Page 1270 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 29 March 2017
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The first phase is about reflecting on the program’s scope and looking at any kind of lessons that we have learned from prior site relocations.
The second part of that involves speaking with the tenants about where they want to live, their relocation needs and their location preferences, whereabouts in Canberra they want to live. I am curious that Mr Hanson describes the outer suburbs as inappropriate. Inappropriate for whom? Is it inappropriate for me? Is it inappropriate for my neighbours? We quite like living in the outer suburbs, and all of my neighbours are public housing tenants. Fifty per cent of people in my street are public housing residents, and we all quite enjoy living in the outer suburbs of west Belconnen. I am not sure whom it is inappropriate for, because we all think it is appropriate.
The second phase is a conversation, speaking with tenants about their needs. We have tenant relocation officers and members of the transforming communities partnership who actively engage with the tenants and raise awareness of relocation activities such as barbecues or information sessions and go door to door to make sure that every tenant gets to have a conversation. The transforming communities partnership comprises representatives from housing and community services and key community sector organisations, including Northside Community Service, One Door Mental Health, EveryMan Australia, Oasis youth service, Companion House, Australian Red Cross and Woden Community Service.
Phase 3 of the program commences when the stock is being acquired by the task force and is transferred to Housing ACT. Once the stock is available, the logistics of the tenant moves can be planned. Phase 3 includes the processing of transfer applications, viewing properties, arranging removalists and signing tenants to new tenancy agreements for their new homes. Phase 4 is the support of moving tenants, cost reimbursements and the reconnection of utilities.
Phase 5 includes follow-up engagement with tenants and client service visits post the relocation. That includes making sure that the arrangements for the tenants in the new public housing that is redeveloped are renewed all across the city, in suburbs all over the city, including in Gungahlin, Belconnen, Weston Creek and newer suburbs in Gungahlin, as well as in the city, making sure that tenants are connected up with support agencies within that area.
In Woden and Weston Creek, they would be connected up with the Woden Community Service to make sure that they are supported there. If they are over on the north side, they would be connected up to Northside Community Service. If they were moving into Belconnen, it would be Belconnen Community Service and any other organisation that they would need support from. If they need that support, they would be connected up with those support services.
There are considerable support services engaged through this entire program, including conversations with organisations like ACT Shelter and ACTCOSS, to ensure that our program is meeting the needs of our public housing residents in the ACT.
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