Martin Johnston, Service Development Coordinator in the Office of Community Housing, has managed the Port Jackson Supported Housing program since November 2005, and is proud of the difference the program makes to people’s lives.
“Working with the support agencies and St George Community Housing in coordinating the program has been a rewarding experience. Knowing that the combined efforts of all the support agencies makes a real difference to people’s lives is terrific. We’re helping people with real needs, who would probably be on the streets if they weren’t here – that definitely adds a ‘feel good’ component to the work. The knowledge that with every additional property and tenancy made available, people are being given an opportunity to regain their independence and control over their circumstances is a strong motivator.”
Some key achievements for the PBRS in 2005–06 included:
- Consultation with the Department of Community Services as a component of the final stage of system implementation commenced, to establish methods of engagement with housing support providers in the PBRS and to streamline reporting to government for these organisations.
- The NSW Federation of Housing Associations (FHA) and the Association to Resource Cooperative Housing (ARCH) received funding of $44,362 to prepare and support organisations for performance-based registration.
- A new improved web-based information technology system was introduced in October 2005 that captures a broader range of data and information on the conduct of housing services. The reporting data forms the basis for registration assessments and ongoing performance monitoring.
- Office of Community Housing staff provided on-site training on the new system to 55 organisations. Subsequently, the ARCH has been providing the training to all housing cooperatives prior to developing the 2005–06 performance reports.
Overall results from the first stage of registrations indicate a high level of good performance in client service and tenancy management, sound governance being exercised by a large proportion of community housing organisations.
The registration system has been able to introduce clearer processes for assisting and supporting those organisations that require intensive intervention at an early stage to address issues impacting on their future sustainability.
The major focus of PBRS in 2006–07 will be on forging stronger partnerships with housing providers, resourcing agencies and other government departments (including the Aboriginal Housing Office) to ensure a reliable and flexible performance reporting system that supports diversity of community housing in meeting local community housing needs in NSW.