturing some of our tenants’ stories. Check it out on our website and social media channels.

2. We established a new Country Manager position and Dr Lucy Burgmann has been appointed (formerly our NSW State Manager). She leads our team of state managers, national operations manager and national asset manager in our business development, relationship management and operations in Australia.

3. We also marked the first anniversary of our successful implementation of the Social Housing Management Transfers program in NSW, where we welcomed over 2,000 new tenants and household members to CHL. 4. Aboriginal Community Housing Ltd continued to grow achieving national registration status mid-year and is also an official provider as per the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO). This allows the company to work directly for the AHO as well as continuing to partner with individual Aboriginal communities and organisations.

5. A range of community development programs were also organised across the country which were an enormous success in terms of participation and engagement with our tenants and their communities. You can read all about them under the various State reports in this magazine.

Lastly, our 2019 Annual Report is up on our website. It is a great way to learn about our diverse programs, portfolio and services across Australia and overseas. You can request a copy of the report by contacting us via phone or email.

As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback. To get in touch write to us at chlconnect@chl.org.au or via our social media channels with all your suggestions.

Until next edition, we wish you and your families a very happy (and Bush Fires free) festive season ahead. See you in 2020!

Creative Concept:

Yours Sincerely,

www.amob.com.au

Preeti Daga Head of Corporate Communications

Ana Maria Otalora Bonilla Graphics created by Freepik

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CHL’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY national and international housing provider

04

REGIONS OF THE WORLD

WITH PRESENCE IN

08 COUNTRIES

AUSTRALIA, TIMOR LESTE, CHILE, PERU, RWANDA, INDONESIA, PNG AND INDIA

EMPLOYING 300 PEOPLE GLOBALLY PROVIDING SERVICES THROUGH ITS 30 OFFICES

HAS 500+ PARTNERSHIPS

INCLUDING GOVERNMENTS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, SUPPORT AGENCIES, ADVOCACY AND LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS

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Community Housing Ltd is a prime mover and confidence in the Australian community housing sector. It has...

ASSISTED 500,000+ PEOPLE IN THE LAST 25 YEARS IS THE LARGEST COMMUNITY HOUSING PROVIDER WITH

OVER 11,000

PROPERTIES UNDER MANAGEMENT

HOUSES SOME OF THE MOST DISADVANTAGED GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE HOMELESS, ON LOW INCOMES, WITH A DISABILITY

14%+ 16%+ CHL’S TENANTS IDENTIFY AS ATSI

CHL’S TENANTS ARE THOSE WITH A DISABILITY

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Are You Prepared?

A natural disaster can strike at anytime, anywhere and often with little or no warning. Whether it’s a bushfire, heatwave, flood or cyclone, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense.

People at (increased) risk during a natural disaster are the most vulnerable – frail older people, older women, people with disabilities, those on low or fixed incomes, refugees/new arrivals, large/ extended families and children/young people. Most states in Australia experience a disaster, it is often not a case of if but when.

Victoria endured one its most severe and prolonged heatwaves in the last week of January 2009 with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The worst fears were realised when fires broke out across Victoria on 7 February 2009, these fires resulted in the death of 173 people. This was one of the worst natural disasters to occur in Australia.

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The South Australian Sampson Flat fires, a series of bushfires that burned for a week in January 2015, was the most destructive fire in the Adelaide Hills for more than 30 years.

At the beginning of November 2010, a series of floods hit Queensland resulting in the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities with at least 90 towns and over 200,000 affected.

And now, New South Wales has been hit with unprecedented bushfires burning already nearly three times the entire amount of land across the state during the last season.

Raising awareness, having a plan in place before a natural disaster occurs and preparation will help in coping with and surviving. Some tips from the Australian Red Cross to help us plan in case of a natural disaster include: • Have enough food, water, medications, essential supplies (particularly for babies, young children) for between 42 hours to 72 hours. It is important to never drink tap water until authorities advise it is safe

• Have identification (eg Drivers Licence, Medicare Card, Centrelink details) on you if evacuated, proof of identity makes it easier to access assistance

• ‘Get Packing’ is a checklist of survival items at www.redcross.org.au/getmedia/9c3af5a8-e6ba4ecb-944e-c0e2c59474a1/2017-09-13-GetPacking.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf and

• Have a small, personal bag with your most precious belongings ready to take with you in case of an evacuation

• Download the free ‘Get Prepared’ app to help you keep in touch with loved ones, organise simple tasks to make you safe and protect things that matter the most to you at www.redcross.org.au/ campaigns/prepare/organised

• ABC Radio is the official emergency broadcaster, local police and your local council will provide the most accurate information to keep you informed of events.

Being separated from friends and loved ones is very stressful and confusing, some tools to assist all communities to plan and prepare, including how to manage your stress include: • ‘Get in the know’ is the vital first steps toward being prepared for an emergency at www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/prepare/know

References • vcoss.org.au/news/vulnerable-people-facegreater-and-ongoing-risk-from-disasters/ This article refers to the recent VCOSS (2018) Submission to the Review of the Vulnerable People in Emergency Policy discussion paper to ensure language, content etc is consistent with the recommendations of this peak body as well as the Australian Red Cross as a key information source.

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update

NSW

Labourers and apprentice, Paul (facing camera), working on the Kempsey Sensory Garden

Building Local Employment Into Our Projects Meaningful work can have a big impact on people’s lives. Not only financially but there is the sense of purpose, self-esteem and opportunity to connect with others too. Wherever possible, we strive to incorporate employment into our projects. In NSW, we have connections with a range of job service providers and with the help of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) and Real Futures, which are Aboriginal Employment Organisations, we have recruited some fantastic new staff members.

Over the last year, we’ve employed tenants as casual Survey Team Members to work alongside staff from CHL and NSW Health to conduct household surveys, a waste audit and community activities.

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As part of a contract with the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office and Kempsey Local Aboriginal Land Council, we also employed four labourers and two apprentices to deliver a repairs and maintenance project building their skills on a range of other projects including the Kempsey Sensory Garden, Urunga Boardwalk upgrade and graffiti removal.

CHL will also be looking at best practice for recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and the mutual benefits of procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Improving Our End-to-End Housing Support Since the Social Housing Management Transfer in November 2018, CHL has delivered Housing Options Support Co-ordination in the Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Nambucca local government area.

With the introduction of the Support Co-ordination model, we have created a Support Co-ordinator role to assist existing CHL tenants and/or new housing options clients with their goals of employment, education and better health outcomes.

Recently a young couple came into the CHL office in Kempsey, they were homeless and had been sleeping on the street. They were booked in to see the Support Co-ordinator, Helen. The couple worked with Helen to develop an individual plan to assist them with their goal of long-term housing.

Helen negotiated with one of the motels on a daily rate, helped refer them to move into a one-bedroom apartment at a Port Macquarie Family Refuge and even drove them to their assessment, where they were accepted and moved into a small onebedroom apartment for a short period. That is, until a social housing property became available through CHL. The couple are now housed with CHL in Port Macquarie and are still working with the local support services coordinated by the CHL Support Co-ordinator.

With the success of this model, we hope to eventually expand this to other offices across NSW in the future.

Stable Housing, Stable Life Stable housing can make such a difference in one’s life. Read on to hear from two of our tenants to get their perspective on what impact stable housing has had on their life.

Christopher McFayden – New Tenant Christopher McFayden Where were you living before here?

I was living in Armidale. My father, William had a granny flat I was staying in, so I want to give him and my big brother, Bear a big shout out of thanks for having me there.

What made you want to come to Nambucca Heads?

I’ve got best mates who live here and they’re my second family.

How has getting this home changed your life?

All for the better – I can’t get over it! Look at my view and feel the sea breeze. I’ve a mental illness and have good support services here that care. My mates and family are also great supports for me and understand what I’ve been through.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?

I’d like to let others with a mental illness know that I have done it hard, but there is always a way out. I’m so happy now, I want to live the rest of my life here.

Jack Wyatt – Long-Term Tenant

Jack Wyatt

Being a long-term tenant, what difference has this made in your life?

Incredible - it made my life more comfortable.

Having stable housing made it easier for me to continue working as an Architect, my lifelong commitment, until illness stopped me. I always enjoyed the challenge of trying to meet everyone’s brief without needing to make changes!

So Jack what interests you now that you’ve retired?

I’ve got a van I’ve fitted out that I love to go away in, sometimes camping and fishing and of course visiting children and grandchildren in Sydney and Lismore.

What do you like about living in Valla?

It’s well away from town, so lovely and quiet, plus it gives me access to the beach. I’ve always enjoyed nature, and this has long given me deep inspiration in my life and work.

Jack discloses his secret to the cleanest, shiniest kitchen sink…

Depending on the state of your sink, you want to begin with an 800 grit ‘wet and dry’ paper and use with a little soap and water. Using lots of elbow grease (and patience) always rub in the same direction, then move gradually through to a much finer grit paper. The results are truly astounding!

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update VIC

Discovering Derrimut In July this year, CHL started a project to discover Derrimut. Located in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Derrimut is home to over 60 CHL tenants, many aged over 55.

After a community meeting, it became clear that many tenants felt disconnected and the area lacked many essential services, which created social isolation. Following this we teamed up with the wider community, including the YMCA, Early Learning Centre/Community Centre, drummond street services and the Brimbank City Council to create a partnership team and action plan.

On Thursday 3 October, a wonderful (and unexpected!) turn out of approximately 150+ Derrimut community members gathered on Balmoral Park for a dusk BBQ with kids’ activities and summer atmosphere.

Community coming together at Derrimut

This informal event facilitated community engagement in naming local issues that will develop into community projects, such as: • Community infrastructure - No shade at the playground, inadequate Public Transport, public drinking fountains, dog parks • Connecting community – Working with Unidos Amigos (South American - Spanish speaking group) to relocate closer to Derrimut - many residents are from South America • Sports clubs – Creating more opportunities for local sports clubs to connect with community and utilise economic potential • More community events – community dinners, building on activities with local schools • Place management – relocation of CHL worker to be on-site one day a week to continue building relationships with tenants and more effectively manage housing related issues.

Turns out there’s quite a bit to discover in Derrimut…

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Arts of Living at Queens Road In early October, the residents at Queens Road, St Kilda had the opportunity to showcase their incredible artistic talents.

The Queens Road Rooming House has an onsite arts studio and is a partnership between Sacred Heart Mission and CHL. The social inclusion arts program provides an opportunity for creativity, connectivity and relaxation, with other activities such as garden groups, pet therapy and health and education also offered.

This evening was a celebration of the past years work and attended by residents, community members, local businesses and dignitaries of both organisations including the Mayor of the City of Port Phillip. The Queens Road band played

Artwork at Queens Road Queens Road’s resident, Cherryl Dunleavy

throughout the evening, whilst guests mingled with residents who were happy to share their stories and talk about their work.

The art exhibition was on display for the month of October and all artwork was available for purchase through this period. Many were snapped up on the opening night!

Is 2020 Your Year?

We’ve reviewed our scholarships program - and we want more people to benefit!

That’s why there are now three ways that you can benefit from the program.

Scholarships Based on the existing program, we are giving people clearer guidelines and removing barriers for people who are seeking to further their education or employment.

NEW Social Inclusion Grants Health and wellbeing grants that will encourage social inclusion (gym memberships, yoga, arts, sports equipment, etc.)

NEW Community Chest Grants for community projects delivered by residents, community groups, support agencies etc.

For more information about how to apply please go to our website chl.org.au/news/events/ upcoming-events/2020-victorian-tenantscholarship-and-grants/ 11

update SA

Would you like this Dance?

CHL partnered with the North East Community House and hosted an afternoon dance as part of ZEST Fest 2019. ZEST Fest is COTA SA’s festival for ‘Modern Ageing’.

Phil King - singer/guitarist performed to a packed room of nearly 100 rock ‘n rollers, who literally danced and sang the afternoon away! There was also a special dance demonstration by the ‘Adelaide Rock ‘n’ Roll Club’, which was a real treat whilst lucky door prizes and a delicious afternoon tea were all highlights of the day. This was a free event for CHL tenants and seniors and health care card holders from the community had a $5 entry fee. Everyone had a great time and we think we will make the dance an annual event for ZEST Fest.

Thanks to all who came along and we will see you again same time and place next year!

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Community dancing the afternoon away!

SA Tenant Garden Competition 2019 This was our first year in delivering a Garden Competition for our tenants in SA, and it was a fantastic experience. We let our community know about the competition back in March and registrations closed end of August, and judging took place end of September, so everyone had plenty of time to get organised.

We identified four categories that tenants could nominate in, Best Garden, Best Edible Garden, Best Shared/Communal Garden and Best Window Box/ Patio/Verandah/Pot Plant Garden. We felt this way tenants living in any dwelling could get involved.

We had two guest judges with recognised garden achievements, Alan and Marga and our third judge SA HSM Keely, who self-identified as a beginner gardener. We all had so much fun and it was a true pleasure seeing all the beautiful gardens, the pride and the joy that our tenants shared with us. We did two full days of judging.

On Tuesday the 29th October, we held a special presentation event at our office to award the winners with their prizes and we were delighted that the Mayor of The City Port Adelaide Enfield, Claire Boan, made herself available to present the awards to our gardeners.

Congratulations to all our winners - Jan from Oakden - 1st Prize, Brenda from Enfield - 2nd Prize, Anivatt from Clearview - 3rd Prize and Barb from Prospect - 4th Prize. The judges also awarded a Special Commendation to Robert from Clearview for his garden. All winners received Garden Vouchers, so they could purchase something special for their garden and all other entrants received their certificates of ‘Outstanding Contribution’ and a pot plant.

We look forward to running the competition again next year and hope to see many more of you getting those thumbs green!

City of Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor, Claire Boan and prize winners 13

update WA

Tenant Story - Jaden

In late 2015, Jaden moved into his first home with CHL but found it difficult to form any relationships with his neighbours.

Sometimes Jaden would take his frustrations out by damaging the property.

However, in mid-2017 Kylie Ingram joined CHL Perth as our housing officer and things began to change. When Kylie met Jaden and his Cam Can support worker, she believed Jaden would be happier in a quieter area and in a home with more space. After a lot of searching, a property became available. Jaden viewed it with his support worker and agreed it was the home for him.

Kylie worked closely with Jaden and his support worker. Together, they developed an Agreement for Jaden to sign prior to moving in. In the Agreement, it was agreed that Jaden would look after this new home, take better care of himself and be a respectful neighbour.

It’s been over 12-months since moving into his new home, Jaden has fulfilled the Agreement (although 14

some neighbours think he might sing a bit too loud). Now a regular at the local gym, Jaden is looking terrific. He has even been rock climbing, go karting, fishing, playing volleyball and visited a car show.

His support worker must be struggling to keep up with him!

Kylie and the housing team at CHL are so happy to play our small role in Jaden’s life. It has been a pleasure to see him mature and have a fulfilling life.

The St Emilie’s Development Esther Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that provides accommodation and recovery services for up to 44 young women in need, including those at risk of homelessness in Western Australia.

Since 1997, Esther has been pivotal in hundreds of women’s lives being restored. In response to the increasing demand for Esther’s services, in 2010 the Department of Communities purchased St Emilie’s Convent in Kalamunda for Esther to use as a residential hub. Lotterywest subsequently supplied $3.447 million for the redevelopment of St Emilie’s.

CHL WA State Manager James Butterworth with Rod Lavater from The Esther Foundation accept the IPAA WA Award

To execute the redevelopment, the Department of Communities brokered a partnership between itself, Esther and CHL as designer and project manager. In June 2018, the fruit of the long-running partnership was realised at the opening of the twenty-bedroom, forty-bed purpose-built facility.

In June 2019, the project was recognised at the IPAA WA Awards; Innovation in the Not-For-Profit Sector; Best Practice in Collaboration Between Government and Non-Government Organisations as well as the Australasian Housing Institute’s State Winner of the Leading Housing Development in WA.

CHL WA State Manager James Butterworth with Rod Lavater from The Esther Foundation together with representatives from Department of Communities celebrate success

Farewell Kylie On the 11th October 2019, the Perth Office along with tenants from the 146 Fitzgerald Street Complex farewelled our much-loved Senior Housing Officer, Kylie Ingram with a morning tea.

Kylie commenced with CHL in June 2017 and had a huge impact on those she worked with. This was evidenced by the number of tenants that attended her morning tea with gifts and lots of hugs (and a few tears).

“Kylie will be very missed from my team,” says Housing Services Manager, Lynda Briggs. “Not only was Kylie a very diligent Housing Officer but she also had those extra ingredients of compassion and empathy, not something we see a lot of these days. I am delighted to see her move to an organisation that will value her work ethic and dedication. It is an exciting new role that she is going to and we wish her all the very best.”

Some of Kylie’s “above and beyond” includes cleaning a tenant’s ceiling fans as the tenant couldn’t manage a ladder, delivering Lemsips to a tenant who had a cold and who couldn’t get to the shop and always being there to listen, be a shoulder to cry on or just give a hug if it was needed.

State Manager, James Butterworth presented Kylie with gifts from the WA Housing Team and along with her colleagues and tenants wished her all the very best in her new venture.

Thank you, Kylie!

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update TAS

Billy Cadman from the IMS team at Cook Crescent garden

Cook Crescent - Facility Garden We are undertaking the construction of a facility garden at Cook Crescent Mayfield.

The garden is being established by our community development program in partnership with the IMS team.

Three raised garden beds have been placed in the common area of the unit block and the construction of an onsite compost tub will see the area have a fully functioning vegetable garden along with seating built by local community members.

“This initiative will allow the residents of Cook Crescent to plant, grow and cultivate vegetables that can be consumed by the residents of this unit complex,” says Community Development Officer Brett Mansell.

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The involvement of the IMS Team is seen as an extremely positive development in the community space.

Tasmanian and Victorian Asset Manager Brett Jarman says, “we have been keen to get the IMS team involved in the community space and the Cook Crescent initiative is the first of a number of community projects that the IMS team will be involved in.”

Resident Kim Maynard says, “The garden will be great for all residents at Cook Crescent.”

This initiative is the first in a number of garden developments that will take place over the next 12-months as part of the BHF program.

Pioneer Parade Garden - Final Phase Phase 3 and the final phase of development at the Pioneer Parade Garden will begin in November.

The shipping container pictured above will be placed on site and converted into a toilet facility and extra storage.

“The idea is to enable as many community members as possible to enjoy the garden and with young families you need toilets to make it comfortable” said Community Development Officer Brett Mansell.

The container will be turned into a toilet and baby change facility at one end and extra storage at the other.

The funding for this development has been provided by our AMU department as part of a push to be involved in community development.

Brett Jarman Asset Manager TAS/VIC said “The garden is a great place for community to come and be involved in an extremely healthy activity and we wanted to be a part of that.”

Asset Manager TAS/VIC, Brett Jarman beside the shipping container that will be turned into toilet facilities and storage

A launch will be held closer to Christmas and there will be cook ups held throughout the summer.

Christmas Rent Competition – TAS Tenants At CHL, we understand the pressures that arise at this time of year. With this in mind, we would like to extend this offer to you to be involved in our Christmas Rent Competition.

How to enter: All you need to do is keep paying your regular rent payments [plus any agreement you may have in place] throughout December 2019 and January 2020 and you will automatically go into the draw to win one of ten Coles/Myer Gift Vouchers valued at $50.00 each.

What if I need to stop paying my rent during this time? You can discuss making an arrangement with your Housing Officer now to cover the amount you will not be paying.

If you have any questions, please contact your CHL Housing Officer on 6325 0700.

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update

QLD

L-R: Alex Romanov from Centrelink, CHL GHMS Shelter worker (Superstar) Darren O’Toole and Bronwyn Heyworth from DPHW

“Housing Ends Homelessness” ‘Homelessness Week’ is an annual week to raise awareness of people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, the issues they face and what actions are needed to mitigate this. This year ‘Homelessness Week’ took place on August 4th to 11th with the theme as “Housing Ends Homelessness”.

As part of this, staff from Maryborough’s CHL team collaborated with Centrelink and the Queensland’s Department of Housing and Public Works (DHPW) RentConnect services to provide an outreach and information session at the local Station Square regarding what services are available for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

We had CHL Good Hope Men’s Shelter (GHMS) staff member Darren O’Toole, Centrelink’s Community Engagement Officer Alex Romanov,

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Social Worker Stacey Connor, DHPW RentConnect’s Bronwyn Heyworth and Family Accommodation Services (FAS) in attendance to answer any queries on the day, from what crisis facilities and public support services are available, the application processes for housing assistance to name a few.

During the day, a single male made enquiries advising he was transient, experiencing homelessness and seeking support. The gentleman was referred to GHMS and provided with supported accommodation.

Overall, the day was a success with many members of the public learning more about the range of different services available in the community and provided with information brochures and referrals to relevant services.

Congratulations!

Recently our Maryborough office was awarded a service plaque from the Queensland Police Service/ Wide Bay Burnett District Vulnerable Persons Unit in recognition of their amazing work in providing services to our community and assisting our most vulnerable persons.

Well done to our Maryborough office for their work!

CHL Team with Detective Inspector Gary Pettiford awarding CHL Maryborough staff with their plaque award

Owner Engagement Breakfast Maryborough Coordinator, Tenancy team and Field Services Officers held a breakfast information session for the head lease owners in August at Aquavue, Hervey Bay. Tenancy Administrators, Byron and Karen, ran through the CRS program with the owners to give them a better understanding on how the organisation manages their properties. Owners who had their properties with CHL ranging from 2 years to 20 years were in attendance.

The owners were very appreciative of CHL taking the time to put together the owner engagement event and were all interested doing this annually.

Introducing Tenants Awards!

At CHL, we value and recognise the great things our tenants do on a regular basis. So starting as of last month, all Queensland CHL tenants will have an opportunity to be entered into a draw to receive a $50 gift card.

The tenant award is to recognise tenants that are doing well in their tenancies on a regular basis or those who have shown great improvements in certain aspects of their tenancy. It might be that you keep your property in spotless condition, you repaid some arrears or that you recently volunteered in the community. Make sure you let your housing administrator or CHL representative know about the great things you’re doing – and we’ll enter you into the monthly draw to win! The lucky winner will be drawn at the end of each month.

L-R: Alyssa Priddle & Dexter the Macaw on her shoulder, Karen Goodfellow, Brenden Tobin, Byron Manitzky, Keith & Lesley Ellis, Peter & Debrah Burdon

Maryborough Office have moved!

CHL Maryborough is now located at 88 Ellena Street, Maryborough.

Our contact details and business hours are as usual.

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Aboriginal Employee Alliance 2019 The Aboriginal Employee Alliance (AEA) is a CHL initiative, that brings together our Aboriginal staff to draw on their experience and knowledge of Aboriginal culture around Australia, to contribute to the success of CHL projects, and overall improve the employment experience of both Aboriginal and nonAboriginal employees. This also forms part of our Reconciliation Action Plan that was launched earlier this year.

The initiative has been in operation for many years and currently there are 26 Aboriginal staff who are part of the AEA. The group meets each year and this year they gathered at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) Redfern, NSW on the 19th and 20th November with an official opening by Jody Broun – CEO of the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office – AHO.

Tenants Feedback Are In! As you may already know every year at CHL, we hold a tenant satisfaction survey. This is an opportunity for all our tenants to let us know how we are tracking, what we are doing well in and what we can do better.

This year’s survey was once again conducted by Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW ensuring your responses remain private and anonymous. The survey gave tenants the option of completing a paper survey or completing the survey online too.

As part of completing the survey, tenants went into the draw to win some fantastic prizes; six $100 gift vouchers, thirty $25 gift vouchers and one grand prize of a HP 11” Stream Notebook.

Thank you to all who took the time to submit their survey. We really appreciate it.

Here’s to another great year ahead!

We are proud to report that this year saw our biggest return rate yet, with 3,380 valid responses from across Australia. That’s equal to 34% of our tenants!

Because of the feedback provided by our customers who participated in the survey, we have been able to adopt a more customer-focused approach when reviewing our national policies and procedures and focusing on the customer journey when updating our suite of documents, to ensure we are thinking about the end-user experience.

To make sure any changes are properly implemented by our staff, we have introduced improved training delivery for our operational teams across the country with more face-to-face workshops, weekly team conversation pieces and better online training modules developed and distributed so that no matter where your CHL team member is located, you can be assured of a quality service experience.

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One of our survey winners, Dianne Keith with her $100 voucher

CHL Tenant Satisfaction Results 2019

National Average

86%

Western Australia

93%

Queensland

93%

Horizon Housing

90%

New South Wales

83%

South Australia

88%

Victoria

Tasmania

78%

89%

CHL’s performance against the National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH) threshold :

86% 82% 78% Overall Satisfaction

Property Condition

Repairs and Maintenance

All above the NRSCH Threshold of 75% 21

CHL Complaints, Appeals and Client feedback CHL aims to provide a high standard of service in all areas of our operations. We recognise however that there will be occasions when clients, applicants, tenants and others receiving services from us, providing services to us or who are significantly affected by CHL’s operations may wish to comment on, complain about or appeal a decision made regarding an aspect of our service. We appreciate and take seriously all feedback that our customers choose to provide, and always aim to resolve any complaints and conduct appeal reviews in a timely manner.

Customers of CHL can expect: • To be able to provide feedback verbally, in writing via post, email or by completing a hard copy form available in our offices or online by visiting our website • That we will always take your comments, complaints and appeals seriously and encourage you to ask questions about our work practices • To be able to appeal a decision made by us and have it dealt with promptly • That any complaint or appeal will be dealt with fairly and professionally, without consequence to you or your status as a customer of CHL.

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CHL is committed to customer rights and ensuring fair, equitable and transparent processes. We aim to continually improve our services and their delivery, and view all feedback as an opportunity for positive action. Information on our complaints and appeals policies, processes and timeframe guidelines, as well as information on external agencies you can contact to assist in resolving any issues, are available from our website, from any of our office locations or you can request a copy from your CHL staff member at any time. For further information, please write or call us.

Repairs and Maintenance For all repairs and maintenance queries call us on 1300 424 573 during business hours 7 days a week. You can also email us at: maintenance@chl.org.au

Emergency and out-of-hours service If you need police, fire or ambulance in an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

We provide emergency repairs service outside of our normal office hours – at evenings and on weekends. You can call 1300 4 CHL REPAIR (1300 424 573) after hours for emergencies only.

HOUSEHOLD TIPS

FOOD CORNER RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Mango and blackberry yoghurt ice blocks Ingredients • 1/2 medium mango, stoned, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) • 2 cups (560g) vanilla or coconut flavoured yoghurt • 125g blackberries

Method Step 1 Place the mango and half the yoghurt in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jug.

Step 3 Pour half the mango mixture among ten 1/3-cup (80ml) iceblock moulds. Top with half the blackberry mixture. Continue layering with remaining mango mixture and blackberry mixture. Insert iceblock sticks.

Place in freezer for 3 hours or until firm.

Source: www.taste.com.au

Step 2 Place the blackberries and remaining yoghurt in a clean blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to another jug.

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If you have any feedback or suggestions on how to improve this magazine please contact us via any of the following: Email: chlconnect@chl.org.au Post: Community Housing Ltd CHL Connect Team 19-23 Prospect St Box Hill VIC 3128 Call: 1300 CHL HOUSING (1300 245 468) and ask to be connected to Marketing and Communications Department Website: www.chl.org.au Community Housing Ltd ABN 11 062 802 797 Community Housing (VIC) Ltd ABN 75 112 324 384 Aboriginal Community Housing Ltd ABN 23 165 108 654