Home Stories - Tasmania Summer Edition

Home Stories - Tasmania Summer Edition

FEBRUARY 2018

Harmony Day: March 21 at Queens Walk

Inside Words opening doors at Queens Walk Page 2 Blooming Beautiful: Housing Choices’ Garden Competition Page 4 Cheer to end the year: Christmas party pics Page 9

International Women’s Day Festiva l

Do you make jewellery, pot succulents, teach yoga or basket weave? After an overwhelming response last year, Housing Choices will celebrate 2018 International Women’s Day with an expanded event and we’d love our residents to lead the way! We’re calling for ideas, stands, volunteers and/or exhibitors to support the Festival to be held on Thursday

8 March from 10am to 2pm at the Latrobe Memorial Town Hall. The event – for the whole community – will comprise health and wellbeing stands, healthy cooking demonstrations, door prizes, crafts, activities and supported by a range of organisations. Entry is free. To be involved, call Kath on 1300 312 447.

YEARLY PERFORMANCE REPORT: HOW WE DID IN 2017

Being transparent about our performance is important to us. Here is an easy- to-read chart that tells you about what we measure and a traffic light system to clearly indicate our performance. Performance Measure Tasmanian Performance Our performance Traffic light Measure

Days to repair and

< 28 days

11 days

empty property

Days to allocate an empty property

< 14 days

5 days

when it has been repaired

Rent arrears for current tenants

2.5%

0.38%

Evictions

5-10%

5%

Tenancies maintained

75-90%

88%

Complaints resolved within 30 days

100%

100%

Urgent repairs completed

90%

96%

Priority repairs

90%

94%

Non-urgent repairs

90%

95%

Opening Doors at Queens Walk W O R D S

Scrabble is taken very seriously at Queens Walk - and for good reason. It’s a chance for the apprentices to take on their master at his own game. “Now when we play scrabble, they beat me – using their computers of course,” volunteer English teacher Phil chuckles. “It’s quite intense.” The truth is Phil couldn’t be more pleased for his competitors. Many of these men and women were newly arrived in Australia and had very little English skills when he first met them. Phil has been teaching migrant groups since Queens Walk was refurbished four years ago. The first to move into the redeveloped complex, he met refugee and

migrant residents who asked him to help them with their English. Over the past few years, his classes have expanded; up to nine in a group. “The approach I take is that we start from scratch, with the alphabet and then onto words and grammar,” he said. Phil has a theology degree and significant experience teaching in schools locally and overseas. “In any of our classes we have had people who come from a range of ethnicities, cultures and beliefs - Ethiopia, Eretria, Persia, Malaysia, Vietnam. That makes it interesting, challenging, tolerant and inclusive, because we all have a common ‘language’ - the desire to understand each other.”

Housing Choices Tasmania has supported the initiative with the provision of a white board, text books, readers and other equipment in the residents’ community room. “The aim of these classes and what’s important, is that everyone gains a sense of confidence in speaking and reading English,” Phil said. “Some people ask me why I do it. Simple. This is Australia and we look after our neighbours and our neighbourhood because it’s the right thing to do. It’s not a big deal. It’s just being Aussie.”

“...we all have a common ‘language’ - the desire to

understand each other.”

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A sample of some of the entries.

Beautiful Bloomi ng

In our Spring edition of Home Stories, we launched our first garden competition for Housing Choices residents. Since then, we have been delighted to visit so many beautiful gardens across the State. Thank you to everyone who has invited us to take photographs and to those who have sent in pictures. Whether it be community or shared areas, on balconies or in their own patios, back or front yards it is clear the passion, joy and pride gardens in all their various forms bring to those who tend to them and the whole community. It can often be the thing that turns a house into a home! Entries will soon be judged by the Resident Advisory Committee with winners announced over the coming weeks. In the meantime, happy gardening!

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“I hadn’t worked in a long time and private rental was taking all my income - I don’t really know what I would have done had I not come here...”

Growing up on a farming property in New South Wales, Housing Choices resident Wayne ‘grew’ his green thumb. The youngest of three boys, he tended the garden with his mother while his brothers learned how to run the land. “My mother and grandmother were great gardeners so I learnt a lot from them,” he said. Many years later, Wayne is now passing on that knowledge – and a lot of hands-on help and goodwill within Housing Choices’ Brisbane Street community. Since moving into his unit roughly 18 months ago, Wayne has donated many plants and a lot of time to enhance the community garden. “It started at the front when some of the neighbours wanted to do something about the area that was becoming overgrown and overwhelming,” Wayne explained. “They knew I had an interest in gardening – it just grew from there.”

With the garden just footsteps away from the front doors of several residents, Wayne said it was even more important to maintain and beautify the area to its potential. “People see things happening here [in the garden] and if what they see is good, it gives them pride and satisfaction,” he said. “It gives a good energy. While some people join in, not everyone is physically able and that’s absolutely fine.” Whilst he is giving a lot, Wayne says he feels grateful too – having come to Brisbane Street following an unsustainable private rental situation. “I hadn’t worked in a long time and private rental was taking all my income - I don’t really know what I would have done had I not come here...” he said.

“They knew I had an interest in gardening – it just grew from there.”

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Wayne in his garden.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade – or so the saying goes... But what about plums, cherries or tomatoes? Speaking with our residents, the options seem endless.

If you have a tried and tested recipe for turning fresh home- grown or given produce into a favourite dish, we’d love to publish it in an upcoming edition. Simply send to: [email protected]

It’s fantastic to hear so many stories about neighbours sharing excess, home-grown fresh fruit and vegetables with each other. Of course, it doesn’t end there. We also love learning about the different ways the fresh produce is used and, often returned, in the form of jams, pies, purees, puddings and chutney.

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Mark Fishwick, Alvwyn Boyd, Kim Bomford, Jodie Stokes, Stephen Zschech and Nikki Campbell at the official opening of the new play area at Shorewell Park.

New Fitness Space and Playground

...to those recognised in the 2017 Housing Choices Tasmania Good Neighbour Awards: Ralph; Allen and Judith; Bevan and Enid and Anne. Congratulations...

Remember, you can nominate someone you know at any time. Details about the Housing Choices’ Good Neighbour Initiative, including a nomination form, are enclosed. For more information, phone 1300 312 447 or speak to your housing officer.

A new fitness space and toddler playground designed with ideas and input from local residents – is now open in Shorewell Park. The project on Wisemann Street was a joint inItiative between Housing Choices Tasmania, Mission Australia, Burnie City Council, the Tasmanian Community Fund and Burnie Community House.

Housing Choices Tasmania contributed $26,270 and the Tasmanian Community Fund provided $19,225 towards the new developments. Housing Choices Tasmania’s State Manager Kim Bomford said a community working group comprising locals including Housing Choices Tasmania residents were

crucial to the project. “Residents know their neighbourhoods better than anyone else so it simply makes sense that they are involved in the decisions around what is needed and what it looks like,” Ms Bomford said. “This isn’t just an investment in equipment – it’s an investment in the people and families who live here – in their health and wellbeing now and for years to come.”

In Harmony

Inspired by a range of cultures and communities, this event will be a melting pot of international food, music, activities and amusements for children. Highlights include dancing, drumming, hair braiding and a Welcome to Country by Leprenna. Entry and entertainment is free and Housing Choices residents will be provided with a half price food voucher.

Housing Choices Tasmania staff enjoyed hosting several resident Christmas parties for our communities across the state.

Housing Choices Tasmania is also calling for ten volunteers to help at the event. If you are available to assist, contact Lisa 03 6221 9001 or email [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the

celebrations such enjoyable events.

Shorewell Park/Acton breakfast; Hobart celebration; Somerset barbecue; residents and staff take part in Devonport Christmas Parade.

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Who are the people in your neighbourhood?

Don’t Forget to Follow us on Instagram! @HChoicesau If you don't already follow Housing Choices on Instagram, make sure to head on over and check us out! Just another way you can stay connected with our resident stories, staff events, and happenings across Australia with new content every week. If you have stories or content you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you! Inbox us with your pics to start a conversation. Getting to know people in your neighbourhood isn’t as easy as it used to be – especially if you live in a single unit or house. Housing Choices Tasmania resident groups provide residents of all ages living in the same or surrounding area with the chance to get to know each other and our staff in informal settings and through organised initiatives. Groups, now set up in East Devonport, Somerset, West Ulverstone, Acton, Shorewell Park and Latrobe, have come together for a range of activities supported by Housing Choices. Highlights have included bus tours to a berry farm and Airtime360 in Launceston as well as local lunches and gatherings. Housing Choices Tasmania resident Dorothy said she found the resident meetings beneficial including “being able to contact other residents and give ideas for future projects such as the International Women’s Day Health and Wellbeing Festival or the Christmas in July.”

Devonport 5 Steele Street Devonport TAS 7310

Hobart Level 7, 39 Murray Street Hobart TAS 7000

Contact www.housingchoices.org.au Phone: 1300 312 447 Email: [email protected]

Shorewell Park 11A Wiseman Street Shorewell Park TAS 7320

@HChoicesAU