Renovations

Claisebrook Lotteries House is undergoing renovations which will disrupt the operations of Shelter WA. 

Please note on 1 & 2 April Shelter WA will not be reachable by office phone. If you need to contact us on those days you should email the staff member directly or for general enquiries please email us here. 

Carpets are being replaced throughout our office and we will be unable to access our offices during this period.

Shelter WA apologises for any inconvenience.

Elder's Support Next Steps

On Tuesday 26 February Shelter WA attended the Telethon Kids Institute Ngulluk Koolunga Ngulluk Koort Elders’ Workshop to present the findings and seek endorsement of the proposed next steps resulting from the inaugural Metropolitan Aboriginal Housing Forum. 

The Elders voted unanimously in support of the next steps which can be found in the Metropolitan Aboriginal Housing Forum Summary Report. 

Shelter WA is working with the Telethon Kids Institute to embed a process for ongoing input and engagement with the Elders to drive progress. 

ENDORSED RECOMMENDATIONS

• Shelter WA in partnership with Telethon Kids Institute to develop a working group with the Elders as a platform for an Aboriginal voice into Noongar housing policy and to develop an Aboriginal housing policy and framework to measure progress.

• Shelter WA to discuss with Noongar Mia Mia, the development of a Noongar Community Housing Strategy to build on the value proposition of Noongar managed housing, to address the lack of safe, secure and culturally appropriate housing supply and to capitalise on new opportunities.

• Shelter WA to develop, in partnership with Noongar Mia Mia, other agencies as appropriate and the Department of Communities, new models for affordable home ownership schemes – i.e. rent to buy option with long term rental payments to become shared equity in ownership.

• Shelter WA to ensure Aboriginal people are central to the review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987.

• Shelter WA in partnership with the Aboriginal community, increase advocacy for:

• The abolishment of the 3 strikes policy.
• Aboriginal advocates to support people and liaise with the Department of Communities on housing issues.
• The Department of Communities to simplify housing jargon.
• The Department of Communities to undertake a cultural audit of current government housing policies and practice.
• A review of the negative impact of employment outcomes on social housing eligibility and the development of affordable and secure housing transition options.
• A policy to ensure that safe and stable housing and support is provided immediately for people being released from government institutions.

Freedom to Fly

A prominent Aboriginal artist has produced a painting to signify positive changes to WA tenancy laws, which will allow renters who’re experiencing family violence to end a lease quickly to leave for safety or have an alleged perpetrator removed from a tenancy agreement.

Under the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2018, which was passed in Parliament, tenants facing family and domestic violence (FDV) can give 7 days’ notice and leave a rental home immediately by giving a termination notice and evidence of FDV to their landlord.

Alternatively, tenants wishing to stay in a home can apply to the Court to have a family violence perpetrator removed from a lease.

Barbara Bynder’s commission titled ‘Freedom to Fly’ has been unveiled.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said the piece aptly depicts how the tenancy law changes, due to come into effect in mid-April 2019, allow renters affected by FDV to choose whether to stay or go.

“Private or social housing tenants experiencing family violence have found themselves trapped in tenancy agreements or homeless because leaving at short notice means they owe a landlord money, face being taken to court and might not get their bond back. Changing WA tenancy laws to remove these barriers does, as Barbara’s painting suggests, give victims freedom to fly.”

Key changes to Western Australia’s tenancy and residential parks laws include:

• new processes to allow tenants facing FDV to terminate a tenancy quickly and legally;
• enabling tenants facing FDV to remove the perpetrator from a tenancy agreement;
• ways to deal with disputes around damage to property, rent arrears and bond release;
• ability for tenants to change the locks without landlord’s permission to prevent FDV;
• providing tenants affected by FDV with the right to improve security at a rental property; and
• giving tenants who find themselves on a tenancy database due to FDV a pathway to have their names removed from the tenancy database.

Artist Barbara Bynder describes how her painting ‘Freedom to Fly’ represents the opportunities provided by the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill.

“The darker colours are representing the domestic violence situation that victims find themselves in, and the lighter colour of the bird is symbolically freedom to fly,” she said.

“The bars symbolise feelings of entrapment and isolation with nowhere to go. In the painting the bars are beginning to fade and bend. This is because when you get to the end of the domestic violence situation, the victim can see the way out, however is not always able to leave. The lighter colours circling the bars is offering glimpses of hope. The new laws give the victim an opportunity to see through the bars that entrap them.”

Click here to see Barbara Bynder explains her 'Freedom to Fly' painting.

Renters!

If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and have experienced discrimination in the private rental market and other tenant issues, or, if you have seen discrimination happening, we want to hear about it!

Shelter SA is the peak body for housing in South Australia. We are conducting research to identify the challenges and opportunities in the private rental market for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This anonymous survey will be used to gain insights into the lived experience of renters. The final report will be available on our website (sheltersa.asn.au).

Take the quick, anonymous survey here.

Budget Submission

National Shelter has provided a budget submission to the federal government calling for new spending on social housing, an affordable housing growth fund, a new National Affordable Rental Incentive, increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, improved indexation of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement and other measures to be paid for by reforming the tax treatment of housing.

We have also called for the establishment of Cabinet level Minister to call for and develop a National Housing Strategy.

Ideally a Minister would cover housing within an Urban and Regional Development role as part of an Infrastructure portfolio moving housing away from welfare. We also supported a budget submission from People with Disability Australia (PWDA) outlining the need to boost housing for people with disability.

Inside Housing - February 21/2019

Please read the latest edition of our fortnightly newsletter, Inside Housing. 

Inside this edition...

• In one week two major reports outline why we have a remote housing crisis in Western Australia.
• Lives will be saved with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Legislation Amendment (Family Violence) Bill 2018 we outline how.
• Our Member Profile looks at the entire body of work of Kathleen Gregory who has worked in the housing sector for more than 20 years.

Plus heaps more including, The Freo Alternative, a new planning policy to stimulate development of a wider choice of housing in Fremantle and we release a Metropolitan Aboriginal Housing Report, read the key advocacy items identified from the inaugural Metropolitan Aboriginal Housing Forum.

Click here to read our newsletter.

Shelter WA is an independent peak body, based in Perth Western Australia, that advocates for social and affordable housing and ending homelessness.

Our Priorities: Sharing Prosperity

The Premier announced Our Priorities: Sharing Prosperity – whole of government targets to deliver better outcomes for all Western Australians. 

Shelter WA is pleased that the government wants to create liveable cities where people can easily connect where they live with where they work and play. To create places where it is easy to access vital services and businesses without relying on a car; to better connect people to their work, their play and their communities they want to increase the number of homes located within 1km of public transport.

The government’s target is that by 2031, the number of homes in the Perth and Peel region in close proximity to a public transport node will increase by 45 per cent. It is critical that this target includes a significant growth in affordable housing and social housing, building on the strengths of the community housing sector to deliver more affordable rental properties, and services where needed to enable people to lead good lives. 

Housing is fundamental to delivering across all the government’s priority areas. Smart investment in housing will contribute to a strong economy, creating employment though the planning and construction phase, and building a skilled workforce for the future through training and development. To have regional prosperity you need people, and people need access to affordable housing across regional WA. Smart investment in energy efficient homes will ensure our sustainable future and working with Aboriginal people and organisations to ensure the right homes in the right locations will contribute to healthy and prosperous lives. Shelter WA is looking forward to the rubber hitting the road with the delivery of new affordable and social homes in partnership with the community sector.

For more information on Our Priorities: Sharing Prosperity please click here.

Remote Housing Crisis

In the space of a week two reports reveal why WA has a remote housing crisis. 

Coronial inquests make for shocking reading. 

In short, they outline in detail a tragic situation and then try and make sense of it all. Following an inquest, a coroner may comment and make recommendations about public health or safety aimed at preventing similar deaths from happening in the future. 

When Coroner Ros Fogliani examined the deaths of thirteen children and young persons in the Kimberley Region, she allocated an entire chapter to outline housing services in the Kimberley Region. 

Her main points were:

• “Practically all of the children and young persons whose deaths were investigated had disrupted home lives, many of them did not live with their parents, and a number of them were transient between different Aboriginal communities, living in overcrowded and/or inadequate housing arrangements” (Fogliani, 2017, p. 68).

• “Self-evidently, in order to thrive and gain an education, children need a safe and nurturing home environment. They need to be living in adequate housing” (Fogliani, 2017, p. 69).

Coroner Fogliani in the report outlined responses from the Department of Communities through a lawyer at the State Solicitor’s Office (SSO).

• “The Department of Communities acknowledges that there continues to be a shortage of social housing in the Kimberley Region, with demand being disproportionally high. Through its lawyer the SSO, it submits that simply increasing supply to meet demand is not a tenable aim. It submits that the aim should not be for more fit people of employable age to be housed in social housing, but rather, to assist people to overcome generational welfare dependency, and move into training and work, which will enable them to afford private rental or home ownership” (Fogliani, 2017, p. 70).

The report from the Coroner and a recent decision by Infrastructure Australia (IA) to place remote housing overcrowding on its National High Priority Initiatives list sees this issue elevated to all levels of government.

IA categorised remote housing overcrowding as a “high priority initiative”.

Late last year WA’s Housing Minister Peter Tinley signed a $121m deal with Canberra to fund housing in remote communities. The new amount came after a long-running stalemate between Mr Tinley and Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion.

A previous 10-year national partnership agreement of $100 million every year for housing ran out in June 2018.

Michelle Mackenzie, CEO of Shelter WA believes the reference to housing in each of these reports’ points to the critical need for smarter, innovative and culturally informed and led investment in housing and services.

“As a community we should be ashamed. The health impacts and economic implications of this acute housing shortage are devastating to individuals, families and communities. We need to listen, hear and learn from Aboriginal people and invest in housing people’s future.”

Governance Resource

The Australian Institute of Company Directors has updated its Not For Profit Governance Principles.

This is a practical and principal based framework to help not for profits to understand and achieve good governance.

The principles can be found here.

Specialist Homelessness Services

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released its annual report on Specialist Homelessness Services, detailing the characteristics of clients on Specialist Homelessness Services, the services requested, outcomes achieved and unmet requests during 2017-18.

A greater proportion of WA clients needed accommodation compared with the national SHS population (58 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively).

While the overall service use rate was lower in WA in 2017–18 than the previous year, a higher service use rate was reported for groups such as young people presenting alone and older people.

Shelter WA is concerned that only one in 109 people in WA received homelessness assistance during 2017-18, which is lower than the national rate (1 in 85). The top three reasons for clients seeking assistance were family and domestic violence (43 per cent, compared with 39 per cent nationally), financial difficulties (37 per cent, compared with 39 per cent nationally), and relationship or family breakdown (23 per cent, compared with 21 per cent nationally). The report states that domestic and family violence is the main reason women and children leave their homes in Australia and is consistently one of the most common reasons clients seek assistance from specialist homelessness services.

The evidence shows the critical need for ongoing, sustained and long-term certainty for increased investment in homelessness services. The evidence indicates many services are stretched and are unable to meet current demand.

Of the 6,200 clients who began support while experiencing homelessness, 30 per cent were assisted into housing. Of these clients 51 per cent were housed in public or community housing, while 45 per cent were housed in private or other housing.

Of the 9,600 clients who began support while in housing but at risk of homelessness, Shelter WA was pleased to see that 90 per cent were assisted to maintain housing.

To read the report in full click here.

Energy Efficiency

Shelter WA is disappointed that the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee has advised the Federal Parliament to reject the Treasury Laws Amendment (Improving the Energy Efficiency of Rental Properties) Bill 2018. 

The amendments would allow landlords to claim a tax offset of up to $2000 per year during a three-year trial period for energy efficiency upgrades to rental properties leased at $300 per week or less. 

The pilot would provide a welcomed incentive for landlords renting properties at the more affordable end of the spectrum to invest in measures that could improve the energy security of low-income households. Energy efficiency measures such as those discussed in this Bill could reduce energy demand across the whole system, delaying the need for power in infrastructure. In addition to improving energy security for low-income tenants, this could reduce costs to State and Territory governments over the long term. 

Shelter WA would welcome the introduction of the Bill, as it highlights the need of improving energy security of tenants, including those in community housing.

Tenancy legislation generally prevents tenants from making permanent changes to the properties they live in, in order to improve energy security and efficiency. Equally, there are no encouragements for landlords to improve the energy efficiency of the properties they own; as they cannot depreciate capital investment in energy efficiency improvements since these improvements must be added to the cost base for capital gains purposes. Hence, measures to improve energy security and efficiency are only carried out, if at all, at the point of property sale.

This means people who can least afford it have increased costs of living pressures. Shelter WA will continue to work with National Shelter for a raft of policy responses to make housing more affordable.

Design WA

Planning Minister Rita Saffioti has just released the first stage of Design WA – which compromises a set of guidelines for developers and local government to follow, so that good design is at the heart of all new community developments. 

The first stage of Design WA is focusing on design for the built environment (State Planning Policy 7.0), new residential design codes for apartments (State Planning Policy 7.3 Volume 2) and a design review guide. 

Shelter WA welcomes Design WA. We hope this lays the foundation for the development of more diverse, affordable, housing supply. 

Design WA encompasses distinctly defined objectives about what future developments should take into consideration and they are enshrined in the revised Residential Design Codes. 

Some of the objectives are:
• Safe, healthy environments with good natural light and ventilation;
• Appropriate scale to respect the local character and context;
• Minimum apartment sizes based on floor space and number of rooms;
• Development that creates walkable neighbourhoods with high amenity;
• Green space such as shady trees for outdoor spaces and mature tree retention; and
• Development that enhances local neighbourhoods.

According to Planning Minister Rita Saffioti,

‘Design WA addresses community concerns around higher density developments and infill throughout Perth. […] This addresses many of the issues that concern communities including walkable neighbourhoods, retaining street trees, providing green open spaces, ensuring new apartment blocks fit in with their surroundings, parking and privacy concerns.’

Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Planning John Carey MLA welcomes Design WA and its impact on local governments:

‘It also critically sets new benchmarks across local government. While some local government have led the way with their excellent apartment design rules, others have had significant gaps in their local planning policies- and as a result, some local governments have delivered poor apartment building outcomes in their communities.’

The policies will come into effect on 24 May 2019, in order to ensure a smooth transition for local governments and built environment professionals.

Specialist Disability Accommodation

Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher, and Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services, Sarah Henderson, have announced immediate reforms to boost Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) for eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants last week. 

The reforms are addressing the outcomes and recommendations of a review into the SDA by the Council of Australian Governments Disability Reform Council, which was completed in December 2018. 

According to Mr. Fletcher,

“The Government is introducing immediate changes to improve choice and control for eligible NDIS participants, build market confidence and drive stronger investment in Specialist Disability Accommodation. These reforms will stimulate construction and supply of SDA properties, creating more diverse accommodation options for NDIS participants.”

Around 750 current providers of SDA will benefit from the changes, as SDA properties under construction will be able to be pre-certified to give investors more certainty that their property will meet SDA design standards on completion.

In addition to this, it will increase participants’ choice and control in their SDA living arrangements, as participants will have the flexibility to live where they want and with whom they want.

The changes in the SDA will also highly benefit young people with high care needs, as the fast-track process in order to receive NDIS funding will decrease the number of inappropriate admissions to a nursing home.

According to CEO of the Summer Foundation, Luke Bo’sher,

“These changes create confidence across the affordable housing and finance sectors to scale up their efforts to create Specialist Disability Accommodation. These changes go a long way towards the vision of an NDIS that enables people with disability to live in high quality, accessible housing integrated in communities across Australia.”

The Department of Social Services and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) are engaging with stakeholders in order to provide input on the immediate implementation of the changes through the establishment of an SDA Reference Group, in which interested individuals and organisations are invited to participate.

Further information, such as the full report from the SDA review and the Disability Reform Council response are available on the DSS website here.

Freo Alternative

Shelter WA is delighted by the announcement from the Minister for Planning that she has approved Local Planning Scheme Amendment No. 62 in the City of Fremantle. 

The scheme titled ‘Freo Alternative - Big Thinking about Small Housing’ is a new planning policy to stimulate development of a wider choice of housing in Fremantle’s suburban areas while still maintaining what people value about their neighbourhoods. 

The Hon Rita Saffioti Minister for Transport; Planning approved the amendment which is consistent with the State Government's objectives to promote housing diversity and innovative housing types to meet the needs of changing demographics. 

“This scheme amendment strikes the right balance of retaining the character of established neighbourhoods while ensuring the City of Fremantle can accommodate a growing population,” Ms Saffioti said. 

In a January 2018 submission to the City of Fremantle, Shelter WA said that overall the Freo Alternative was an important initiative that identifies and responds to local housing needs.

“Shelter WA is supportive of the ‘Freo Alternative’ scheme amendment as it demonstrates a planning change that will encourage new and diverse housing in the City of Fremantle,” Shelter WA wrote.

“We are also supportive of the way the City of Fremantle has undertaken the community engagement process for this initiative and believe it has led to a more robust planning scheme amendment.”

Shelter WA CEO Michelle Mackenzie said, “Local government plays a critical role through their planning schemes to facilitate diverse affordable housing choice. It is fantastic to see a local government positively engaging with their community to support new, thoughtful and well-designed housing options whilst preserving Fremantle’s unique urban character and amenity.”

Key provisions include:

· Only applies to lots larger than 600 square metres.
· Dwellings to have a maximum floor area of 120 square metres.
· Maximum of three dwellings on lots of 750 square metres or less.
· Minimum of 30 square metres of outdoor living area per dwelling.
· Developments to have higher than standard energy efficiency ratings, and include solar panels, rainwater tanks, grey water systems or meet best practice accessibility standards.
· A minimum of 70 per cent of the entire development to be open space.
· At least one large tree to be retained or planted for each dwelling.
· A maximum of one parking bay per dwelling.
· Developments to be referred to the City’s Design Advisory Committee to consider design quality.

The Freo Alternative will initially be applied to specific locations within the City of Fremantle – in areas of White Gum Valley, Hilton, O’Connor, Beaconsfield and Fremantle – that meet certain criteria regarding proximity to public transport, existing lot size and housing stock and heritage streetscapes.

Member Profile: Kathleen Gregory

Kathleen Gregory has worked in the housing sector for more than 20 years. 

She is Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Housing a Shelter WA Board Member, on the Steering Committee for the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and is Chair of the Western Australian Council on Homelessness. In 2016 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honour Awards for her work in the not-for-profit housing sector. 

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| By Royceton Hardey

From a very early age Kathleen Gregory felt the need for society to have a level playing field. She could see a growing disparity in society and while she cannot identify a singular event as the cause for this realisation the subject of her privileged upbringing comes up. 

“I was observing the circumstances of where I grew up and went to school and thinking that there was an innate unfairness in a lot of that,” Kathleen said. 

“I went to a private school and I think from an early age I felt if we had a much more level playing field for everybody then everyone is capable of achieving very great things if they have access to education.” 

Her interest in social justice continued at a tertiary level but she was not sure where her place was working within the field.

“I started studying Agricultural Science,” laughs Kathleen, “but I’m not an agriculturalist. That was only because I wanted to live in the country. Then I studied an Urban and Regional Planning Degree, and this taught me how we allocate resources, how people get access to resources and what the impact that planning had on what people’s life opportunities really were.

Kathleen Gregory, Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Housing

“When it came time to finish my degree my thesis was about access to affordable housing. I became interested in cooperative housing and the role it plays as a residential arrangement.”

Her love for the country found Kathleen land her first job as an Economic Development Officer with the Shire of Manjimup. The Shire closed several timber mills in the 1980s and Kathleen’s role encompassed the need to develop strategic plans within communities where jobs would be lost.

“The Shire had access to land and under the old Local Government Community Housing Program we applied for and got funding for 25 houses,” explained Kathleen. “We worked with some of the people we were supporting, and they were involved in the design and the building construction.”

Working on this project was Kathleen’s aha moment. Seeing those homes becoming a strong foundation for people reignited her passion and excitement in housing. From 1991 through to today she has worked continuously in the not-for-profit housing sector.

At Foundation Housing where Kathleen is the Chief Executive a transformation has taken place under her leadership.

“We delivered all of our growth commitments to Government a couple of years ago,” said Kathleen. “Now we are doing our best to understand what the State Government is planning for the community housing sector. Those plans have not been that forthcoming, so we have sought to continue to make the most impact we possibly can on the wait list.

“We continue to positively exit those people who have real capacity to be successful in the private rental market or home ownership, it means we are at least freeing up properties that we can provide to people off the wait list.”

Being subject to opportunities or change outside of their control the CEO has had to make several changes.

“Over the last couple of years, we took out a number of layers of management with the view to really pushing decision making down,” said Kathleen. “I believe this has positioned us as a sustainable organisation, not just from a financial point of view but we’ve got an organisational design and workforce that are adaptable to change and can embrace that.”

Foundation Housing was formed in 2006 following the merger of three smaller housing associations. It manages homes worth over $650m, has ownership interest in more than $200m of assets including lodging accommodation, share houses, single unit accommodation, apartments and homes for singles, families, elderly people and service workers.

The day to day running of Foundation Housing is determined by the community housing agreement formulated by State Government. Each designated community housing provider has access to a common wait list. People who are on that list ticked a box to say they are happy to be housed by a community housing provider.

“When a vacancy comes up for a person and it suits the region, they are in we begin an allocation process,” explains Kathleen.

“There are three interviews, not so much for us to say, ‘No!’ to people but to understand what people’s needs are so that before they move into the house we can link in support. We want people to start in those tenancies in the best possible way we can.”

The Foundation Housing Allocations Team have the best job in the office. Imagine phoning someone to tell them a vacancy has come up and that an allocation process can begin. In some cases, they have waited for this call for over five years. One can only imagine the range of emotions.

“The reactions are always mixed,” Kathleen said. “We receive lots of stories on the difference housing has made in peoples lives and the opportunities housing has provided for them. We introduce our clients to their homes for the first time. These are the enriching stories which make the work worthwhile.

In addition to the work being done now Foundation Housing has to continually look for future development opportunities and be aware of emerging needs of clients. Rather than volume, more money is spent on land where services and networks such as transport and health services are well-established, allowing access for people who don’t have a car.

“Our new developments are focused around the Roe Highway circle,” explains Kathleen. We know that about 70% of job opportunities are within that circle, along with plenty of training opportunities.”

Examining her depth of work, it is clear Kathleen is having a positive impact every day. She has not only identified her place within the field of social justice, she has owned it and in 2016 she received an Order of Australia Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honour Awards for her work in the not-for-profit sector. 

"Shelter WA, under Michelle’s leadership, is having a great impact on all things housing related in WA. The work that is being done to define and promote what an effective housing system in WA should look like is very important work that is long overdue. The team at Shelter have engaged all of the relevant key stakeholders, from government, the private sector and the community sector in these important discussions that will help shape a better housing future in WA. I am extremely proud to be a part of the Shelter WA board and I am sincerely looking forward to seeing what significant outcomes that Shelter WA will achieve over the next few years."  - Kathleen Gregory, Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Housing.