SA Housing Authority win UDIA SA 2023 Awards
Women in Leadership Award and the Diversity in Development Award.
On 22 July 2023, the Authority won two prestigious awards at the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) SA State Awards 2023.
The UDIA is the leading representative body for the urban development industry. UDIA Awards for Excellence 2023 is a highly regarded Awards program that recognises projects, companies, and individuals who make a difference to South Australia’s Urban Development landscape.
Sharyn Chadwick (Senior Project Manager), won the 'Women in Leadership Award'. This award testifies her exemplary contribution to the industry. She has worked on some of our most innovative mixed developments in Adelaide and mentored others along her journey.
The Diversity in Development Award, won by the Authority, is a testament to our unwavering commitment to inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of work. We firmly believe in the power of diversity and its positive impact on our community, and therefore, it's embedded in our service delivery.
Some of our programs, such as the Employment Pathway Program for social housing tenants and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) drive us to be a diverse and inclusive organisation that offers a variety of housing options to fulfil the requirements of a diverse demographic of clients.
Louise Small and Craig Holden join the board of SA Housing Authority
We are delighted to welcome two new board members, Louise Small and Craig Holden.
Louise is an experienced company director and executive with more than 25 years in the banking and finance sector, including senior roles with Adelaide Bank and as State Manager SA/NT for Mortgage Choice. She is a current director of the SANFL and Credit Union.
She is a driven ambassador for improving inclusion and diversity in the workplace and community. She is currently General Manager with multi award winning Adelaide building firm Turnbull Built and recent recipient of the Housing Industry Association of SA’s Professional Women’s Award and Small Business Management Award.
A passionate advocate for women’s sport, Louise is a former State League netballer and premiership captain with Matrics Netball Club, Australian representative in Indoor Netball, assistant coach for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and AFLW Player Development Manager for the Adelaide Football Club.
Craig has an Honours Degree in Architecture, a Graduate Diploma in Building Project Management, is a licensed commercial builder, a licensed land agent and is a developer of city residential apartment buildings with his company Forme Projex.
Craig is the Chair of the State Planning Commission SA and a board director of the ACH Group.
We also bid farewell to Gary Bonato and Christine Bierbaum, who finished their terms on the Board on 30 June. We thank Gary and Christine for their commitment to the Authority, their work and their passion for making a difference to the lives of vulnerable South Australians.
Closure of Grants
Three Grants activated for Murray River Flood Event to close on 31 July 2023
Personal Hardship grants for the River Murray Flood event were activated on 22 November 2022 to provide financial assistance to eligible people impacted by flooding.
The Private Rental Assistance Grants supported families who were not insured and who were displaced from their homes by floodwater.
The Travel Assistance Grant was activated on 9 January 2023 for eligible persons who incurred significantly higher travel costs due to flooding.
All these grants were jointly funded by the State and the Commonwealth government.
Given the uniquely slower nature of this event and its broader stretch up and down the river these grants have been required for a longer period of time to ensure opportunity for all those impacted to access as required.
At this stage, Re-establishments Grants are anticipated to be available to impacted residents through the remainder of 2023. This will be reviewed in September 2023. The current proposed timeframes allow adequate time for Recovery staff to target those households impacted by the flood who have limited access to support.
SA Housing Authority-led Recovery Centres at Berri, Mannum and Murray Bridge will continue to service the impacted communities until February 2024.
Social Housing Accelerator funding
South Australia to receive $135.8 million from Social Accelerator Payment funding
The Commonwealth government recently announced a $2billion Social Housing Accelerator Program to support growth of Social Housing across the country.
South Australia will receive $135.8 million from the Social Housing Accelerator Payment, with detailed plans being finalised for a further significant increase in both public and community homes.
The Authority recently held an information session with its Community Housing Sector partners about the package and what that means for South Australia.
More details about what this means will be shared with you as soon as possible. However, it is known that this funding will mean a significant increase in all types of social housing (public and community) in South Australia, and additional upgrades for some of our existing homes. This is above and beyond the State Government's A Better Housing Future Program which aims to increase public housing by more than 1000 homes.
NAIDOC week celebrations
SA Housing Authority celebrated the NAIDOC week to express their commitment to Reconciliation and respect for the diverse cultures, histories, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The theme for this year's NAIDOC week was being For Our Elders. This annual celebration was held from 2-9 July 2023 across the country.
This year’s theme recognises the important role our much-loved Elders have played, and continue to play, in our communities and families. Our Elders are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers, and our loved ones.
We celebrated the NAIDOC week at the Authority by organising a morning tea event with a welcome address by Rodney O'Brien, who is a cultural advisor. During the event, we also had children's performance from Kalaya Childrens Centre.
We also had a NAIDOC march and Family Fun Day at Tarntanyangga (Victoria Square) where the staff along with their family participated.
NAIDOC Week provides a platform for honouring our Elders and the rich cultural heritage of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Australians. It was an opportunity for all in SA Housing Authority to engage and embrace the diverse traditions, languages, cultures, and art forms that have shaped this land for over 60,000 thousand years.
The Authority continues to strive for deeper levels of commitment to Reconciliation and by actively engaging in NAIDOC Week activities, we not only express our support and encouragement to join in and celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islander peoples, but also demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive workplace and society that celebrates diversity in all its forms.
Code Blue Activation
The Authority released its first Homelessness Winter Strategy earlier this year, pulling together a range of initiatives that support those sleeping rough over the winter months.
Central to the strategy was the introduction of $10,000 grants, which are now being made available via the State’s Homelessness Alliances, to support local community groups to set up Warm Up sites, where people can go to get out of the cold, grab something warm to eat and connect to services.
The Alliances were tasked with partnering with other services, including the Department of Human Services and local councils, to identify emerging rough sleeper locations and activate Warm Up sites across the state, particularly in regional areas where services are more limited.
In addition to this, support during extreme winter weather event such as heavy winds, thunderstorms, heavy rains etc, Code Blue events have been activated throughout the Winter period. During a Code blue activation, additional shelter is being provided to keep people experiencing homelessness to stay safe and dry in winter.
So far, 12 Code Blue have been activated and over 678 people have received accommodation. Over 1497 services have also been provided.
