WIXLIB

12Our OrganisationChairperson’s reportOnce again, it is my pleasure to present the Chairperson’sreport of Homes North Community Housing.The current strategic plan (2013 – 2016), states that HomesNorth wants to be a leader in the community housingsector within the New England & North West region. Thisyear Homes North has taken various opportunities andactions to enhance their leadership and reputation. Lorri Lynch, Glen Innes Housing Manager, who tookon the role of managing the Inverell office and has nowaccepted the position on a permanent basis; Inverell Community Housing Administration Assistant/Trainee, Cheyenne Thompson, who applied for and wassuccessful in obtaining the Administrative Assistantposition at the Inverell office.Some of these actions were:Organisational Review and Restructure Implementation of a successful merger with InverellCommunity Housing Inc.;Due to the changing nature and strategic focus of HomesNorth operations it was decided that an independentorganisational review was necessary to ensure the strategicplan could be achieved. This review led to a restructureof the organisation. A number of new positions werecreated and some others identified as being redundant.Overall there has been a net increase of two employees.As part of this restructure process voluntary redundancieswere offered to six staff and were accepted by five staff.Most of these staff had been employed by Homes Northfor over five years and I thank them publicly for theircontributions to Homes North during a period of rapidgrowth and change. On governance matters, the Audit& Risk Committee, chaired by Margaret Hansell, is nowfully established. This committee met five times in the lastfinancial year and provided oversight of the financial andrisk management governance of the company. A full organisational review of operations; Increasing the stock of affordable housing available byfulfilling the commitment made under the Housing NSWTitle Transfer scheme; Making three submissions to government enquiries,both in our own right as Homes North and as a memberof the Housing Alliance; Sought feedback from stakeholders to assist withsustainable tenancies; Three years accreditation status received under theNational Community Housing Standards (2010); Implementation of a fully integrated specialised ITproperty management and financial software system.Merger with InverellCommunity HousingIn December 2013 Homes North was approachedby Inverell Community Housing Inc. (ICH) to providetenancy and financial management services on a feefor service basis. Early in this management period theICH management committee approached Homes Northregarding the possibility of a merger and negotiationsbegan. An agreement was entered into in April 2014 andthe two organisations merged on 1 July 2014. This mergerfurther extended the region of properties managed byHomes North in the North West of NSW to Inverell andMoree and increased the number of properties undermanagement by 115. As part of the merger, the HomesNorth board welcomes Hans Mouthaan as their newestdirector. Hans Mouthaan was the Chairperson of InverellCommunity Housing Inc. and brings extensive experiencein the area of property management & maintenance.I thank Hans, the previous ICH management committeeand our senior management team for the smooth transitionto Homes North. I also wish to specifically thank thefollowing people who deserve special recognition for thework they undertook in the lead up to the merger: Kate Evans, Armidale Service Manager, who coordinatedthe transition of tenancy management services;Increasing the stock of affordablehousing availableHomes North completed the purchase of an additionaleight properties during the financial year, bringing the totalnumber of properties purchased under the Housing NSWVested Asset agreement to 15. A further four contractswere entered into, two of which settled in July and theremaining two settled in October. This ensures that HomesNorth remains on track or ahead of their commitment withHousing NSW to increase the stock of affordable housingavailable by purchasing 30 properties over 10 years.Submissions to Government inquiriesHomes North, along with the other Housing Alliancepartners, submitted three papers to Government duringthe year, covering a variety of topics relevant to thecommunity housing sector. These papers containedresearch commissioned by the Alliance to betterunderstand the economic and social impacts of theCommunity Housing sector. A new memorandum ofunderstanding between the Housing Alliance membershas been entered into, re-affirming and clarifying the termsof our commitment to work together.

13Our OrganisationStakeholder Feedback – from tenantsand support agenciesHomes North has over 30 stakeholders including varioussupport agencies with whom they liaise. This interactionwith support agencies is considered essential to the supplyof quality services to our clients. The long term benefits notonly include the supply of secure affordable housing to themost vulnerable in our community, but support for tenanciesat risk. This support for tenancies at risk, by workingwith other support agencies, leads to a greater number ofsustained tenancies and higher levels of tenant satisfaction.Homes North aims to ensure that we are a community whereeverybody has a place to live. The number of hours spentby staff interacting with other agencies is significant and theboard appreciates the time taken by staff to ensure stronglinks are maintained with support services. These links leadto more efficient delivery of our services and ultimately abetter quality of life for our clients.This interaction is also reflected in the annual TenantSatisfaction Survey completed in August where HomesNorth achieved an overall tenant satisfaction ratingof 93%. In comparison to other community housingproviders Homes North was ranked number one in 11of the 13 benchmark areas. In the remaining two areas,Homes North was ranked number two. One area that wasespecially pleasing was a 25% lift in satisfaction in the wayHomes North handles complaints. This is an outstandingresult and an indication of the hard work of all our staff.On behalf of the board I commend all staff on theircontributions to this result.Staff/Board training and developmentI also take this opportunity to congratulate MelonyConnors and Leonie Ballantine-Phillips for completingtheir Certificate IV in Social Housing. Melony and Leonieare joined by another four staff, who are continuing theirstudies in various social housing courses. The boardactively encourages staff to undertake external studies tofurther improve their skills.A number of board members, along with Maree McKenzie,attended the Better Boards conference in Adelaide inAugust. The conference proved to be of great benefit toall directors. We are well aware of the quality and scope ofthis organisation and will continue to work hard to help growwith Homes North. A directors’ and management retreat willbe held early in 2015 to focus on how we can better worktogether to achieve the goals of our strategic plan.National AccreditationHomes North was awarded a full three year accreditationunder the new National Accreditation Standards (2010)system in November 2013, after an extensive independentaudit and review of our systems, policies and procedures. Thisachievement reflects the tremendous work being done by allstaff. Once again I extend the appreciation of the board to allstaff of Homes North for the achievement of this milestone.Implementation of new integratedfinance and housing InformationTechnology SystemOver several years, Homes North has been searching for asuitable fully integrated software system that would suit ourproperty and financial management needs both now andinto the future. A contract was signed in December 2013and in July 2014 Homes North began implementation of aUK based IT system called Kypera. Whilst there have beensome delays in implementation and some initial hurdles toovercome, it is anticipated that there will be significant longterm benefits to Homes North’s operational effectiveness.The board acknowledges the strain this has caused tosome staff directly affected by the implementation.FinancialHomes North continues to maintain a strong financial basewith an operational surplus of 672,875 (surplus 676,442,2013). This indicates that Homes North is well positionedto be able to:1. Service the loan facility of 2 million, when required, asoutlined in the financial summary; and2. Continues to be financially sound, providing a firmfoundation for any future growth opportunities; and3. Fund the cyclical maintenance upgrades required tomaintain the capital asset portfolio of properties.The balance sheet has been further strengthened by thetitle transfer of the remaining 128 Economic Stimulusproperties in January 2014, under the Housing NSW vestedTitle Transfer scheme. This transfer was anticipated in theannual report last year. These properties were recognisedby Homes North at their fair market value ascertained byan external independent valuer, in line with the board’spolicy on property values and accepted accountingstandards. The other properties where Homes North holdstitle were also revalued, resulting in an increase in value of 1,159,343. Homes North continues to maintain a strongbalance sheet position.The Chief Executive Officer, Maree McKenzie, has onceagain led a full team approach to offering our clients anexceptional service. The board is aware of the pressuresthat she and all of the staff have experienced this year dueto the issues outlined through this report. I thank her, onbehalf of the board, for her dedication and her leadershipduring this period of change.On a personal note I thank my fellow board members fortheir dedication and contribution throughout the year. It hasbeen a challenging and, ultimately, very successful year forHomes North. Their expertise and team approach underpinsmy confidence in this organisation and I look forward toworking with everyone as we grow into the next year.

14Our OrganisationChief ExecutiveOfficer’s ReportAfter two years of consolidation following several years of rapidgrowth – this year was one to focus on our external environment andpositioning our service for the future.Our new strategic plan spanning 2013-2016 is now guiding our operations.Maree McKenzieThe development of the plan included a comprehensive processthat ensured the strategies we were to embark on are relevant to thecommunities we serve while building the ongoing resilience of our service.Developing our strategic planConsultationStakeholder survey Valuable insights from over 30 key stakeholdersTenant feedback Review of tenant survey results and commentsReview of resourcesAn organisational review was completed todetermine resources and skills needed to meetoutcomes set out in the strategic planNew positions created: Review of complaints register Service development officer responsible forcommunity engagement and quality assuranceStaff consultations Two new senior housing managers to supportthe housing teams Review of our strengths, weaknessesand opportunities Analysis of client demand and housing markets Input from all staff on their ideasPlan development Two part-time tenant participation workersto specifically focus on tenant relations Additional technical officer to meet the demandsof new additional fee-for-service maintenancecontracts as well as the increase in the portfoliounder managementOur three strategic Goals Board review of consultation outputs Strengthening communities Board decision-making on strategies to adopt Supporting individuals Opportunity for further staff input Providing excellent service Adoption of new plan

15Our Organisation Chief Executive Officer’s Report2013-2016 Strategic PlanProgressStrengtheningcommunities H omes North tohost a regionwide housingconference;initial discussionheld with keystakeholders Awareness raisingactivities on avariety of housingrelated issues Media exposurewith articles in localpapers and severalradio interviews Submissions tothree governmentinquiries C alled to presentat the NSW inquiryinto social andaffordable housing New partnershipsdeveloped acrossNew Englandand North WestNSW as part ofthe homelessnesssector reforms Additionaltransitionalhousing propertiesmanaged byHomes North Housing NSWpresentation to allstaff; meeting onhousing productsand servicesSupporting IndividualsNew position created that isresponsible for: S eeking and developing newpartnerships to provide moreeffective support for those inneed S ubmitting funding applicationsto access additional resourcesto support individuals W ork commenced on thedevelopment of a “communityhousing for Aboriginalpeople” strategy, includinga reconciliation plan; anew position created thatincludes responsibility forimplementation of the strategy N egotiated the provision ofadditional support servicesfor our tenants in Gunnedah;under the project, Homes Northhas provided funding for thesupervision of volunteers whoare assisting tenants in needProviding excellent service Achieved full three year accreditation N ew position created to take responsibility for oversighting continual improvement strategies Internal audit plan developed I mproved processes implemented for annual client andproperty file audits Three staff completed Certificate 4 Social Housing Two staff commenced Certificate 4 Social Housing Four staff completed Diploma in Social Housing Four staff commenced Diploma Social Housing Staff training conducted on managing complaints T enant satisfaction survey reflects improvements inservice delivery. Satisfaction rating in 2012/13 was 83%;satisfaction rating 2013/14 was 93% I mplemented handyperson pilot in Armidale and Tamworthto improve maintenance response times F rontline services restructured in some locations toimprove consistency of service provision N ew operational fortnightly reports implemented toimprove accountability; as a result, arrears and vacancytimes have improved N ew partnerships entered intoacross New England and NorthWest NSW, including servicelevel agreements with all refugeservices in the region; theseagreements are developingstronger links across thehousing continuum for thebenefit of services users N ew positions created that will assist with improvedperformance monitoring M anagement of additionaltransitional properties acrossthe region; this will alsofacilitate a more integratedresponse to moving peoplefrom homelessness intosustained tenancies A sbestos register and asbestos managementplan completed Standards set and implemented for reception areas N ew IT system procured which will facilitatestandardisation of processes and communications External whistleblower appointed Policies continued to be reviewed during the year New strategic asset management plan completed 15 newly developed affordable housing properties acquired

16Our Organisation Chief Executive Officer’s ReportReport cardArrears6%Why do we measure this?5%Rent arrears % Helping tenants manage arrears saves tenancies Ensures we are monitoring our financial viability, asrental revenue pays for almost all of our expensesBenchmark4% of rent %Q12012 - 2013Annual TenantSatisfaction SurveyWhy do we measure this? Our service needs to work for the people who use it W e believe in providing excellent services,which we only know if we ask our service users O ur regulators also want to know that we areliving up to what we say we do and also deliveringon our contractsQ2Q3Q42013 - 2014Benchmark2013/2014PerformanceOverall satisfaction with housingservices: 85% (HN benchmark)93%

17Our Organisation Chief Executive Officer’s ReportReport cardThe time propertiesremain vacantbefore reletingAverage turnaround time - vacant353025 P eople in need of housing are waiting for anallocation and may be homeless or inappropriatelyhoused – every day counts for them(Days)Why do we measure this?2015 U nnecessary loss of rent could be money spentelsewhere: acquiring additional properties, repairs andmaintenance etc50 Ensures we are monitoring our financial viability asrental revenue pays for almost all of our expensesVacants: 14 days - A unit that isready to be occupiedVoids: 28 days – An unoccupiedtenancy unit where maintenancehas either been deferred or hasnot been completedQ1Q2Q3Q4Average turnaround time - void2013/2014Performance14012026 days100(Days)BenchmarkBenchmark(14)1018 days806040Benchmark(28)200Q12012 - 2013Q22013 - 2014Q3Q4

18Our CommunityWe listenedSpecial thanks to all Homes North staff who reviewed all our tenants’ feedback from the lastsurvey and put forward strategies to improve our performance. Their hard work has paid offand our tenants have noticed a Hthreshold2014 vs. FederationbenchmarkChange2013 – 2014(HS11) Housing services93%75%84% 10%(RM10) Repairs83%75%76% 2%(HS07) Property condition92%75%86% 2%(CA09) Complaints67%48% 25%(NH10) Neighbourhood92%84% 9%(CM10) Communication90%82% 3%(TE01) Tenant engagement84%76% 7%NRSCH – National Regulatory System for Community HousingHomes North rank # (out of 13) in benchmark groupOf 13 community housing providers benchmarked across Australia, Homes North ranks the highest in Overall Satisfaction and thehighest across 13 separate performance areas. Congratulations to our staff on this outstanding achievement!Appeal knowledgeProperty conditionInformation provisionComplaints handlingListening and actingon tenants’ viewsRepair quality#1Complaints knowledgeTenants’ rights upheld?Repairs andmaintenanceValue for ionTenant involvementInfluencing yourdecision-makingResponserate*#13*With our two new Tenant ParticipationOfficers due to be employed shortly,we are confident that we will improveupon our Response Rate rankingin the coming year.

19Our CommunityWho did wehelp this year?Homes North housed a total of 170new households in the year 2013-2014Tenanciesas at 30th June2014 containinga disabilityDisability (396)None (343)Tenanciesas at 30th June2014 by culturalidentityAboriginal (170)Australian (540)Other (29)New tenanciesduring the year2013 - 2014New tenanciesduring the year2013-2014(homeless at timeof allocation)(greatest need attime of allocation)New Tenancies (51%)Homelessness (49%)Greatest Need (60%)Other (40%)Tenanciesby age as at30th June 201455 Years and Over (306)25 - 55 Years (353)24 Years and Younger (80)New Tenanciesduring the year2013-2014(youth)Youth (34%)Other (66%)

20Our CommunityBuilding CommunityThrough GardeningMargaret (Peggy) Marshall and Lance HazlewoodCommunity GardensAn exciting new venture was undertaken in January2014, with the establishment of the Tenant CommunityGarden, situated at our Johnston Street unit complexin Tamworth. This has been a fantastic new initiativeimplemented by Homes North Community Housing, withthe driving force behind the project coming from one ofour long standing tenants, Margaret (Peggy) Marshall.In acknowledgement of how successful the communitygarden had become, Homes North decided to directfurther funding from the ‘wish list project’ toward theinstallation of a beautiful timber picnic table and cover waywhich was constructed in July 2014. In addition to this acement footpath is currently being constructed, designedspecifically for wheel chair access to allow two of ourdisabled tenants access to participate and contribute to thecommunity garden.Peggy carried out research of other community gardensin the district, such as the one implemented in DenneStreet Tamworth by Lifeline, and began consultationwith our Asset Team in the Tamworth Office, to begin therejuvenation of the common area at the complex.The ‘wish list project’ was created in May 2013 by staffof Homes North and members of our Asset team, whichallowed for funding of tenant participation programs,rejuvenation of common areas, and

Housing leAsing pRogRAm Capital Properties: 391 Land and Housing Corporation properties. leasehold Properties: 133 lease hold properties. stimulus 250 nation-building properties with title transfer. fee foR seRViCe 193 properties - Aboriginal Housing Office (employment-related accommodation properties), Inverell Community Housing,