Pictured: Housing Choices South Australia's Annual Residents' Day
† This year’s Residents’ Day was held with the theme of health and wellbeing and included support from the Heart Foundation Australia, Dementia SA, Tackling Tobacco Team - Nunkuwarrin Yunti, ACH Group, Campbelltown City Council. Residents enjoyed Tai Chi, board games, a photo booth, cooking, a healthy ageing consultation as well as meeting with other residents. The raes included prizes donated by Charlesworth Nuts, Prices Fresh Bakery, Fruitchoc Shop, The ARC Campbelltown and Dementia SA. Gift bags included donations from Dilmah Tea, Dermal Therapy and Bunnings Warehouse Australia Windsor Gardens, as well as a range of health related products and information on living a healthy life. Catering was provided by Prices Bakery and involved a delicious pumpkin soup and fresh baked scones. Over 50 residents attended (CGA and HCSA) and the event was supported by 11 sta who not only made the event such a success but were available to answer attendees’ questions/issues related to their tenancies. Very positive feedback forms from the event highlight the appreciation felt by those who attended. ‡ Oz Harvest bring food which is donated from a variety of organisations to Common Ground and is shared between tenants. This is a tenant managed activity and therefore requires a large amount of leadership, responsibility, and ownership from Common Ground residents. Residents work with Oz Harvest volunteers to bring in donated food to the Light Square common room, which is then sorted and divided into smaller portions before people are encouraged to take what they require. On average approximately 50 residents access the program each week. There is broad participation from the Common Ground community which includes a tenant managed governance structure, tenant leadership and promotion of respectful interactions. The program includes the use of food which would otherwise be wasted.
Outcomes include improved tenant diets consisting of more nutritious, healthy and varied food resulting in enhanced health and wellbeing. During COVID restrictions over the last six months this program has continued but has been sta managed with deliveries to apartments. Tenants are now slowly becoming involved, with the aim of being responsible for full management in the future. Housing Choices SA facilitate monthly co ee mornings, bringing residents together to develop a stronger sense of community, build respectful relationships, provide an informal forum for resident consultation and sharing knowledge through a program of guest speakers. The co ee mornings were first established to address loneliness and isolation amongst HCSA residents. Âť Additionally, the co ee mornings have become an important tool for relationship development and facilitating a shared understanding of Housing Choices as a social landlord. Housing Choices SA advertise the Co ee Mornings through word of mouth, email, SMS and via our newsletter. Di erent locations are selected each month to provide all residents the ability to attend and transport and support is provided to residents with disabilities or mobility issues to reduce attendance barriers. The success of the Co ee Morning program has been evident through the development of new friendships obvious, for example, through residents o ering to drive one another to the di erent venues. What began as a meeting of strangers is now a coming together of friends, and as we emerge from COVID-19 restrictions, we have increased the frequency of co ee mornings to fortnightly due to the high demand.
Pictured (L): Housing Choices South Australia residents at Co ee Morning
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Housing Choices Australia | Annual Report 2019-20
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