Our Profile
More than bricks and mortar
What we’re about
Housing Choices is a national, not-for-profit housing provider that creates safe, quality, a ordable housing for people who are struggling to find a home in Australia’s challenging private rental market. Established in 2008, Housing Choices is celebrating its tenth year of operations, governed by a Board of Directors with a broad range of business skills appropriate to a rapidly growing, national, social housing enterprise and a strong commitment to long-term, positive social outcomes. We employ more than 140 sta in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, who are overseen by an experienced management team with skills in tenancy management, project management, financial management, human resources and marketing and communications. We are members of the leading peak and industry bodies in our sector, including The Community Housing Industry Association, The Community Housing Federation of Victoria, PowerHousing Australia and the Australasian Housing Institute. Housing Choices is registered with and regulated by the Victorian Housing Registrar. In Tasmania and South Australia, Housing Choices operates under a Tier 1 Status as regulated by the National Regulatory System for Community Housing. Not only do we want our residents to believe and trust in our commitment to them, we also recognise that as a recipient of significant amounts of public and other money in the form of rent, grants, government funding, bank loans and service fees, our internal management systems, financial controls and compliance responsibilities must be delivered to the highest possible standards. With assets in excess of $640 million, cashflow approaching $150 million p.a. and over 5,500 tenancies, we are much than a ‘cottage industry’ and we support and welcome e ective regulation and oversight of our services.
We strongly believe in the importance and value of working in partnership with our residents, support partners, community organisations and sta to create resilient, inclusive neighbourhoods across Australia. Our core business is to provide people with safe and a ordable housing. But a house is more than bricks and mortar and a neighbourhood is more than buildings and roads. The key is the people who live in our houses, the families who populate our neighbourhoods and the relationships they establish with us and each other. That is why we value how we interact with our residents and the feedback we receive from them. Our National Housing Service Standards allow us to benchmark our services against our own key performance targets. This demonstrates our committment to our residents and partners, what they can expect from us and are aligned to the National Regulatory System for Community Housing. From the welcoming smile they receive at our o ce receptions, to the phone call inquiry that is answered by a human or returned promptly, to timely response to a request for information or property maintenance, we are committed to treating our residents with the utmost respect and consideration. Each year, our Resident and Partner Satisfaction Surveys provide critical information about what we are doing well, where we can improve, and help us monitor the working relationships that are vital to supporting our residents into stable, long-term accommodation. Our aim is to develop innovative housing solutions based on real evidence and ensure our experience is documented and evaluated so we can advocate for our residents and adapt our business to what is a constantly changing sector environment.
We are one of the largest community housing associations in Australia.
8
93%
87%
Owned
Managed
Figures as at December 2017
Our robust governance structure comprises an independent, skills-based Board of Directors from the public, private and non-government sectors.
Arthur Papakotsias Chair
Heather McCallum Deputy Chair
Arthur has been Chief Executive O cer of Neami National for more than 20 years. He chairs the Finance Audit and Risk Management Committee of Mental Health Australia (MHA). Arthur originally trained as a psychiatric nurse and has completed post-graduate studies in management at RMIT University. He also completed three residential programs at Harvard Business School: Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management, Authentic Leadership, and Leading Change and Organisational Renewal.
Heather is a chartered accountant and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has held senior management positions in private enterprise and the not-for-profit sector, as well as a number of governance roles in youth, education, employment and yachting organisations. Heather holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University School of Business and was instrumental in the establishment of Housing Choices Tasmania.
Michael Lennon Managing Director
Trevor Baldock
Michael’s international career in housing, planning and urban development spans 25 years and includes CEO roles at the Glasgow Housing Association, where he led the largest housing stock transfer in Europe, and at Housing New Zealand Corporation. He also led the restructure of the internationally recognised Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. His leadership of Housing Choices has seen the organisation grow to an asset base of more than $640 million, with current operations in three states and a major focus on national growth. He currently chairs the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) and is a trustee of the South Australian History Trust. He has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation and is an experienced board director and university governor.
Trevor holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours), is an accredited mediator (LEADR) and licensed general builder and building work supervisor. His experience and expertise includes the development of commercial strategies for major project transactions and commercial negotiations, including contract documentation and the oversight of delivery and completion of major projects and commercial transactions. He has also conducted and managed major litigation and the resolution of disputes in connection with major projects and commercial transactions by way of arbitration, mediation and negotiation.
Saul Eslake
Julie Mitchell
Saul is a well-known international and Australian leader and commentator in economics. In addition to a high profile commercial career, he has held numerous high-profile positions including a board directorship at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) and senior roles at The National Housing Supply Council and the Grattan Institute. He has a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and completed the Senior Executive Program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York.
Meredith Sussex Meredith Sussex is Chair of the Fishermans Bend Ministerial Advisory Committee in Victoria and a non-executive director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. She has also been a non-executive director of a number of Boards, including the Board of the Port of Melbourne. She lectures in the masters programme on urban governance at the University of New South Wales and provides high-level consulting advice on public policy, planning and management. Meredith has held senior positions in the Victorian Government, including Deputy Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. From 2002-2006 she led the O ce of Commonwealth Games Coordination, for which she was awarded the Order of Australia in 2007. Julie is a corporate social responsibility and strategic communications specialist. She has extensive experience in the design and delivery of complex and large-scale strategic communication programs in the corporate internal and external environment, as well as in issues management, and stakeholder engagement and management. Julie has designed and executed multi-dimensional community investment programs in locations throughout Australia and Asia for both corporate and not-for-profit organisations. Her interest in social housing stems from her early involvement in the establishment of Common Ground in Adelaide which is complemented by her involvement in the aged care sector.
Fabienne Michaux
Fab has held a variety of executive and non-executive roles in a career spanning 30 years, including 22 years with S&P Global Ratings where she was Australian Country Head and Head of Developed Markets Asia-Pacific. She is principal of Petrichor Consulting Services Pty Ltd, member of the Australian Advisory Board on Impact Investing, board member and social enterprise advisory committee member of The Song Room, chair of KAGE Physical Theatre Inc., and an advisory board member of Deakin’s School of Business and Law. Fab holds a Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance) with Distinction from RMIT University, and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Guiding principles
We put our customers first Our customers are central to everything we do. We listen and respond with open and honest communication and a flexible approach.
We work together We work collaboratively and in partnership to achieve our mission.
We trust and are trusted We keep promises, are accountable and are transparent in our actions.
We learn and adapt We aim to inform the policy environment, support our actions with evidence, encourage innovation and continually adapt to a changing environment.
What we deliver
We are a developer and project manager with capacity to raise debt to finance development outcomes.
We have place management, community development and place making capacity across the life of a project including relocation of residents, temporary upgrades of existing stock to support the relocation phase and resident communications.
We provide ongoing maintenance and tenancy management including asset management capacity and owners corporation management.
We are experts at delivering a suite of a ordable development products including housing for people with a disability, older persons, shared equity and a “Common Ground” model, including intensive support for people at risk of homelessness.
Our private real estate agency Urban Choices Property delivers a ordable housing services within the private rental market.
Our services
Tenancy Management Our Tenancy Management services deliver innovative and high-quality housing services to tenants. This includes transparency of information for tenants and engagement with external support partners to deliver sustainable tenancies and resident choice. Facilities Management Our Asset Management Strategy covers the entire Housing Choices portfolio of over 4,600 properties. Housing Choices undertakes property condition surveys on each property on a three year rolling basis, to deliver a whole-of-life management approach for each property and identify planned maintenance, upgrades or reconfigurations. NDIS + Disability Expertise Housing Choices is the largest non- government housing provider for people with disabilities in Victoria. This includes supported accommodation, independent living and shared equity housing. Providing housing for people with a disability is a central focus of our Business Strategy with a dedicated NDIS team that brings expertise from across the organisation including development, finance and support service partner co-ordination. Ageing in Place Projects and Programs Housing Choices is involved in an important collaboration with Monash University to examine innovative and adaptable design for ageing in place. As the research progresses we will incorporate the outcomes into our design guidelines and developments. Housing Choices South Australia has a significant partnership within the ACH Group to deliver housing options to better meet the needs of social housing tenants who are ageing, to reduce preventable hospital admissions and premature entry to specialist aged care settings.
Sector leadership
Our position as a national leader of community housing is demonstrated by the appointment of our Managing Director, Michael Lennon, as Chair of the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA). CHIA is a member-based national industry body for community housing providers and advocates for the sector at the national level, to ensure the community housing sector has a voice in national housing policies and housing a ordability initiatives. Housing Choices is recognised as an expert Disability Accommodation provider and regularly provides insight and advice to governments and service providers in all areas of disability housing. Housing Choices hosts quarterly forums with our disability support partners to resolve issues on the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) payment system under the NDIS.
453-463 Docklands Drive
The Mariner
Docklands, Melbourne Cost $39.1m
This modern, well-designed apartment block o ers people on fixed, low and moderate incomes a ordable housing in an excellent inner-city location. The eight-storey development comprises 113 apartments. Housing Choices retained 85 of these and sold the remaining 28 to the private market during construction. The Mariner integrates a ordable and privately-owned dwellings to create diverse yet stable communities. The private sales funded the project with additional investment under the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan ($22 million) and from Housing Choices. Other project partners included the Department of Health & Human Services, MAB Corporation, VicUrban and the NAB.
30 Therry Street
Drill Hall
Melbourne CBD Cost $27.1m
The Drill Hall is a unique redevelopment of an iconic heritage-listed building. Housing Choices was chosen to restore the original 1937 Royal Melbourne Drill Hall, its o ces and an existing art deco apartment back to their former glory and construct new apartments on the site. The development comprises 59 one and two-bedroom units, including 21 disability units with customised bathrooms and kitchens. Funding was secured with $19.3 million under the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, $1.3 million from the Melbourne City Council - in addition to transfer of the land for no cost, and $2 million from the Sidney Myer Centenary Fund. Housing Choices provided the remaining funds.
Mellor Street
Adelaide CBD Cost $15.5m
The Mellor Street project comprises 52 a ordable apartments located in the Adelaide CBD, built in partnership with Housing Choices South Australia and the South Australian Housing Trust. The development is a seven-storey mixed use complex, including a ground floor o ce and common area. It provides a home for a range of tenants who have been or are at risk of homelessness, including single-parent families. It is a carefully targeted project supporting specific cohorts in need of housing on an under-utilised CBD site. Land was contributed to the project by the South Australian Housing Trust who purchased the site for $1 million from Adelaide City Council.
Better Housing Futures
Tasmanian Stock Management Transfer
The largest stock management transfer in Australia (as at February 2018) of 1,143 managed dwellings for low income residents under a 10- year Agreement with Housing Tasmania. Delivered significant local investment with $195,000 in Community Development programs and 5,200 repairs and maintenance jobs raised with local businesses and contractors totaling $2.2 million. An investment of $750,000 in heat pumps vastly improved tenant amenity across the North West. As a part of the transfer Housing Choices Tasmania is delivering urban renewal of local communities across North West Tasmania over a 10 to 20 year period.
Developing real neighbourhoods
Tasmania
22 sta
3 o ces
1418 managed + 54 owned
Your Futures Scholarships Your Futures Scholarships are part of the Housing Choices Community Fund Grants Program, which supports educational opportunities for our residents and their children. The scholarships have been operating for two years and are open to residents’ children completing Year 11 and Year 12 studies. Scholarships can cover out of pocket expenses for educational materials, books and information technology items, or tutoring costs for additional support. We are proud to provide support to students who due to di cult circumstances, may otherwise have had to curtail their education.
Harmony Day Housing Choices plays an integral role in two Harmony Day events in March. In 2017 the Acton Harmony Day was hosted by the Mariposa Filipino Dance Group and sponsored by Housing Choices. The event was a great success with a feast of Filipino food, colourful Filipino costumes and great music and dancing. Around 200 people attended and enjoyed the festivities.
Resident Community Fund The Housing Choices Tasmania Resident Community grants program provides residents and partner organisations with the opportunity to deliver projects and programs in their local community. To date the fund has distributed over $80,000 and funded 12 programs, supporting activities that build skills, encourage participation and bring people together.
Somerset Arts Festival Housing Choices provided support to the Somerset Arts Festival in February 2017, to enable free entry for the community so all could enjoy the festivities. We were also honoured to sponsor two of the festival’s arts prizes, to encourage budding local artists.
Victoria
2 o ces
77 sta
783 managed + 1388 owned
Love Your Laneway The ‘Love Your Laneway’ project in Gallaghers Place, Melbourne, was selected as one of four laneways to participate in this initiative in 2016. Housing Choices was funded to engage local residents and businesses in the development process. City of Melbourne, Housing Choices, Housing Choices residents, laneway businesses and property owners joined together to commission two murals to brighten the laneway and to reflect elements that are important and meaningful to residents.
The Preston Community Hub The Preston Community Hub is a vibrant facility within the Housing Choices High Street Preston development. It is a unique partnership between Housing Choices, the Victorian State Government and support agencies Neami National and Preston Neighbourhood House. It provides education and recreation opportunities to residents and the local community including arts programs, language classes, cooking, job seeking and health programs. The Hub also provides computers with internet access and large kitchen for residents to participate in cooking programs.
La Trobe Close Community Garden A community garden was established as a part of the La Trobe Close Renewal project. The Renewal Project was a $2.2 million program to refurbish 46 run-down social housing units in North Melbourne. Housing Choices and residents co-designed the common areas and community interaction. Housing Choices was awarded a City of Melbourne community grant to implement the project in partnership with Cultivating Community. The garden assists in the activation of the space and creates pathways to food security and community connection. the community garden, to provide opportunities for active street life and
Futures Scholarship Futures Scholarships are part of our commitment to support our residents engage in education and training opportunities. The Futures Scholarships are an initiative of the Housing Choices Community Development Program in Victoria and fund out-of-pocket expenses such as course fees, text books, stationery supplies, excursions and tutoring. There are ten scholarships worth $500 awarded each semester.
Weaving the Nets forum groups Housing Choices participates in the Weaving the Nets forum group to partner with organisations that deliver services and support to Aboriginal people. This monthly group includes Partners in Recovery, Nunkuwarrin Yunti, Housing SA, Walk Along, SA Dental Service and Uniting Care Wesley. This forum provides networking and referral opportunities, sharing of knowledge and increases the cultural awareness and competence of all agencies involved. We provide our expertise on community housing and referral processes to deliver appropriate and safe housing for Aboriginal people in Adelaide.
South Australia
18 sta
Housing Choices + Common Ground Community Garden In 2015, the Common Ground Community Garden moved into The Joinery, an environmental community hub managed by the Conservation Council of South Australia. This garden engages a broad range of community members including children, parents and older people through Housing Choices’ Common Ground Program. It is a place of creativity, healing and growth and the food produced is shared amongst the community and used in the weekly cooking program. In collaboration with the Adelaide City Council and the Joinery, the garden group introduced chickens to enhance the overall garden experience. This addition provided another opportunity for participants to engage and learn new skills in sustainable food production. Housing Choices hosted a ‘Salvaged Seedlings’ stall at the garden, as part of the Festival of Now, a collaboration with the Mental Health Coalition and the broad range of Mental Health Programs. The garden group prepared the seeds and led community workshops to transplant the seeds into self watering pots made from recycled milk cartons. Our resident music group also performed at this event.
2 o ces
840 managed 194 owned
Writing Workshop for Housing Choices Residents The State Library Writer in Residence for BIG Ideas Project ran a writing workshop for Housing Choices residents in 2017. Ten residents participated in the workshop, which explored democracy and peoples’ place within this system. Residents created a body of work which will contribute towards an online publication.
Couldn’t have a better landlord. Nothing is a problem. They are great and you really feel safe and secure.
Housing Choices has always been there to help me with any immediate housing matters at any time of the day. I am very happy with Housing Choices and very thankful for your help and assistance.
Housing Choices is perceived as a leader among the housing associations in Victoria. It is an ‘influencer and shaper’, not just a provider of housing. The brand is strong.
Victorian Resident
Partnership survey participant
Tasmanian Resident
Government representatives have positive views about, and respect Housing Choices’ commercial capabilities in planning and development, preparing bids and managing the business. They believe the government could benefit from their expertise.
Mellor Street is the first place I have lived in where I feel safe, secure and have a friendly sense of community. The building itself is built extremely well and facilites are well above expectation!
Housing Choices is a large, capable organisation that shares our values and is committed to developing positive relationships.
Partnership survey participant
South Australian Resident
Partnership survey participant
Our Vision All people a ordably housed in neighbourhoods that support life opportunities To be a leading provider of a ordable homes across Australia, working with partners to create resilient and inclusive neighbourhoods Our Mission
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