Who we are
Assisting people to achieve and sustain secure and affordable housing is an essential role of government. In South Australia, this role is led by SA Housing Authority. The Authority aspires to be a modern and innovative organisation, building on the rich history of the South Australian Housing Trust, which was created in the 1930s as Australia’s first public housing authority.
An independent statutory corporation that reports to the South Australian Housing Trust Board and South Australia’s Minister for Human Services, the Authority develops, implements and provides housing services for people who are at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, and works with government and non-government organisations to improve the standard of - and access to - housing across the State.
SA Housing Authority is a leader in the State’s housing system. We lead by:
- enabling a reformed housing and homelessness sector which aligns with the State’s ‘Our Housing Future’ vision.
- being an exemplary housing provider, which demonstrates the State’s principles and our own vision and objectives.
We operate as SA Housing Authority, however we provide housing assistance under the banner of ‘Housing SA’.
Our people
Through the South Australian Housing Trust Act 1995, the South Australian Housing Trust Board is responsible to the Minister for Human Services overseeing the operations of the Authority.
Our Executive Team is led by the Chief Executive of SA Housing Authority, Michael Buchan.
SA Housing Authority employs approximately 900 staff at its head office location and 20 Housing SA offices located throughout South Australia.
Critical to our success, we engage our people and partners with clear expectations of excellence, and will demonstrate discipline in maintaining a shared focus on new thinking and innovative solutions.
The Authority seeks to always provide a safe and healthy working environment for staff, and as our organisation evolves, we are committed to ensuring our workplace is gender-balanced and supports and celebrates the achievements of women across the organisation.
A vital part of this strategic planning and management process is committing to not only what we will do, but also how we will do it. It is important our people have the opportunity to generate new ideas and contribute to the behaviours that will support the successful achievement of our collective vision.
Chief Executive
- Chief Financial Officer - Nicholas Symons
- Executive Director, Strategy and Governance - Catherine Burgess
- Head of Office for Homelessness Sector Integration - Ian Cox
- Head of Aboriginal Housing Strategy and Governance - Cheryl Axleby
- Executive Director, Portfolio Planning and Asset Management | Organisational Resilience and Response - Shane Pritchard
- Executive Director, Customer and Services - Fiona Curnow
Our Customers
SA Housing Authority works with customers, the housing and homelessness sectors, government partners and the broader community to provide better housing opportunities for all South Australians.
The Authority develops, implements, supports and provides housing services for South Australians, including:
- social housing customers (public and community housing)
- people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness
- people experiencing or escaping domestic and family violence
- those in need of crisis accommodation, including emergency relief
- people with complex housing needs, the vulnerable and at-risk
- low and moderate income earners requiring assistance in the private rental market
- people in housing stress market and affordable home buyers.
A key strategic focus is to better respond to the diversity of customer needs. This starts with understanding our customers, what services they require, and how they can best access those services when needed for the time needed. This will then enable the design and delivery of new service models targeted to need, so that we achieve the best use of subsidy.
Our role
The Authority has a diversity of roles that broadly represent: supporting a well functioning housing system for low to moderate income households and direct service provision including management of over 34,000 public housing assets, aligned to government priority groups.
System enabling role:
- provides housing strategy, policy development and advice to government
- administers grants and contract manages specialist homelessness and domestic violence services
- contract manages and supports the growth of the community housing sector
- supports the growth of affordable housing, including facilitating outcomes through the planning system, working with the financial sector to address barriers to home ownership and administering programs encouraging affordable housing.
In defining our customer and service offer within a multi provider housing system, we can better design, fund and deliver joined up services together. With greater clarity about what we do and don’t do, and what our partners and related service sectors do, we ensure a well connected system that delivers better outcomes for the customer.
Our partners
We partner with government and non-government organisations and the private sector to improve the standard of - and access to - housing across the State, while always putting the customer at the centre.
Customer
Doughnut Chart Description: Overview clockwise from top right around to the top left
- State Government agencies and SA Housing Authority
- Local Government
- Commonwealth Government, including National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation
- Housing and property industry
- Specialist Homelessness Service providers
- Investors, financiers and lenders
- Customer and industry advocates
- Not for profit and community housing providers