2022
Annual Report

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Reunited Darren Mitchell, Yorta Yorta / Barkinji

BeyondHousing acknowledges Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their rich cultures. We acknowledge the Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta, Bangerang, Dhudhuroa, Waywurru, Ngurai-illam Wurrung, Jaitmatang, Taungurung, and Wurundjeri peoples as traditional custodians of the lands and waters upon which we rely.

We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

Overview

Vision
Home.
Not homeless
Purpose
Ending
homelessness
Values
Advocacy | Fairness
Innovation | Quality
Collaboration
Australia Aboriginal Flag Torres Strait Islander Flag

Commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

BeyondHousing recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and ongoing Custodians of the land and water upon which we live & rely.

We acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are steeped in traditions built on a social and cultural order that has sustained over 60,000 years of existence, and we recognise and celebrate their connections to Country.

We recognise the long-lasting, and intergenerational consequences of colonisation and dispossession and respect the continuing struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in addressing structural inequality. BeyondHousing recognises the top of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to self-determination as they hold the knowledge to determine what is best for themselves, their families, and their communities, including in addressing and preventing homelessness.

We will provide culturally safe services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and are committed to two-way learning to better understand causes, impacts and appropriate responses to homelessness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Progress Pride Flag

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

BeyondHousing is committed to embracing diversity and promotes an inclusive culture across our organisation.

We recognise that providing equality of opportunity builds both social cohesion and organisational integrity.

We are committed to ensuring that all people have equitable access to our services and our workplace.

We value the lived experience of people from diverse backgrounds, including gender identity, age, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, carer responsibilities and/or professional background.

Our Strategy

Create social impact

Our work toward ending homelessness will focus on quality and targeted services and housing solutions, with a dedicated commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve housing outcomes.

  • Improved housing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • House those people most in need, including those in immediate crisis.
  • Create a person-centred, inclusive culture.
  • Utilise data to drive continuous quality improvement.

Build financial sustainability

We will enhance income streams and assets to ensure long term financial sustainability.

  • Explore profit generating opportunities that align with our Vision.
  • Enhance philanthropic relationships.
  • Reduce reliance on government funding to deliver innovative services.

Drive creative housing solutions

We will challenge ourselves and others to deliver innovative housing solutions that maximise our impact.

  • Construct the most appropriate housing based on a sound understanding of the need.
  • Investigate alternative housing models and developments that house more people.
  • Develop a plan to achieve culturally safe housing and homelessness services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Use smart systems

We will use data and technology to inform our decision-making, improve our performance and transform our client experience.

  • Build our digital and tech capabilities.
  • Implement tech solutions to improve client access to our service.
  • Integrate our internal data collection and reporting systems.
  • Use data to inform and improve service offerings.

Focus on people

We will create an enabling and agile culture for our people and enhance our profile as an employer of choice.

  • Align the organisational structure to better support our people to fulfil our Purpose.
  • Develop a holistic framework that enables us to recruit, develop and retain high performing talent.
  • Establish partnerships that enable us to attract a diverse workforce.

Share our stories

We will share stories to acknowledge those with a lived experience of homelessness, to highlight its injustice and to advocate for better outcomes.

  • Leverage our data to highlight homelessness issues within our communities.
  • Advocate to all levels of Government for better resourcing and seek philanthropic funding.
  • Increase our broader community participation and leadership.
  • Find creative ways to better support those with lived experience of homelessness to share their stories.

Be environmental stewards

We will respond to the loss of biodiversity and the climate change emergency.

  • Commit to a position on climate change with a formal public statement.
  • Identify and implement targets for energy reduction.
  • Improve environmental sustainability for construction projects.
  • Work with our partners to reduce the environmental impact of our activities.

Grow our service

We will strategically expand our asset base and service offering.

  • In-fill our footprint where we can have the biggest impact.
  • Optimise the leverage of our housing portfolio.
  • Seek operational efficiencies.
  • Use strategic partnerships to grow and enhance our service.

Key Messages

Ann Telford

Chair

Celia Adams

Chief Executive Officer

Welcome from
the Chair and CEO

At the conclusion of the first year of our new five-year strategic plan, it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to review 2021-2022, to celebrate our achievements and reflect on our challenges. Our Strategic Plan is ambitious, reflected across eight Strategic Pillars.

We have been very successful in submitting for capital investment through the Victorian Government's Big Housing Build. With more than $15M committed by Homes Victoria, this funding will enable us to construct over 140 homes across the region, enabling us to build our financial sustainability and grow our service.

The Peter & Lyndy White Foundation (PLWF) continues to be a valued partner of BeyondHousing. Between 2019-2022, the Foundation committed $30M to BeyondHousing, with a focus on building smaller properties (mainly one and two bedroom), for single people and small families who are often the most disadvantaged in the private rental market. At 30 June the PLWF has supported us to complete 31 homes, with 66 under construction (due for completion by 30 June 2023), and another 84 in the pipeline. We thank the Foundation for its continued support in addressing homelessness and the provision of affordable housing to those in need.

We faced significant challenges in delivering our housing development program, with the increasing costs of land and building materials, along with delays in construction times. However, our partnerships with our local builders have ensured that we continue to deliver homes for people across the region.

We were excited by the proposed development above the Council owned carpark at Nixon and Maude Streets in Shepparton. This was a rare opportunity to partner with Shepparton Council and Wintringham to provide medium density housing in the CBD with excellent access to amenities and services. We understood that this project offered challenges as regional communities can be reluctant to embrace urban housing in regional centres, but we also know that land is expensive and often on the fringes of our towns, with less access to services for our renters. The proposal created significant public debate, and although we were disappointed by some of the unfortunate characterisation of social housing renters, we were encouraged by the acknowledgement that there is a severe shortage of affordable rental housing. The proposal was ultimately unsuccessful, but it demonstrated the community's willingness to engage in discourse around the issues of homelessness and affordable housing. We will continue to seek creative housing solutions as opportunities arise in the future.

We continue to focus on our people who are central to the success of BeyondHousing. For the first time we undertook an external staff engagement and alignment survey and achieved outstanding results, being in the top decile when benchmarked against 280 Not for Profit organisations. Of particular note is the fact that more than 90% of our staff agree that BeyondHousing has a set of values and behaviours that guide our actions; are proud to work for BeyondHousing; feel safe at work; and agree that BeyondHousing requires them to uphold the highest ethical standards at all times.

The launch of our redeveloped website provides us with the opportunity to increase our social impact and share our stories. It has excellent accessibility and safety features and provides a first point of contact for many of our clients and the wider community.

Underpinning much of our work has been our commitment to using smart systems, to protect our data, improve efficiency and help us to design and provide services through improved data.

The Board has made a firm commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. We will conduct a carbon audit in early 2022-2023, to help the us to set targets to reduce our footprint

The new Federal Labor Government has set out several key policies to address homelessness and housing affordability. The Housing Australia Future Fund will provide ongoing investment in social and affordable housing, with a focus on First Nation's peoples and women and children fleeing family violence. The expansion of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation and establishment of the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council has the potential to address some of the underlying causes of homelessness and housing stress at the national level. We look forward to seeing these initiatives rolled out and hope to participate by bringing a regional Victorian perspective to the table.

Our achievements would not be possible without the commitment of everyone involved with the organisation. Thank you to Laura Harris, our Business Development Manager who was with BeyondHousing for 10 years in several roles, but ultimately within the Executive Team responsible for our housing development program. We welcome Charlie Bird as the recently appointed Chief Development & Asset Officer, who takes on this role at a time of growth and challenges. We would also like to thank Kylie Nelson, the Chief Operating Officer who brought a wealth of experience in corporate leadership and change management. Kylie has resigned to take up an overseas position but her impact on BeyondHousing will continue.

As we look forward to the coming year, we will continue our commitment to expanding and improving our services to people who are homeless or at risk; whether that be through increasing the level and range of services we provide, building more homes, strengthening our leadership or advocating to Government and the broader community for strategies to address homelessness.

A message from our partners

Peter & Lyndy White Foundation

It was in 2018 we first joined in the Social Housing Growth Fund with BeyondHousing, providing 50% of the funding for 11 houses for their clients. The clients we are providing houses for range in age from 16 - 60+, both male and female without secure affordable housing.

After meeting some of their clients and hearing how having permanent affordable housing has transformed their lives, it has made me more aware of the need for secure, affordable housing.

In 2019 we agreed to fund 90% of our future projects with BeyondHousing contributing 10% and lifted our contribution for the 2020 - 2021 year to $9 million.

After Lyndy and I visited some more of the completed units, meeting with some of the clients, the success of the program led us to contribute a further $15 million in the 2022 year. This has led us to 152 houses being completed and 222 people housed, a very rewarding outcome for our projects and we look forward to continuing our partnership with BeyondHousing.

Peter White OAM - Founder and CEO
The Peter & Lyndy White Foundation

Impact

6442

families and individuals supported

24

new homes completed

6734

nights of crisis accommodation

Katherine's Story

Katherine had nowhere safe to live for over 5 years. In this revealing story, she candidly shares her journey of homelessness, as well as her current situation and future aspirations.

2794

people living in our properties

2263

households supported to access
or maintain private rental

$

2.6

+

million in affordable housing discounts for community housing renters (on market rent)

Our Clients

3538

households were homeless or at risk of homelessness

29

%

sought help for homelessness
because of domestic & family violence

32

%

said mental health was a
reason for being homeless

53

%

had experienced recent
mental health difficulties

Who they are

47

%

were single people

32

%

were families with children

Who they are

1 in

4

were young people aged 15-24

16

%

are First Nations households

Who they are

Top 3 Reasons for support

Where were they staying

Illana's Story

“I was homeless for two years. I stayed in hotels, with family, friends. Never anywhere permanent. I was constantly moving with my son. Now, they are moving into long-term community housing."

Our Renters

Who lives in community housing?

967

people housed in

467

Long-term Community Housing properties

Our Renters

Household composition

Our Renters

Household composition

5%

are a culturally and
linguistically diverse household

14%

are First Nations households

36%

are a household which contains one
or more persons with a disability

Our Renters

How long have they lived in
Long-term Community Housing?

Our Renters

Why do people need Community Housing?

98.7%

were on the priority housing waitlist for urgent housing

46%

people and families were homeless prior to moving
into long-term Community Housing

Impactful
Services and Solutions

This year, our work toward ending homelessness saw new partnerships and programs focussing on quality, targeted services, and housing solutions with real impact for those most in need.

Shepparton Drug Court Housing Support Program

The Drug Court Housing Support Program, operating since January 2022, is the first of its kind in regional Victoria.

The program provides support to people on a Drug Treatment Order (DTO) who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness.

BeyondHousing's Drug Court Housing Support Worker works with people to obtain affordable accommodation, that meets the requirements of their DTO. Based on the principles of Housing First, housing is provided, followed by wrap around supports, aiming to reduce ongoing homelessness and reoffending.

This enhances the likelihood of a successful completion of their DTO.

12

participants received housing support

40

%

lower rate of reoffending for participants on a DTO.

The Housing Support worker helped me move from a two- to a three-bedroom house and now I can have my kids back and take care of myself and them. It's a new start for all of us.
- Josh, Shepparton

Putting Families First

Funded by the Victorian State Government, Putting Families First (PFF) is a new pilot program in the Shepparton area to support vulnerable with experience with the criminal justice system to get the support they need.

The program is being led by Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative, Family Services, in partnership with OzChild, FamilyCare, and the Bridge Youth Service.

Program partners are committed to improving the safety, health, and wellbeing of families by connecting them to services specific to their needs, when they need them, provided by a highly skilled interdisciplinary team. PFF is initially being rolled out to 24 families in the Shepparton area, targeting mothers leaving custody and young people who have had contact with the justice system.

BeyondHousing's role within the program is to provide housing broker services that will:

  • Assist families to access housing, including private rental, or social housing.
  • Work with the interdisciplinary teams to support families to maintain tenancies
  • Deliver culturally safe services
  • Advise the lead family worker on appropriate use of additional housing brokerage funds available for families
  • Assist families to access other housing supports available to them such as the Private Rental Assistance Program.

Leaving Care
Transition to Tenancy

Young people are a significant group experiencing homelessness in Victoria. In 2022, one in four clients supported by BeyondHousing's homelessness services were young people aged 15 - 24 years. On any night at least 6,000 young people are homeless across Victoria.

Compared to older cohorts, young people have distinctive pathways into, and experiences of homelessness. One of these pathways is at the time of transition from residential care by the age of 21. Young people with experiences of residential care or multiple foster care placements are more likely to experience housing disruptions.

Leaving Care Transition to Tenancy is a framework to better support young people who are making the transition from care to independence once they leave out of home care. Poor transition processes are driving young care leavers into homelessness, with 54% of young people experiencing homelessness within four years of leaving out-of-home care, while one in three had multiple homelessness experiences.

We are determined to change these outcomes by ensuring young people have an active voice in early in their transition planning around stable housing and the assistance and support to build the skills and confidence they need to thrive as adults. Supportive relationships provide the social capital needed to acquire somewhere safe, secure, and affordable housing, critical life skills and entry into sustainable education, employment, and training.

Led by BeyondHousing and Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), the Transition to Tenancy framework has been developed in partnership with funded organisations within Ovens Murray region who are supporting young people in Residential Care. All stakeholders share a dedicated commitment to improving housing outcomes for young people exiting Residential Care in Ovens Murray.

Our role is to provide housing options which place the young person in the best position for creating a sustainable rental tenancy.

We are committed to ending youth homelessness. By working together with our partners, we can effectively meet the needs of young people with youth-specific homelessness prevention strategy.

Arc Program

Working with people leaving prison to avoid crisis
accommodation and homelessness

People leaving prison will be helped to avoid a crisis accommodation and homelessness loop that can lead to reoffending through a ground-breaking program backed by the Victorian Government.

33% of people in prisons were homeless before prison, currently 54% expect to be homeless when released. And those exiting prisons into homelessness are twice as likely to return to prison within the first 9 months of release.

The $33 million Arc project - named to signify change and new beginnings - will help hundreds of men and women navigate a smoother transition back into society, with experts working with individuals to secure stable housing months before a person's release.

Delivered by VACRO with Social Ventures Australia, Arc will help participants maintain accommodation for up to two years while simultaneously supporting them with finding long-term housing.

BeyondHousing will work alongside VACRO case workers with community corrections clients to develop a viable exit strategy - including safe and suitable housing options - up to three months ahead of a release date.

The program's impact will be measured in recidivism levels, sustained housing success and reduced call on acute services related to anti-social behaviour and offending.

Nathan,
Vaccine Program Participant

Regional Vaccine Ambassador Program

BeyondHousing is part of The Victorian Department of Health Regional Vaccine Ambassador Program, funded to December 2022.

The program aims to provide appropriate access for priority populations including people experiencing homelessness by increasing vaccine confidence, increasing the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations, and raising awareness of Victoria's easy access COVID-19 immunisation program.

People experiencing homelessness are at an increased risk for COVID-19 infection and have often experienced barriers to accessing health care. Many individuals also may have low levels of trust in the medical system due to previous experiences of trauma or stigma.

Our Vaccine Ambassador Andrew Davison received facilitated training conducted by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) on how to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, so he was comfortable and confident to share information and messages, answer questions, and discuss risks and concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccination program.

People were referred to the Vaccine Ambassador program where one-on-one conversations were key to addressing hesitancy and encouraging them to book and attend a COVID-19 vaccination appointment.

Our combined efforts to improve access and education and better health outcomes for people who are so often overlooked in traditional information campaigns or health and vaccine strategies.

Nathan's Story:

Nathan was sleeping rough in the Wangaratta area. Through his Initial Assessment and Planning worker, he was referred to our Vaccine Ambassador for support.

Nathan shared that he wanted to be vaccinated but was afraid of experiencing side effects whilst he was sleeping rough and feeling concerned for his safety. He was provided with support including extended crisis accommodation for two separate periods coinciding with his vaccine appointments and post vaccination.

Without the help I got I wouldn't have been vaccinated. I was worried about being sick and being in a tent with no one around I trust. I got the info I needed, and I feel good that I ticked off one more step towards my goal of a job and somewhere safer to live.
- Nathan

Hayley's Story

From having little support and at risk of homelessness to thriving at work and in her studies, The Foyer in Shepparton has provided Hayley with the connections and skills necessary for independence.

Home Delivery

24

new homes completed in 2021-22

86

new homes under construction

130

more homes on the way

420

+

more people to be housed in new safe, secure, and affordable homes by 2024

$

69628000

total value of construction

The community housing sector is a long standing and vital component of the Australian housing spectrum, alongside public housing, and private housing.

Currently, Community Housing construction can be summed up in two words - patient urgency. Affordable housing is desperately needed, the funding is there to make it happen but the pressure on the construction industry is unlike anything seen in decades, with some serious impacts seeing timeframes push out.

The construction industry in Australia is facing several serious challenges at the moment, not least of which is a severe shortage of skilled workers. The industry has been hit hard by global financial conditions and the subsequent downturn in the Australian economy, and many construction workers have either left the industry creating a skills gap that is proving difficult to fill or there is difficulty accessing skilled workers because they are already fully committed with existing workloads.

Critical materials shortages continue to slow down construction coupled with a sharp increase in the cost of raw materials such as steel and concrete, which has made projects more expensive to build. This has put pressure on margins and made it harder for Australian construction firms to ensure projects remain financially viable.

Finding appropriate land to build much needed community housing is also challenging, but it is essential to increasing the supply of affordable housing.

Despite these challenges, BeyondHousing has worked alongside our construction partners to stabilise our project construction and work within the “new normal” to ensure we continue delivering more homes for renters who need them, where they need them.

In 2021-22 we delivered 5 homes and commenced 19 more under our Social Housing Growth Fund partnership with the Victorian Government. We completed 19 homes in our partnership with the Peter & Lyndy White Foundation. There has been significant progress towards the completion of our Safe Places Emergency Accommodation project, for women and children escaping family violence in the Mitchell Shire, Goulburn Valley and Northeast regions of Victoria. Two of the three crisis housing facilities are operational by the end of 2022.

Big Housing Build

In November 2020, Homes Victoria announced the Big Housing Build, worth $5.3B over four years.

It aims to deliver 12,000 new social and affordable homes while generating 10,000 jobs each year, with a 25% investment guaranteed for rural and regional Victoria.

BeyondHousing is delighted that as a result of this significant investment, we can develop new housing across our catchment, including Shepparton, Wodonga, Wangaratta and the Mitchell Shire.

We are committed to working with local builders and trades, to deliver homes that are designed to Livable Housing Australia Silver Level 2 and built to 5 Star Green Star and 7 Star NatHERS ratings.

We are grateful for the support of Homes Victoria to develop more housing for people in our local communities, and to help us pursue our vision of Home. Not homeless.
- Celia Adams, CEO.

64

new homes funded

7

regional cities and towns

150

+

people to be housed by 2024

20

local planning & construction partners

$

15.8

M

contribution by Homes Victoria as part of a total funding commitment of $30.5M to deliver new homes

A Melbourne based philanthropic private ancillary fund, The Peter & Lyndy White Foundation's mission is to enhance the quality of life of Victoria's disadvantaged and vulnerable community members, supporting them in making positive long-term changes in their lives.

Like us, they are focussed on ending homelessness and they support our work to construct more safe, secure, and affordable housing for regional Victorians.

We have been collaborating with the Peter & Lyndy White Foundation since 2018 and together we have proudly completed 31 homes, with 66 under construction (due for completion by 30 June 2023), and another 84 in the pipeline. This means successfully housing more than 200 of our most vulnerable community members.

With the critical shortage of housing in rural and regional Victoria, this partnership has allowed us a unique opportunity to focus on housing projects in smaller communities with housing construction projects happening in Euroa, Cobram, Tatura, Nathalia, and Numurkah.

Our partnership continues into 2024/25.

We are incredibly thankful for the generosity of the Peter & Lyndy White Foundation, which will continue to make a significant difference in the lives of homeless and at-risk regional Victorians for generations to come.
- Ann Telford, Chair

19

new homes completed
in 2021/22

152

on the way including
66 under construction

273

people to be housed by 2024

11

regional cities and towns

42.5

M

contribution by PLWF as part of a total funding commitment of $50.2M to deliver new homes

25

local planning and construction partners

Home Improvement

BeyondHousing has completed the delivery of a home upgrade and maintenance program under the Victorian Government's $50 million Community Housing Maintenance Stimulus Package. The funding was used to improve amenity for renters and reduce future maintenance costs.

BeyondHousing was awarded $970,000 under the Stimulus Package, which translated to 102 maintenance and upgrade projects across our portfolio. Works commenced in November 2020 and were completed in June 2022.

People

Our Team

69

team members

96

%

proud to work for BeyondHousing

278

training courses completed

96

%

staff felt safe at work

$

2144

raised for the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the 55 Squat Challenge

25504608

steps taken or 19,435kms travelled by our team in the 10,000 Steps Challenge

High performing teams

This year for our staff survey we raised the bar. We wanted to obtain a current measure of how we are doing as an organisation, the connections between our strategy, vision, purpose and values and their execution. To identify key strengths and areas for improvement, and to inform initiatives aimed at making BeyondHousing a better place to work, we needed to understand:

  • employee alignment - do we energise and enable our people?
  • employee engagement - do they think and feel positively about the work we do and what does this mean for discretionary effort?

We used an external partner to give all employees the opportunity to provide feedback in a safe and confidential environment. 81% of staff provided feedback across a period of just over 2 weeks. Significantly, we were benchmarked against 280 not-for-profit organisations, providing an evidence-based benchmark for comparison with industry peers and best practice measures. We were pleased to achieve a rating in the top decile of all organisations, and to have a strong roadmap for improvement and success. The Leadership team will continue to work on the actions and areas for improvement highlighted but we won't take the focus away from what we are already doing well. We won't stop doing the things we're good at.

Leadership development, restructure, and recognition

We completed structural changes with the implementation of an Executive Team to meet current and future leadership needs and growth of the organisation.

The Business Development Manager and the HR Manager roles have been elevated to Chief Development & Asset Officer and Chief People Officer respectively.

A management team have been formed inclusive of key roles that impact operations including the Service Development Manager and Digital Transformation Manager.

We are also working on a Leadership Development strategy to elevate our leadership at all levels, to ensure our staff are supported and developed to reach their potential.

We have been building a formal recognition program and will continue to develop our leadership team's ability to find opportunities to provide regular, informal recognition which our employees identified is as important to them.

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Meet Our Team

Celia Adams, Chief Executive Officer

Julie Quin, Executive Assistant

Leadership

Catherine Jefferies, Manager Client Services

Robyn Parker, Team Leader Shepparton

Renee Silver, Team Leader Wodonga

Kristy Styles, Team Leader Wangaratta

Shaanie Meyer, Team Leader Seymour

Homelessness Services

Lisa Ramsay, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Helen Lansdown, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Stephanie Holgate, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Simon Corrie, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Debroh Rachele, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Mia Le Cerf, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Vanessa Carroll, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Renee Sari, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Erin McNamee, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Aimee Knights, Initial Assessment & Planning Worker

Private Rental Support Services

Jessica Bardic, Senior Private Rental Assistance Broker

Carolen Kardol, Private Rental Assistance Broker

Penelope Kneebone, Private Rental Assistance Broker

Karla Broadbent, Private Rental Assistance Broker

Richard Clancy, Sustaining Tenancies at Risk Worker

Nicolle Lynch, Sustaining Tenancies at Risk Worker

Shantelle Collyer, Sustaining Tenancies at Risk Worker

Laura Mazorodze, Sustaining Tenancies at Risk Worker

Courtney Dupuy, Tenancy Advice & Advocacy Program Worker

Matt Boxell, Tenancy Advice & Advocacy Program Worker

Housing Support Services

Don Cook, Tenancy Plus Case Manager

Olivia McInnes, Tenancy Plus Case Manager

Andrew Davison, Tenancy Plus Case Manager

Stacey Lappin, Tenancy Plus Case Manager

Kirstie Reaper, Indigenous Tenancies at Risk Worker

Tim Holgate, Drug Court Housing Support Worker

Pip Else, Keeping Home Project Worker

Reception

Lena Al Helwani, Receptionist

Vicki Setches, Receptionist

Kelly Dwyer, Receptionist

Cherie Smallwood, Receptionist

Andrew Chittenden, Chief Financial Officer

Nolene Adams, Manager Finance & Accounting Services

Pam Drage, Finance & Accounting Administrator

Yvette Laing, Finance & Accounting Administrator

Kate O'Brien, Accounts Payable Administrator

Tariro Chinguwa, Management Accountant

Alison Eaton, Chief People Officer

Sarah Biggs, HR Coordinator

Charlie Bird, Chief Development & Asset Officer

Alanna Maguire, Project Manager

Lisa Georgeson, Project Manager

Leadership

Leisa Makszin, Manager Housing Services

Annette Johnstone, Team Leader Housing Services (Shepparton)

Property Management

Kylie Sullivan, Community Housing Property Manager

Christeen Bell, Community Housing Property Manager

Joanne Garner, Community Housing Property Manager

Melissa Van Der Zalm, Community Housing Property Manager

Michelle Bourke, Community Housing Property Manager

Gemma Holmes, Community Housing Property Manager

Jayde Cooper, Community Housing Property Manager

Samantha Stock, Community Housing Property Manager

Kylie Doig, Community Housing Worker

Assets and Maintenance

Nicole Sargeant, Maintenance Coordinator

Leighton Wallace, Maintenance Coordinator

Shepparton Education First Youth Foyer

Cinnamon Brauman, Student Residency Officer

Kylie Nelson, Chief Operating Officer

Matt King, Digital Transformation Manager

Chelsea McGrath, Marketing & Communications

Katrina Holland, Service Development Manager

Linda Grellman, Homelessness Network Coordinator

Janine Bussell, Homelessness Network Coordinator

Meet our new executive team member

Charlie Bird

Chief Development
& Asset Officer

I come into the new role of Chief Development and Asset Officer with experience and dedication to making projects, programs and desired outcomes succeed. Through my previous role as CEO of Alpine Shire, I have a strong record in infrastructure delivery and placemaking. Working with an experienced team of project managers we are driving the construction of quality homes for the renters that need them.

I will engage my passion, drive, and experience as an executive leader to develop innovative housing solutions that maximise our impact, strategically expand our asset base, improve sustainability, and reduce the environmental impact of housing.

As we work towards our purpose of Ending Homelessness, I am committed to the growth and development of a strong not-for-profit, values-driven organisation. An organisation that supports positive social change; achieved through a strong and collaborative network of not-for-profit, government and for-purpose sectors.

I am excited to be working in the community housing sector to deliver hundreds of new homes under the partnership with Peter & Lyndy White Foundation and the Victorian Government's Big Housing Build program, alongside our work with local councils, builders, and developers to deliver more affordable housing and build a better understanding of the community housing sector.

This is an exciting time in BeyondHousing's commitment to end homelessness and our vision for Home. Not Homeless.

Our Board

Ann Telford

Chair

Ann joined the Board of BeyondHousing in February 2020 and was appointed Chair in November 2021. With 30 years' experience in senior management roles across the community and public sectors, Ann has a strong interest in leadership, engagement, and collaborative partnerships. Ann sits on the People, Culture and Nominations Committee.

Alan Arthur

Deputy Chair

A Director of BeyondHousing since November 2019, Alan has extensive experience in Information Technology and Corporate Services in the public and private sectors, with both Australian and multinational organisations. He brings specialist skills in service delivery, change management, stakeholder management, strategic risk management, and business continuity planning. Alan chairs the Risk & Governance Committee and is a member of the Capital Projects Committee.

Michael Gomez

Treasurer

Michael has been a Director since April 2022, with extensive experience in Information and Operational Technology, Finance, Commercial and Engineering, leading transformation through the introduction of innovation and technology, optimisation of processes and advanced data analytics. Michael chairs the Finance & Audit Committee.

Neil Funston

Neil joined the Board in August 2017, with extensive experience in food process engineering, small business, and project management. He is a Mental Health First Aid Practitioner and White Ribbon Australia Ambassador. Neil is a member of both the Finance and Audit and Risk and Governance Committees.

Ben Ruscoe

Ben is Executive Manager at Commonwealth Bank, with almost 20 years' experience in agribusiness and the banking sector. A Director of BeyondHousing since April 2020, Ben's extensive skills in finance, relationship management, and risk management are critical to the work of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Capital Projects Committee which he chairs.

Carly Martin

A Director of BeyondHousing since August 2020, Carly is a registered architect and Director of Akimbo Architecture, based in Albury. With experience in both residential and commercial design, her career has included teaching at several universities, with a focus on sustainable design and affordable housing. Carly's expertise is utilised on the Capital Projects Committee.

Lisa Ryan

Lisa has 30 years' experience across a variety of roles in corporate and banking sectors, including strategic leadership, relationship management, digital transformation, innovation and automation, and risk and compliance. She joined the Board of BeyondHousing in October 2021 and has chaired the People, Culture and Nominations Committee since April 2022.

Skye Roberts

Skye joined the Board of BeyondHousing in November 2021, with more than 15 years' experience in financial services law, commercial law, and corporate governance and compliance in Australia and the UK. Skye is a member of the Risk & Governance Committee.

Our New Wodonga Home

After 15 years in our High Street location, our Wodonga team moved to a new home. We opened our doors on Monday 9 May at Level 4, 111 - 113 Hume St Wodonga, known to locals as the Trotman building.

It is an exciting chapter for our new Head Office and an opportunity for us to challenge and change our workspaces to maximise collaboration and inspire us.

We outgrew our previous premises and the need for our services continues to grow. The new office is a client centred space which provides safe & accessible spaces for everyone, and will enhance our connection to our clients, renters, and partners.

We continue to support our community and work to end homelessness from our new location.

Our Community

Community growth for our media and social media

+

14

%

Facebook followers

+

21

%

Twitter followers

137

appearances in print,
broadcast or online news

1113800

households reached
through media

22522

people visited our website

Our supporters

Some of the incredible contributions made by our supporters throughout the last year include generous donations from Garry Nash & Co Community Fund, AccomplishBiz, Central Shepparton Rotary Club, Share the Dignity - Seymour branch, Mulberry Lane Property Styling, Commonwealth Bank - Shepparton Branch, Ironbark Property Advocates, Soroptimist International Australia of Shepparton, Seymour Flexible Learning Centre and the many individuals who have helped us provide crisis accommodation and support the homeless, build new homes, and strengthen our communities.

Workplace Giving

We would like to acknowledge the generous workplace giving donations received from staff at North East Water and Services Australia.

This year their generosity helped us get a head start on providing the things that make a house a home for two of our Safe Places family violence crisis housing projects. Important things like crockery, cutlery, kettles, and saucepans that women and children had to leave behind. Items that will help them feel at home whilst they recover from the impact of escaping family violence.

Our Partners

We work collaboratively with our partners, whose purpose and values align with our own, and who help contribute to our overall growth and success.

These partners include Local, State and Federal Government, private developers, community groups, local businesses, and support agencies. We can't end homelessness alone. Thank you to our generous partners who have enabled us to reach more people to deliver the life-saving support and homes they need.

Systems

BeyondHousing continues to move internal systems to cloud based platforms, promote collaboration, automation and build new systems with our staff and clients digital experience as the focus.

To support clients, staff, departments, programs, and growth we are invested in innovative technologies such as business intelligence modelling and quantitative analysis through data capture.

These innovations will form a data driven platform for better business decision making, inform strategy, identify local trends, and put us at the forefront of recording tangible social outcomes. The roadmap will stay agile as technology changes and advances.

Website

On 30 June 2022 we launched our new website.

In redeveloping the website, BeyondHousing's key
priorities were:

  • Client-centred design and content
  • Accessibility, safety, and responsive design features.
  • Sharing stories of lived experience of homelessness and community housing, and of our work including housing projects
  • Clear action pathways for our community to support our work, advocate for people experiencing homelessness and for more social housing, and an improved donation journey.
  • Self-service: ability to update and change content in-house

We have received excellent feedback from user testing groups and from our clients and the community. Thank you to OGA Creative Agency for their guidance, and their strategic and creative input.

5 Year Road Map

The organisation's technology was assessed with technology gaps and future planning identified. Our five-year roadmap was completed this financial year, before the target date.

Key achievements in 2021-2022 include:

  • Organisational intranet site
  • Secure bookings portal for SafePlaces project
  • Supervision portal
  • Reporting list data capture repository
  • Board Portal
  • Executive and senior management sites

Business Intelligence

The implementation of PowerBI, our business analytics tool, continues to see the organisation develop quality dashboarding and reporting from both internal and external data repositories. The intelligence platform continues to evolve as the organisation creates interactive touch points for data capture.

Key achievements in 2021-2022 include:

  • Rent arrears analytical dashboard
  • Housing survey analytical dashboard
  • HR working from home analytical dashboard
  • Client services dashboard
  • Client services survey dashboard
  • Client file audit dashboard

Data Management Strategy

The data management strategy outlines the organisation's objective of a smooth transition to be more data driven across all departments. It is aligned with the Business Intelligence Project and Project Management Framework to create greater efficiencies in the way the organisation creates, stores, manages and processes data.

Key actions underway:

  • Review data policies, procedures, and standards
  • Implement a data governance framework
  • Create a user access and governance team

Snapforms

Snapforms are used to capture data which is integrated with our Business Intelligence dashboards to improve our reporting, allow for evidence-based decision making and planning, and provide insights into trends and critical client touch points for analysis. Snapforms have improved usability for clients and employees. They enable us to provide more professional, secure, accessible forms and to manage the process using an inbuilt workflow for approvals and signatures. Further forms will be converted and implemented in 2022-23.

Converting the Housing Development stage inspection form to a Snapform has resulted in:

  • 9 forms converted into 1
  • 14 processes removed
  • 190 hours saved per year
  • $7,500 financial savings per year

Calumo

BeyondHousing has converted financial budgeting and reporting to Calumo. Use of the platform enables operational efficiency, removing manual reporting requirements, reduces risk of manual error and provides enhanced capability for management insights and dashboarding.

Sustainability

Solar Project

We received further funding under the Community Housing Solar Rebates scheme offered by Solar Victoria to install solar power to our properties.

In 2021-22 solar systems were installed on five of our existing community housing properties in Myrtleford and six homes in Alexandra. We focussed on smaller rural towns which have limited energy source and supplier choices as well as older community housing properties that don't have the energy efficiencies of newly constructed homes. Delivering greater equities in reduced costs of living and sustainability for all renters in our community housing is important to us.

Carbon Audit

BeyondHousing is serious about climate action. Our starting point is calculating our corporate carbon footprint (CCF). To do this, we have engaged external consultant Pangolin Associates to review and measure our carbon footprint and determine opportunities to set appropriate benchmarks. This lays the foundation for an external statement about our position on climate change as part of a carbon management plan, giving us unambiguous insights into our greenhouse gas emissions, where carbon hotspots lie and what targets can be set to reduce our climate impact.

Financial Snapshot

$

24.5

million total revenue

$

10.6

million capital grants

$

5.3

million rental revenue

$

82

+

million net assets

$

2.6

+

million in affordable housing discounts for community housing renters (on market rent)

BeyondHousing has delivered another strong year for the community through continued growth in both support and housing programs.

Total revenue for the year was $24.5m, including $10.6m of capital grants received for the construction of new homes.

Our development project pipeline includes 250+ units to be delivered by 2024/2025, and we acknowledge the ongoing commitment from the Peter & Lyndy White Foundation and Homes Victoria to support the mission to end homelessness.

Total assets now exceed $109m, noting that the 434 long-term community housing properties are reported at their written down value.

Total comprehensive income for the year was $10.1m. Rental revenue remained stable at $5.3m as most new dwellings were delivered in Q4. Expenses of $12.7m were incurred.

Operating & Capital Income
Properties & Total Assets

You can view our complete 2022 Concise Financial Report here