Events - Does size matter? Growing community housing
19 March 2004
The Community Housing Federation of Victoria and Swinburne Institute
for Social Research presented a one-day seminar:
- What do we mean by growth, and do we need to get
bigger?
- Are amalgamations the way to go?
- How does our organisation attract the resources/funding
needed to expand?
- How do we best work partnerships?
- How do we maintain the integrity/goals of our organisation
in the face of expansion?
These and other vital issues were examined at this one-day forum, which
comprised keynote presenters, an expert panel, and facilitated workshops.
The forum providee an opportunity for community housing staff, managers
and board members to consider and analyse some growth strategies that
are already in place. There was discussion about the fundamental issues
involved.
More information:
Program
9.30am: Registration
10.00am: Welcome and Introductions
Facilitator: Ms. Kris Honey
10.15 –11.15am: Setting the scene: Context and challenges:
Dr. Kath Hulse, ISR
Panel commentary/responses:
Mark O'Brien [TUV], Steve Bevington [CHL], John Enticott [CHFV]
11.15 –11.30: Break
11.30 –12.45pm: What can we learn from some current experiences & examples?
- Rural Housing Network –Catherine Upcher
- Supported Housing Ltd –Joseph Connellan
- Inner East Rooming House Group –Malcom Shore
- Melbourne Affordable Housing –Jan Berriman
12.45 –1.30pm Lunch Break
1.30 –2.10pm: Current experiences/examples cont'd?
- Port Phillip Housing Association/ Housing Program
- Gary Spivak/Karen Barnett
- Jubilee Housing –Hal Bisset
2.10 –2.50pm: Small workshops re issues arising from presentations
2.50 –3.15pm: Plenary
3.15 –30pm: Summary of issues and discussion of possible topics
for future seminars. [Facilitator]
3.30pm: CLOSE
The seminar was facilitated by Kris Honey of KNLConsulting
Pty Ltd.
Working as a consultant since 1993, Kris has undertaken consultancy
work for Federal, State and Local Governments, peak industry bodies and
a wide range of organisations. Her experience in organisational consultancy
is derived from a number of management roles she has occupied, membership
of the Board of the Royal Children's Hospital, the teaching of management
subjects, and consultancies in management review and restructure. The
focus of Kris's recent work has been in assisting organisations to critically
reflect upon organisational strategy, policies, processes and structures.
This work has occurred in the context of appreciating that it is essential
for the organisation's decision-makers and staff to be engaged in the
process of reflection, the development of strategic directions, new policy
and processes in order to achieve the required commitment to change.
Her more recent work has involved a number of projects facilitating
small and large group meetings on behalf of clients and facilitating
small management groups to determine the focus of the change they wish
to implement. Kris also provides individual mentoring to managers.
Presentations
Each of the presentations were asked to address the following key questions:
- What is the most valuable and unique contribution
your organization[s] can make to community housing?
- What are the key challenges for developing your
service?
- What is it that is most likely to undermine the
sustainability of your organization?
- In this context is growth necessary?
Setting the scene:
Context and challenges: Dr. Kath Hulse, ISR
Rural Housing Network: Catherine Upcher
Supported Housing
Ltd: Joseph Connellan
Inner East Rooming
House Group: Malcom Shore
Melbourne Affordable
Housing: Jan Berriman
Port Phillip Housing Association/ Housing Program: Gary Spivak/Karen
Barnett
Jubilee Housing:
Hal Bisset
Presenter biographies
Dr Kath Hulse, Deputy Director, ISR
Kath as Deputy Director (Teaching and Learning) and coordinates ISR's
teaching
programs and postgraduate research.
Kath's research interests are in social policy, particularly the restructuring
of social policies in the context of cultural, social, political and
economic change, with a particular interest in comparative social policy.
Her recent research has been on the links between housing and other policy
areas such as income security, employment and community renewal. She
is part of the Swinburne-Monash Research Centre of the Australian Housing
and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).
Kath joined the ISR in 1998 after having worked at an executive level
for a number
of governments in policy, research and program management in areas of social
policy. She is a Director of Melbourne Affordable Housing, a Victorian community
housing association.
Catherine Upcher, CEO, Rural Housing Network Ltd., Hume Region:
Catherine has been involved in housing and the community-housing sector
on and off for the last twenty years with some off periods taken up with
Archaeological survey work and University teaching.
First taste of housing was as CD worker with South Melbourne City Council
in the early 80s, where Catherine spent time working with public tenants
on the South Melbourne estates. Her interest in housing was further titillated
and challenged when she undertook a research project into housing estate
development for the Western Region Commission and developed a tool for
Local Governments to use in planning for housing and related infrastructure.
From Footscray to Coburg Catherine then worked in the NOW Centre for
the Northeast Regional Housing Council in the days when public tenancy
matters and housing issues were raised as matters of concern in the public
arena.
The country beckoned and Catherine moved to north east Victoria in 1986
where she was immediately engaged to set up a Tenants' Advice and Housing
Information Service in Albury which ran successfully for 3 years until
de-funded by the NSW government –a familiar story. A break from
housing until 1995 when I joined the Ovens & Murray Regional Housing
Council as a research worker –housing needs analysis and policy
comment were the focus of the role. In 1997 with changes to Housing Councils,
I took up management of the Rental Housing Support Program (now Public
Housing Advocacy) and in March 2001 I became the CEO.
Joseph Connellan, CEO, Supported Housing Ltd
Joseph is the CEO of both Supported Housing Limited (a leading disability
community housing organisation) and Singleton Equity Housing (a company
owned by people with a disability, their families and support agencies).
He has worked in both the government, local government and non-government
sectors in housing and disability. His most recent work in Government
has been developing the DHS Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Strategic Plan.
This built on his experience as CEO of the ABI advocacy service: Headway
Victoria.
Malcom Shore, Manager, Inner East Rooming House Group
Malcolm has worked in the community-housing field since 1985, when he
was employed by the Fitzroy Collingwood Accommodation Service as a Community
Housing Worker at the Osborne House Rooming House in Fitzroy. After about
12 months in this position, he then was employed by the CRF (Collingwood
Richmond Fitzroy) Rooming House Group as a Rooming House Worker, responsible
for the management of their Government-owned rooming house stock.
After 3 to 4 years with CRF, he then moved on to community development
work as a Public Housing Tenant Worker working with the Alamein-Ashburton
Tenants Association. During this time (approx. 4 years), he became involved
with the Inner Eastern Regional Housing Council and was subsequently
employed as a community development project worker working with local
public housing tenants, and then later as their rooming house worker
(1995). Malcolm is still employed by this group as the Manager of the
Inner East Rooming House Group. Malcolm holds an Associate Diploma in
Welfare Studies from P.I.T.(1984) and, a
Graduate Certificate in Social Studies (Housing Management & Policy) from
Swinburne University (2002).
Jan Berriman, CEO, Melbourne Affordable Housing
[Grad. Cert. Housing Management & Policy]
Jan was appointed as Executive Officer of the Inner City Social Housing
Company in February 2001. As of 30th June 2003 the Inner City Social
Housing Company has merged with Ecumenical Community Housing to form
Melbourne Affordable Housing, which has been newly appointed as the trustee
for the Ecumenical Housing Trust.
Jan has over 16 years experience in the community-housing sector and
was previously a member of the Victorian Homelessness Strategy, Ministerial
Advisory Committee. She is currently a member of the Minister's Housing
Council and the Secretary of the Community Housing Federation of Victoria.
Gary Spivak, Housing Development Officer, City of Port Phillip
Gary has held the position of Housing Development Officer with the City
of Port Philip (and former City of St. Kilda) since 1985. He prepares
municipal housing policy and established Council's Community Housing
Program in 1985 and developed it to become Australia's largest Local
Government Housing Program through intensive project management. While
largely grant funded in joint ventures with the State Government, since
1996 he has developed partnerships and joint ventures with private developers
to reduce reliance on government grant funding.
An essential aspect of the Program has been the 18-year partnership
with the Port Phillip Housing Association Inc. that provides property
and tenancy management services and, using net operating surpluses, also
become an independent developer of community housing.
Hal Bisset, Management Committee Jubilee Housing
Hal has been an active participant in the social housing sector for
over twenty years. During that time he has been involved in the establishment
and/or management of SHAC Youth Refuge, Inner East Regional Housing Council,
Inner East Housing Services and Jubilee Housing all in the eastern suburbs
of Melbourne. In 1986 he was in employed by the Victorian Council of
Churches to establish Ecumenical Housing which evolved into research,
policy and advocacy unit working for justice in national housing policies
as well as a housing association developing and managing community housing
joint venture projects across Melbourne. Hal remained CEO of Ecumenical
Housing up until the merger with Inner City Social Housing Company to
form Melbourne Affordable Housing in 2003. Hal is now an Associate of
the Swinburne Institute for Social Research and works as an affordable
housing consultant to State governments, private developers and not-for-profit
community organizations. He continues to participate in the Management
Committee of Jubilee Housing.
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Key issues arising
The keynote and agency presentations were supplemented by small group
discussion, which focussed on the following key questions:
1. What are the immediate issues and challenges
facing the agencies at your table now?
2. a) What will the landscape of community housing look like into the future?
b) What will that mean for your set of agencies?
3. a) What thinking and/or work is occurring at the agency level to address
immediate issues and challenges and to position agencies well for the future?
b) If thinking and or work is not occurring, how to you plan to get the conversation
going in your agency?
4. What is the work that needs to occur at the sector level to help either
3a or 3b? Identify both the work and who should do it.
As a result of all the inputs and discussions, there emerged a number
of common issues and themes.
Summary of key themes
Growth
The benefits of growth were questioned and reviewed. There was a common view
that growth for growth's sake was not supported.
A number of services indicated that they required growth in order to
be financially sustainable.
The other motivation for growth was to increase the pool of "social
housing" as noted in several presentations.
The key concern about growth was the potential threat to a focus on
tenants and their needs along with a loss of community connectedness
and "ownership" of the service.
Views on sector independence and growth fluctuated between remaining
fully dependent on government funding and exploring ways to be much more
self - determining.
Governance
Questions were raised repeatedly throughout the day about governance capacity
in organizations and whether services had the right skill mix present in
their governance body.
Financial viability of services
Most presenters spoke of the continued struggle to achieve viability. One presentation,
for instance, made reference to the funding formula for rooming houses having
disadvantaged them as they have grown, while another presentation spoke of
the inadequacy of their income stream to service both maintenance of existing
properties and the capital required for the development of new properties.
On the other hand, another group where growth has been modest and well modeled,
have confidence that they will retire their debt ahead of schedule.
Risk exposure
The level of debt and maintenance costs balanced with the income stream means
that most community housing services find themselves with significant risk
exposure.
Role of Government
The role and performance of government was questioned. At the Federal level
the continued under-investment and poor performance in supporting social
housing was noted.
At the State Government level, the following concerns were raised:
- The lack of policy leadership: There is a lack
of a policy framework and vision for community housing.
Instead there is the rollout of initiatives such
as Housing Associations, which are developed in the
absence of an analysis of the existing service landscape,
a vision for its future, and a policy framework for
progressing that vision.
- The investment of funds: The total investment
in community housing is seen to be inadequate. There
was also concern raised about the impact of the phasing
out of State government subsidies in placing an increased
financial burden on services. The current review
of the funding formula for rooming houses was welcomed.
- Lack of partnership with the sector: There was
a view that government needs to invest more in its
partnership with the sector. Initiatives are occurring
with inadequate dialogue and with inaccurate perceptions
of the sector and the issues it faces. Government
and the sector have to actively work on building
their relationship and engagement with each other.
At the local government level the significant differences in their interest
and commitment to social housing was discussed, the importance of its
role noted, and current involvement seen to be a major concern.
Small Agencies
There is a lack of recognition of the contribution they have made and their
expertise in current discussions on community housing. The focus on governance
capability is skewing the assessment of their value.
The result is small agencies are feeling under threat, pressured and
coerced. There is a fear that the tremendous investment made by members
of local communities and their workers to provide independent community
housing embedded in their local community will be lost.
Small agencies, including co-operatives need assistance and support
to undertake their work. There is a need for access to:
- legal advice
- financial advice, and
- governance support, particularly for cooperatives
to resolve the issue of independent governance ties
to regulation of government
Housing Associations
While there was support for Housing Associations voiced during the day most
participants expressed a number of concerns. These included the:
- Lack of an overarching policy framework which
locates the role of Housing Associations;
- Absence of an analysis that locates the relationship
of the Housing Associations within the existing community
housing landscape;
- Inadequate investment by government in community
housing that is being released through this initiative;
- Lack of dialogue and partnership with the sector
about the initiative;
- Impact of the initiative and its rollout in stimulating
competition between providers rather than co-operation,
and
- The threat to localism contained in the development
of Housing Associations. There would also appear
to be a contradiction in the aims of large housing
associations and the government policy emphasis on
community building.
Agency size and the place of community
The themes of localism and the benefits of being small and closely connected
to the community were raised throughout the day.
Rural/Metropolitan Service Issues
There are differences in the issues confronting metropolitan and rural services.
Sector analysis, policy development, and the development of initiatives for
community housing need to take account of those differences.
In rural areas there are questions of community sustainability that
impact on service viability and, in metropolitan areas there is the issue
of rapidly escalating housing prices and the slowness of planning approvals
and their impact on development costs.
Competition versus cooperation
There was a strongly expressed view that the sector needs to work more cooperatively
rather than in conflict.
Nearly all the agencies at the seminar are examining within their agencies
ways to address the current and forecast challenges they face. There
was a view that this work would be much better undertaken if the services
cooperated more, shared resources and developed greater "linkages".
The shape of the future service landscape
While there was agreement that there will be continued pressure on services
as government shifts payment onto users and seeks to squeeze out every efficiency
gain, there were differing views about the future for small agencies and
the success of those engaged in housing development.
Some saw the landscape changing little. They were of the opinion that
there will continue to be the same number of small agencies delivering
innovative and quality community housing services. Others thought there
might be a fewer number of small agencies.
The jury seemed to be out on housing developments. Some thought that
it was a very risky enterprise and will be difficult to achieve. Others
thought that a number of those services currently engaged in that arena
would be successful and would grow.
Suggested Actions
1. Government and community housing partnership
There is a need to increase and enhance the conversation, and build the relationship
between the Office of Housing and the community-housing sector. This work
might commence with an independent review of the current state of the relationship.
It might lead to some joint problem solving around topics such as regulation
and may result in a more accurate impression of the services by government.
2. Sector Cooperation
The creation of opportunities to work more together, to share resources and
to develop linkages was seen as vital for the sector's growth. It was suggested
that peak organisations play a facilitation role in promoting greater co-operation.
3. Advocacy
Behind all the challenges and issues for community housing services and the
sector lies the larger issue of "investment" in social housing.
The sector needs to become stronger and, identify and work with allies to
place the issue into the public arena.
4. Maintained focus on tenants
There is a need to undertake a piece of work that assesses the political and
economic impacts of change on tenants. What for instance, will be the impact
on tenants in growth driven organizations?
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