Annual Report  2021-22

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Performance at a glance

During 2021-22, the Authority accomplished a number of achievements/highlights.

  • Completed 154,924 maintenance orders
  • Supported affordable housing through HomeSeeker with increase in subscribers and visits to website
  • Extension of the 40 beds crisis accommodation program
  • Commenced a new Alliance model for homelessness services as of 1 July 2021
  • Reviewed income and asset eligibility for customers
  • Released the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan
  • Activated Code Red / Code Blue during periods of extreme weather
  • Developed a Local Affordable Housing Plan Toolkit for councils
  • Installation of solar panels and batteries through the Virtual Power Plant program
  • Provided emergency responses in SA as well as interjurisdictional deployment to NSW
  • Affordable Housing Initiative Construction program commenced
  • Introduced ‘multiple offers’ to improve allocation rates to new properties
  • Review of the maintenance services contracting model
  • Housing for Health program implemented an innovative integrated housing and health approach
  • Expanded Housing Connect for customers to access more online services
  • Review of the Housing Officer role
  • Draw the Line for Safety program rolled out to customer facing employees
  • Piloted the Exchange Program to renew ageing properties

Agency response to COVID-19

The Authority’s Incident Management Team continued to manage COVID related business changes, ensuring staff were supported while they focused on service delivery.

At the start of the 2021-22 financial year, the Emergency Relief Functional Support Group, which is managed by the Authority, provided an out-of-office hours on-call service to support SA Health to manage the response for people who had tested positive to COVID-19 and were experiencing financial hardship to obtain quarantine accommodation. This concluded in February 2022.

In July 2021’s seven-day lockdown, more than 300 households were assisted with short-term hotel/motel accommodation. This was achieved in collaboration with partners and meant that people in need of accommodation were able to comply with public health orders. It also made contract tracing possible had there been any infections.

People experiencing homelessness, without significant medical issues as determined by SA Health, can access assistance through the Emergency Accommodation Program via Homeless Connect.

From January 2022:

Managing Wiltja Supported Home Quarantine: The Customer and Services team managed a supported home quarantine facility at the Wiltja Boarding College in Northgate. This was effectively a ‘medi-hotel lite’ for close contacts of COVID positive people who have been brought from the APY lands during the current outbreak. The program finished in February 2022.

Supporting Remote Communities during COVID: Our Lakeview Transitional Accommodation Centre in Port Augusta has been used to isolate close contacts who do not have appropriate accommodation in the area, and it will continue to do so until further notice. Other facilities in remote areas may also be reconfigured to support the local communities and the Customers and Services team will be responsible for resourcing and managing these sites.

Enabling Safe Return to Country:  We support the controlled and safe movement of people who are returning to the APY Lands. These activities are either led by us or (depending on the situation) we assist DHS, SA Health, DPC-AAR or the Department of Education. The Customers and Services team coordinate our involvement in each of these tasks.

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