CHL Connect Dec 2020

CHL

Connect National Tenant Magazine December 2020

CHL UNVEILS A NEW STATE-OFTHE-ART SPECIALIST DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION IN WOOLOOWIN, BRISBANE. READ MORE ON PAGE 16.

CHL DELIVERS 24 BRAND NEW HOMES IN MELBOURNE’S NORTH EAST.

NEW APP LAUNCHED IN WA TO HELP CHL RESIDENTS SAVE MONEY ON UTILITIES.

MEET SA’S NEWEST STAFF MEMBER!

CHL

Connect

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Inside this issue 03 Editor’s message

10 SA news

04 CHL updates

12 WA news

06 NSW news

14 TAS news

19 Repairs and maintenance

08 VIC news

16 QLD news

20 ReadSpeaker

21 Household tips

18 Our customer feedback

22 Springclean your way into Summer 23 Food corner

20 Prepare for Summer

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EDITOR’S MESSAGE Dear Tenants, I hope you and your families are safe and healthy.

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

Editor: Preeti Daga Head of Corporate Communications

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 10,000 readership, including tenants and staff, together with a wide range of people who have contact with Community Housing Ltd.

The single most significant development this year around the world was without doubt the coronavirus pandemic. In Australia, we also had the catastrophic bushfires at the start of the year.

CHL are proud to have responded quickly to the bushfire emergency and the COVID-19 challenge and was able to successfully continue its service delivery across six states to a work-from-home approach without much impact on our staffing capacity.

Staff have been supported to work remotely so they can seamlessly provide the services to you over the phone and via online platforms with an option to meet face to face by appointments, where required.

As restrictions begin to ease across the country and we all adapt to a ‘COVID normal’ way of living, many of our staff across a number of states have returned to working from the office in a safe manner.

Whilst the challenges were many, it has also been an incredibly busy year at CHL completing existing projects and looking to grow our business so we can house many more who are in need of affordable housing.

As always, we will keep you informed on any relevant updates. You may also visit our website www.chl.org.au to keep informed on matters relevant to your tenancy.

We also welcome your ideas and feedback. To get in touch, write to us at chlconnect@chl.org.au or connect with us via our social media channels.

Until next edition, we wish you and your families the best of health and a wonderful holiday season ahead.

Stay safe.

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 UPDATES CHL’s newly built Specialist Disability Accommodation in Wooloowin, Queensland.

CHL PARTNERS WITH THREAD TOGETHER Thread Together is an online wardrobe website that diverts brand new clothes from landfill and redistributes them to people in need via a number of registered charity partners and social services. Thanks to Corinne Ward from our Homelessness team in Box Hill this now proudly includes CHL. Now our homelessness and housing teams across our offices will be able to provide customers with clothing if needed.

For Thread Together, this is all about restoring dignity and hope for people who are going through a difficult time by providing the opportunity to choose a complete wardrobe of new clothes. And we are very proud to be able to work with them to assist our customers.

To find out more about Thread Together, head to: www.threadtogether.org

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One of the housing units developed in Adelaide, South Australia.

During this last year, CHL has been able to achieve many outcomes in the housing sector, including: • In Adelaide, CHL are completing 15 new homes in partnership with the South Australian Government.

• In Western Australia, CHL took transfer of 11 properties in Kalbarri for elderly people in need and the lease of 37 homes for low-income workers in Coral Bay. • On the Gold Coast, CHL has signed a lease with the Queensland Government to manage a youth foyer that will be home to 40 young people as well as a five-unit facility for women escaping domestic violence. We have also secured funding to deliver 47 new homes for the elderly.

• In Brisbane, CHL has opened a new Specialist Disability Accommodation that will be home to six young people with disabilities. You can read more about this project in the Queensland section of this magazine.

• In Victoria, CHL has completed construction of 18 homes across Castlemaine, Hepburn, Lynbrook, and Morwell and acquired two five bed group homes for people with disabilities in Moira. We have also opened a new block of 24 apartments in Mernda. Read more about this project in the Victoria section of this magazine.

• In the Gippsland area, CHL has announced the delivery of five shared homes and two independent homes in Sale to be completed next year, providing more housing options for vulnerable young people living with a disability or progressive illness in the area.

• Internationally, CHL has prepared five housing projects in Chile, Timor-Leste, Peru and India to commence construction that will in time deliver 300 affordable homes. We were also engaged by the Indonesia Government to provide advice on the development of its community-based housing programs.

• Lastly, our very own CHL Managing Director, Steve Bevington was named as one of the four finalists in the 2021 Victorian Australian of the Year Awards. We are so very proud of Steve for being recognised for his lifelong commitment to end housing poverty for all.

Congratulations Steve!

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update

NSW

L-R: Tanaya and Khloe with their mother, Jessica at the ‘A Good Sort’ workshop.

Recycling project launches in Kempsey An exciting educational recycling project is being piloted in targeted parts of south and west Kempsey to make it easier for residents to separate waste and recycling. This has been brought to you in partnership with NSW Health Department’s Aboriginal Environmental Health Unit (AEHU), Kempsey Shire Council and CHL. The project has employed four casual community workers to assist other residents learn how easy it is to be a good sorter. Much fun was had learning how to sort waste items correctly and how long it takes for some of these items to decompose.

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Community Development Project Officer Rebekah who is co-managing with Kempsey Shire Council attended a workshop said, “We were all horrified to learn that plastic lasts forever.”

Throughout the project there will be opportunities for residents to contribute feedback through focus group workshops.

Households that have been chosen to participate in this pilot project will have their bins tagged with either a smiley face or sad face to indicate how well they are sorting their waste. Smiley face households go in a draw to win a $50 reward voucher.

To find out how to be a good sorter, turn to page 21 for some Good Sort Tips!

DCJ 2021 scholarships are now open! $1,000 scholarships are available to TAFE and senior high school students living in social housing or out-of-home care to help with education and training costs. There are 1,000 scholarships on offer.

• Apply online at: bit.ly/DCJNSWScholarships • Students only have until 19 February, 2021 to get their application in so get in quick!

Meet CHL tenant, Michelle Michelle* and her family have lived in private rentals and community housing for several years. She said, while her children were young, the homes were okay, but as her children grew it became more evident, they needed a bigger home. One they could live in longterm and specially designed for her twin daughters born with Retts Syndrome; a severe condition of the nervous system that affects all body movement.

Michelle’s property at the time was leased by the Department of Communities and Justice and the owner gave Michelle notice to vacate so they could redevelop the home.

“We had an open house for three-years straight with people coming to look at the house.

“It was hard to find a house for a family of five with two girls with wheelchairs so then CHL come along and took over and they owned the house that we’re in.”

Nearly six months later, the CHL NSW housing team invited Michelle to inspect a home to identify its suitability for her family’s living arrangements.

Fortunately, it would.

“CHL gutted it out and the whole house was modified.

It’s everything and more than we wanted it to be. The street that we are in is so nice. The neighbours all came and greeted us and introduced themselves. The house we are in is so much better.

“All those small things might not mean much to other people but having disabled children or if you are disabled yourself, those things make such a difference in your life.

Just having a bathroom and to have a proper shower in there. The hallways are widened so the girls can fit their wheelchairs and they are able to access the whole house whereas before they couldn’t fit in some doorways.

“To have the rent of a house that’s made and modified just for us and knowing we’re here for a long time is unbelievable. Sheer relief to think we don’t have to go through that again.”

Michelle and the family moved into their new home in early June this year. Since moving in, Michelle has gone back to her passion and is currently studying astrophysics and her daughters are able to manoeuvre around the home easily and independently.

“I can’t even put into words how happy we are and how much happier our whole family are.

“It was all worth the wait.” *Name changed for privacy reasons

NSW office announcement Our offices in Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour have reopened however our staff are still working under COVID-19 restrictions. To avoid disappointment, please call 1300 245 468 to book an appointment prior to coming into the office.

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update VIC

CHL’s brand new 24 unit housing development in Mernda delivered in partnership with the Peter and Lyndy White Foundation and the Victorian Government’s Social Housing Growth Fund.

Twenty-four unit housing development finds home in Mernda CHL has announced the completion of 24 brand new affordable homes in Melbourne’s growing north-eastern suburb of Mernda – an initiative made possible by a three-way partnership between the philanthropic, public and not-for-profit sector.

The $6.1 million development has been jointly funded by the philanthropic organisation Peter and Lyndy White Foundation that is the majority contributor with over $4.2 million, followed by $1.2 million from the Victorian Government’s Social Housing Growth Fund and the remainder by CHL. Designed and built by CHL, the new homes will be rented out to eligible people with local community links, at subsidised rent.

“Mernda is a thriving community and it’s very well serviced. It’s on the train line now and has been since 2018. It has health services, community services, 08

retail and schools,” says CHL Victoria State Manager Grant McNeill.

These homes are modern, well located and will provide much needed additional supply of affordable housing at a time where the cost of living is increasingly unaffordable. It will provide a new lease of life to those who have fallen into difficulties due to issues such as unemployment, family breakdown, illness and others that led to them ending up homeless.

“It is very important that we continue to grow the supply for Victoria, there is a very long housing list, high demand and housing has been expensive and it’s out of the reach for many people in terms of home ownership and private rental.

“It is important to provide affordable housing opportunities for all people with all incomes and family types. This is affordable housing. It is right in the heart of the CBD in Mernda and we believe that’s the way we build thriving and balanced communities.”

Meet CHL tenant, Mary and John Mary and her late husband John lived in their own home for several years, but when John fell terminally ill, they both made the decision to sell their home to pay for John’s treatment and care.

Now without their home, Mary and John went into the private rental market. There they found it difficult to find a place that met their needs, one that was affordable and they could make their own.

She has also made friends in her neighbourhood meeting up regularly in her “village”, while sticking to the social distancing guidelines.

Mary welcomes the fact that CHL takes pride in its properties too.

“If ever I have any issues, I have found the team to be very responsive and they fix things quickly.”

Mary recounts a time she moved into a property where the previous tenant left their litter in the yard. When she asked the landlord if they could bring a skip bin to dispose it, they were unwilling, so Mary paid for the skip bin out of limited disposable income instead.

Mary had no idea that there was such a thing as community housing, but she is grateful there is as she says, “social housing saved (her) life”.

After John’s passing, Mary found it even more difficult to find stable affordable housing. That is when she came to know of CHL. As a CHL tenant, Mary lives in a modern home where she has made the space her own. With modern furnishings, she can maintain the place with ease.

Mary wanted to share her story with others and to help promote organisations like CHL to acquire much-needed funding.

Since COVID-19, she has been staying in her home while her granddaughter helps her out with grocery runs.

*Name changed for privacy reasons

National tenant satisfaction survey winners Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s national tenant satisfaction survey.

As part of completing the survey, tenants went into the draw to win some fabulous prizes of which nine people in VIC won. Well done to Julie Davenport, Peter Currie, Karyn Gaialight, Lauren Waite, Sarah Waardenburg, Cassie Clarke, Tina Young, Margaret Cockinos and Wimon She-Be. 09

update SA

CHL’s South Australian Internal Maintenance Service Team.

CHL’s IMS bridges the gap between employment and customer service Since its inception in late 2019, CHL’s Internal Maintenance Service (IMS) in South Australia has exceeded all expectations not only in terms of workload, but also in providing employment opportunities.

for young people and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people,” says CHL’s Asset Manager for South Australia, Aaron Gay.

What started with just one licenced electrician has since grown to a team of eight - two licenced electricians, two apprentices and two trade qualified painters with two apprentices.

“The guidance and support offered by our trade qualified staff to our apprentices has been outstanding and equally the work ethic and enthusiasm from our apprentices has given us great confidence in our modelling.

Through partnerships with ‘Believe’, a South Australian based Indigenous employment and mentoring business along with local employment agencies, CHL South Australia has been able to secure excellent staff.

“We are all very proud of what has been achieved and are confident that our IMS is making a difference to not only our tenants, but also to the employment opportunities to young people and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia.”

“Partnering with ‘Believe’ and Farin Wanganeen, a wellknown entity in the area, has allowed us to network in a sector that was previously untapped for CHL and enabled us to provide more employment opportunities 10

“The focus of the IMS has been great customer service in addition to exceptional workmanship. The positive feedback from our tenants is testament that we are meeting those expectations.

Meet Chandler Giles, CHL SA’s new Community Development Manager Chandler joined the CHL team in October 2020, in the newly formed role of Community Development Manager for South Australia.

In this role, Chandler will support the South Australian team in the delivery of the tenant management and community development plan for the state.

Chandler has spent the last 11 years working in local government leading a team that delivers grassroots community development projects in the city and is excited to be a part of CHL and bringing her experience to the community housing sector. She has a solid understanding of how safe, affordable, and suitable housing can provide the stability that people need to help build their lives.

When she is not at work, you can often find her tending the garden with her chooks, wine tasting in the McLaren Vale or cycling to the beach.

Chandler says, “I’m really looking forward to working for CHL and alongside the team in South Australia.

I’m excited that CHL values a bottom-up approach to working alongside communities and I’m looking forward to learning more about community housing alongside my South Australian and national colleagues.”

Stage One of ROSAS near completion CHL South Australia is reaching the conclusion of its Stage One ROSAS (Renewing Our Suburbs and Streets) program redevelopment, which has seen the construction of 13 new homes including these four at Mostyn Avenue, Clearview.

All the properties have solar panels to reduce electricity costs. The tenants have been involved in the selection of colours and benchtops from a discreet range to reflect their personal preferences.

All of these new homes will be occupied by Christmas and CHL South Australia just received final approval for Stage Two, which will see a further 11 homes constructed, two of which will be retained for rental purposes and the balance sold for affordable housing.

In other news…

CHL South Australia has recently submitted four proposals to the State Government in response to an economic stimulus package. If approved, it would lead to the development of 134 apartments across metropolitan Adelaide, and 100 homes in regional South Australia. We will keep you up to date should things progress.

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update WA

L-R: Justine Colyer – RISE CEO, Garry Ellender CHL WA State Manager, and Murray Dixon – CHL tenant at the Bill Buddy Launch.

New app launched to assist CHL residents save money on utilities Fifty CHL tenants in Western Australia will take part in a pilot program that will see them trial the new Bill Buddy App until mid-2021.

The App has been designed to help users measure, monitor, compare and reduce their consumption of energy and utility bills. It has been funded by Lotterywest and developed by social enterprise, ClimateClever, on behalf of the Rise Network’s consortium of not-for-profit housing providers.

10 News First Perth spoke with CHL tenant, Murray Dixon about the program.

CHL is proud to be part of this innovative technological solution, which will assist our residents to help them manage and reduce their utility 12

expenses and provide them with extra disposable income to live a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Want to sign up for Bill Buddy? Simple! Email infowa@chl.org.au to find out more, or access the online App via www.billbuddy.org.

The App is available for Apple and Android devices and it’s free to download. Search for Bill Buddy and look for these pictures:

Meet CHL tenant, Murray Dixon After 30 years of working as a civil engineer with the Water Corporation of WA, Murray decided he wanted to set his family up with a worry-free life.

Specialising in hydraulics in the sewerage and water supply area, he then went into land development with a consultancy, where he expanded on his skillset. And when a long-time colleague suggested they start an engineering business of their own; it was an offer Murray could not refuse.

So, in May 2016, Murray registered for housing with the Department of Communities, then known as the State Housing Commission, and in July 2018 was offered a two-bedroom unit in Perth from CHL.

That was 2005 and when WA’s construction boom was on the incline in 2008 so too was Murray’s business. But after five years, Murray’s business partner decided to walk-away from the firm leaving Murray and his wife with next to nothing. A similar situation happened with another business partner in 2015 and he was left with nothing and had to go bankrupt.

“Without going home and checking in with the wife, I said yes we will take it,” he laughs. “She came and had a look at it and of course she fell in love with it immediately as well. All our furniture fits in here and we love it!

Murray was devastated and says he took time off to reflect so he could acknowledge, forgive, and accept the situation he was in.

“We will be here forever and that is so calming and grateful and just makes us so thankful.

When a couple of friends found out about Murray’s situation, they offered him and his wife help. One friend offered them a house to get back on their feet and the second friend, a car so they could get around.

For several months, Murray searched for a home but found that, especially now as aged pensioners, private rentals were unaffordable.

“From being homeless to being permanently homed is fantastic.

“I don’t know where we’d be if we didn’t have community housing.”

Since having a place to make their own, Murray and his wife have been able to spend quality time with their family and community enjoying their retirement and once every now and again when they have saved the money, order in from their favourite local Chinese takeaway.

What’s new/Office announcements CHL takes our responsibility as a landlord seriously and this includes ensuring safe homes for our tenants.

Over the next few weeks all tenants will be contacted for inspections of safety components of their properties, this includes both residual currency devices (RCD) and smoke alarm testing and will be carried out by a licenced electrician.

Our tenants at Fitzgerald Street will also have inspections of fire safe entry doors to each unit. These will be inspected by a CHUBB fire

representative. Tenants will also be invited to attend a fire evacuation drill training, again to be carried out by a CHUBB fire representative.

We hope that all inspections are quick and do not cause too much inconvenience. Tenants are asked to please make access available for the contractors to complete works. We will ensure contractors communicate with you prior to attending and if you have any queries please contact our office.

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update TAS

The fruit orchard CHL Tasmania helped plant with the Northern Suburbs Community Centre Mowbray office.

Growing the Community

CHL Tasmania has been working with the Northern Suburbs Community Centre Mowbray office assisting them to establish a much-wanted small fruit orchard.

The community development program team worked closely with the office and volunteers to provide the land and access to water and now our Internal Maintenance Service (IMS) team has been involved in the planting of trees, that will soon bear fruit and provide healthy food options to community who live in the area.

“We are extremely proud to work with the community centre on projects like this,” says Community Development Officer, Brett Mansell.

“It is a great example of the work our CHL team do in the community also.”

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Customer experience interviews CHL’s Future of Work project focuses on how we are doing things and identifies areas that we can do better. As part of our Future of Work project, customer experience interviews were undertaken. Selected customers who successfully completed an interview are being issued with an $80 Coles Myer gift card as a thank you from CHL for their participation. So if you have been notified, keep an eye out for your voucher!

New fence brings good night’s rest Rocherlea tenant, Jason Reeves has had to battle to keep his dog inside his yard for the last six months due to some missing palings and holes on the fence.

After having to delay the fixing of the fence due to COVID-19 slowing works, the day arrived where the Tasmanian IMS team was able to replace the fence.

“I found it hard to sleep, as I was always worried my dog would escape,” says Mr Reeves.

Fortunately, that is no longer the case.

Mr Reeves is an extremely happy man who is now able to get a good night’s sleep.

Community Development Officer, Brett Mansell was just happy to see Mr Reeves at ease about his dog.

“He was always a bit stressed when I visited him but now, he doesn’t have to worry about that,” says Brett.

“The IMS team did a brilliant job, it looks first rate,” says Mr Reeves.

CHL’s Maintenance Assistant Supervisor, Billy building the fence.

Waverley community shapes future of vacant block Tenants, residents and supporters of local volunteer group, groWaverley Town Team were invited to a barbecue at Allwinton Court, Waverley last month, as an opportunity to welcome all to have their say regarding the future of the vacant block that lies within the complex.

The event was well attended with around twenty people present and many providing ideas and suggestions in relation to the development of the vacant block.

Representatives of local rotary clubs also committed their support, and they will be involved in running a working bee in March 2021. groWaverley founder, Danielle Watkins said, “The members of the groWaverley Town Team are excited to be working on this project in collaboration with Waverley residents and supporters of the Waverley community co-op.”

CHL Community Development Officer, Brett Mansell added, “We are looking forward to working with all parties involved and see this project as a very important component of our community development program for 2021.”

National tenant satisfaction survey winners Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s national tenant satisfaction survey.

As part of completing the survey, tenants went into the draw to win some fabulous prizes of which seven people in TAS won. Well done to Janice Wood, Tayla Jones, Robert Clarke, Nicole Moss, Kim Barron Maynard and Alana Rose Olding.

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update

QLD At the Wooloowin Opening. Top left: Wooloowin resident cutting the ribbon. Top middle: CHL QLD State Manager, Frances. Top right: The new Wooloowin residents. Bottom: Wooloowin resident, Lathom with his parents Stephen and Margaret.

CHQL and Youngcare unveil new disability accommodation for Brisbane residents A new state-of-the-art Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) opened in September, which will become home for six Brisbane residents with high care needs – thanks to a three-way partnership between Community Housing (Qld) Limited (CHQL), Youngcare and the Department of Public Works and Housing (DHPW).

The $3 million housing development in Brisbane’s inner north suburb of Wooloowin will provide accommodation for six residents in a mix of shared and self-contained accommodation for people aged between 18-65 years with high physical-care needs.

One of the residents who has moved into the new Wooloowin development is 34-year old Lathom – the son of Brisbane locals Margaret and Stephen, who have been caring for Lathom at their family home since he was born with severe Spina Bifida.

“I am looking forward to having my own space and doing my own washing, cooking and making some 16

new friends,” says Lathom, “I am looking forward to exploring the new neighbourhood.”

CHL’s Queensland State Manager Frances PatersonFleider says, “We wanted to bring the opportunity for people to have social interaction, so we have breakout spaces, a community garden, and a community room.

It’s really about making sure this is home and that people can live independently with dignity and choice.”

The new development includes three townhouses and a three person share house with 24-hour care and is fitted with cutting-edge equipment suited to a range of unique care needs that will support the residents to live independently.

CHQL is the owner and ongoing tenancy and property manager of the new housing development, while Youngcare will oversee the quality of care of the new residents. The Queensland State Government provided the land for this development.

Watch Lathom’s video on CHL’s YouTube Channel.

High school students donate toiletry packs for those in need Students from Maryborough State High School donated 90 toiletry packs for CHL customers in need in the local community.

The toiletry packs were filled with items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and moisturiser.

CHL wants to thank Maryborough State High School and its pupils for their kind donation and for inviting the Maryborough team to come speak to students about homelessness, how it can affect anyone and the ways in which CHL’s services can help people in times of need.

A stellar effort by these amazing students. Your contributions are so appreciated!

L-R: Maryborough State High School’s Home Economics/Visual Art Teacher, Sarah Griffin working with students on the project with CHL staff Darren and Debbie.

Multicultural mural brings youth together Recently the young people of the Logan youth foyer collaborated with local artist and proud Widi, Burri Gubba and Kuku Yalangi women to create a stunning mural in the recently established Stage Two of the Logan youth foyer.

The artwork represents all the cultures residing at the youth foyer and is called “Coming Home”.

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Our customer feedback Having your say CHL values and appreciates all the customer feedback you have kindly shared with us. Your compliments, insights and feedback are invaluable particularly during the past six months, where we have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your information helps guide improvements in not only how we deliver our services to you, but also in ensuring that our policies and procedures are fair and transparent.

Any feedback that you choose to provide, CHL appreciates and aims to resolve any issues in a timely manner.

If you are unsure of where you can send this information, you can lodge your feedback in writing, over the telephone, on our website, or in person and have it treated as formal feedback.

Remember you have the right to register a formal complaint when dissatisfied with issues about our service.

The diagrams below show the total feedback received for the period July to September 2020 (compliments, complaints and appeals) for each State and the average number of days to resolve any issues identified in that State.

Feedback by region (for period) Count of feedback

Days to resolve

45

2 16

13.6

18 9

104 19

12.9 12.2

3

Did you know?

You can find information such as our complaints and appeals policies, processes and timeframe guidelines via: • Phoning our staff on 1300 245 468 • Visiting our website on www.chl.org.au • Visiting any one of our office locations (while adhering to that office’s COVID-19 guidelines).

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3.5

Repairs and maintenance Our highly trained agents will help to diagnose your repair query and will assess whether your request is an emergency, urgent or a routine repair.

Type of Repair

Description and Timeframe

Urgent Repairs

Consists of those which may cause serious harm towards a person or serious damage to the property e.g. storm, fire damage, gas leak, serious roof leak, a burst water service or sewage blockage and other faults that make the premises unsafe.

Priority Repairs

Consists of those of which may cause serious damage to the property and must be maintained within 24-hours* of filing the request to reduce the risk of it becoming an urgent matter e.g. failure of oven, stove or hot water service.

Normal Repairs

Consists of those which are not threatening to a person or damaging to the property but still need to be repaired within a 21-day timeframe*.

*These timeframes may differ state to state.

For leasehold properties, the landlord is responsible for routine repairs. In most cases, CHL will get urgent work fixed within four hours. The response times to each category may vary depending on where you live.

For all repairs and maintenance queries, call us on 1300 424 573 during business hours, seven days a week.

You can also email us at maintenance@chl.org.au.

Emergency and out-of-hours service For any urgent and emergency repairs, you can call us on 1300 424 573 outside of our normal office hours, evenings and weekends. If you need police, fire or ambulance in an emergency, call triple zero (000).

For more information visit our Maintenance page on our website.

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ReadSpeaker Are you having trouble reading text online?

Well good news, because ReadSpeaker allows text on the CHL website to be read out loud to you.

Now where an audio player appears (as displayed in the above image), you simply click the ‘play’ button and ReadSpeaker expands its toolbar and starts reading the text of the webpage out loud.

Not only can you play, but you will also be able to rewind, forward, stop, restart, highlight certain sections with a reading ruler, page mask or mouse pointer, adjust the volume and the speed of the text to speech tool making the content more accessible, easier to digest and as a user, you don’t have to download a thing!

If you haven’t already, try it out and let us know how you are finding the tool by emailing comms@chl.org.au.

Prepare for Summer It will be Summer before you know it and if you have an air conditioner at your property it would be a good idea to check it now before the temperature starts to rise.

If you find that your unit isn’t working as it should normally, the first step would be to clean the filters.

Follow these simple steps on cleaning the filters: 1. Turn off the electricity to the air con unit.

2. Remove the cover from the air con unit.

3. Slide the filter out and vacuum off any direct build up.

4. Mix a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water in a container large enough to submerge the filter.

5. Submerge the filter in the cleaning solution and allow it to soak for about an hour. If the filter is particularly dirty, allow it to soak for a few hours.

6. Lift the filter out and allow it to drain and air dry.

When dry, return it to the air con unit and put the cover back on.

7. Check your outside unit and surrounding area are free from debris (leaves, sticks, twigs) you can clean this by running a small broom or brush over the guard.

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If the unit is still not working properly, please let us know as soon as possible so we can get it checked for you.

Household tips Good sort tips: • Rinse your containers before you recycle • Only hard plastics in the yellow recycling bin • Don’t bag your recycling – throw it in loose • Your green bin is for everything compostable such as your lawn clippings, leaves, prunings.

Even your dirty pizza boxes and paper!

• All clothes in the red waste bin or take them to the Op Shop if they are still in good condition • Take your electronic waste to the Community Recycling Centre If in doubt, please contact your local Council for more information.

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Springclean your way into Summer Many of us find ourselves spending more time at home than ever, it’s a great opportunity to be rid off the winter blues and spruce up the space for Summer with some cleaning.

Below are some tips to get you springing into action:

Tip #1 - Clean room-by-room Focusing your attention on one space at a time can help you to break things up. Create a checklist beforehand so you have a guide when you work your way through.

Tip #2 – Collate what tools you’ll need to clean Before you start, collect all of the cleaning supplies you need. This might include: vacuum, mop and bucket, window cleaner, toilet cleaner, dusters and microfibre cloths.

Tip #3 – Organise and clear the clutter When going through each room, sort your belongings into four categories – rubbish, donate, put-away (requires regular use) and store (items you cannot part with but don’t need on a regular basis).

Tip #4 - Get the family involved If you need a little help, why not get the family involved? It can be a great time of year to get the family working together. Throw on some music or a wee incentive to get the work done.

Tip #5 - Tackle the seasonal chores Get onto the tasks that need to be done seasonally e.g. outdoor chores like cleaning windows and grills.

Tip #6 - Establish new cleaning habits It’s a good time to also make some new ongoing cleaning habits to make things a little bit easier as you go along. Simple 15-minute clean up routines every few days can make it remarkably easy to keep your home clean and tidy all year long!

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FOOD CORNER RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Chester Squares Do you have stale bread but not sure what to do with it? CHL tenant, Janet shares her favourite go-to Chester Squares recipe with us!

You will need: • A quarter loaf of stale bread • Water (Enough to cover the bread) • 1/2 a cup of sugar • 1 cup of mixed fruit

Step 3 Place a sheet of pastry in a square pan, spread the mixture over and then place another sheet of pastry on top. Brush with water, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 30 to 40 minutes (Times will vary depending on your oven).

• 1 dessertspoon of warm jam

Step 4 Let cool and cut into squares.

• Short crust pastry

Enjoy!

Method

Photo sourced from Foods of England website.

• 2 teaspoons of mixed spice

Step 1 Break the bread into pieces and cover with water for 30 minutes.

Step 2 Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible.

Using a fork, break any lumps and add all ingredients. Mix well.

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Send your recipe to us at chlconnect@chl.org.au

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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 Phone: 1300 CHL HOUSING (1300 245 468) Website: www.chl.org.au @communityhousinglimited @chlgroup @chlgroup @community-housing-group @communityhousinglimited 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 Community Housing (QLD) Ltd ABN 57 061 035 060