New Homes in Epping and Tarneit

We are proud to share that this year we have completed 2 significant development projects; the Stage 1 Residences in the New Epping precinct and units in Tarneit. Between the two development projects, Haven Home Safe has added 168 new properties to Victoria’s Social and Affordable housing supply. These properties have already been tenanted and are now home to new renters.

The Power Saving Bonus is Back

On 24 March 2023, a new round of the Power Saving Bonus program commenced. Victorian households are now able to receive a new $250 payment, including any households that received a payment through previous rounds of the program.

This is a Victorian Government initiative; you can learn more about it and submit your claim here.

New Haven Home Safe Website

We are very excited to announce that we have launched our new-look Haven Home Safe website!

The website redevelopment has taken place over several months. Our new website will provide you with a better experience including information that accurately reflects our services.

We have also added the option to submit non-urgent maintenance repair requests which you can do via the maintenance page here.

You can still access our website via: www.havenhomesafe.org.au

We are looking for 20 user-testers to provide feedback help us ensure our website best meets the needs of our clients.

The ‘user testing’ task will take approximately 1 hour of your time and will require you to visit our website and provide feedback to specific questions and may require you to complete 1-2 online tasks. 

You will need to have a phone number, email address and access to the internet to participate. People who are selected to participate in this will receive a $75 voucher for their time. 

Click here to register your interest to participate in our website user-testing.

Please note only 20 people will be selected as part of the ‘user testing’ group. 
Registrations close June 30^th 2023.  We will let you know on July 4th the outcome of your registration. 

Bloomin’ Success – Best Balcony and Container Garden Winners  

The winners of the 2022-23 Victoria in Bloom competition have been announced with Haven Home Safe renters Neil and Judi winning the Best Balcony and Container Garden category.  

This is a huge accomplishment with hundreds of entries across the state submitted into the competition. 

They were encouraged to enter the competition by their Tenancy & Property Manager Madeline who during a routine inspection noticed how beautiful their garden was.  

“Neil and Judy are a very house-proud couple who have been residing at the unit for 15 years. They have a beautiful courtyard which the couple has put a lot of work into, potting and caring for a variety of different plants.”  

“It’s really inspiring to see our renters transform their garden and take pride in creating a relaxing and inviting outdoor space that they can enjoy” she said.  

All the plants in their garden are in pots, including a Hoya plant which Neil has been taking care of since he was 7 years old “my sisters always said I was born with a green thumb, gardening is so relaxing” he commented.  

Neil and Judi often give cuttings to their neighbours, friends, and family. Neil encourages anyone interested in gardening to give it a go, “gardening is not that hard, anyone can do it, just start with some pots and go from there” he said.   

The 2023-24 Victoria in Bloom competition will open on the 28^th August, you can learn more about the competition and view the full list of winners from this year’s competition here.  

Renter Survey

Every two years we ask renters how they think we are doing. We ask them questions about customer service, repairs, communications, complaints, wellbeing and a little about themselves.  

If you haven’t already, you are encouraged to complete the survey.

The survey results will be reviewed for areas we can improve on. The recommendations will feed into a continuous improvement plan. The survey closes June 23^rd 2023.

Placemaking Framework

Thanks to everyone who expressed interest in joining our resident workshop. We had limited places, and we had lots of interest. Village Well are a leading placemaking consultancy. They have been working with Haven Home Safe to build our skills.  

In the workshops we discussed with staff and residents what placemaking means for Haven Home Safe and we learnt about better ways we can better work together to build strong communities.

People’s input has helped us shape our new Placemaking plan. We look forward to sharing it with you later in the year.

Bendigo and Wider Community Show Their Support

A huge thank you to the team at the Maldon and District Community Bank, The Good Op Shop and wider community for their generous coat donations.

Our Bendigo Client Care team has already received two loads of coats which have been given to clients and families to help them through these colder months.

These coats are in perfect condition and are for people who will need them most this winter, if you’re based in Bendigo and need a coat to keep warm this winter please visit our office at 10-16 Forest Street Mon-Fri 10am-5pm.

Haven Home Safe was also the recipient of some brand new blankets as part of Blanket Bendigo an initiative of MMM breakfast radio which saw members of the Bendigo community donate new and used blankets and raise awareness of homelessness in Bendigo.

“The donated blankets provided an opportunity to put together more of our homeless support backpacks. The backpacks assist in providing newly and long-term homeless people with necessities for comfort. By having access to new, clean, and appropriate blankets, this allows people to be warm and comforted, despite everything happening around them.  We are extremely grateful for the quality and care people took in the donation of these blankets. Thank you” said Jem who is one of our Homeless Outreach Response workers with the Hey Van.

Advocacy

HHS CEO Trudi Ray spoke at the 5th National Housing and Homelessness Forum in Darwin about implementing prevention and early intervention models to tackle homelessness. Trudi didn’t shy away from the truth that housing and homelessness services funding is ultimately a policy choice and comes down to priorities. Social and affordable housing should be treated as critical infrastructure much the same as schools and hospitals are so that we can work to prevent homelessness in Australia.

Our Reflect Reconciliation Plan

Through partnerships with First Nations peoples, we can deepen our understanding and commitment to supporting their self-determination in line with First Order Principles.

To do this Haven Home Safe is undertaking a Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This is a critical step in our journey, and we are proud to share our commitment to build knowledge, understanding and capability within our organisation for First Nations people. Learn more about our Reflect Rap here.

Our Position on the Voice to Parliament

Embedding a Voice in the Constitution would recognise the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s history that can’t be subject to differing political views from successive governments.

The only way to get a First Nations Voice to Parliament is through a referendum, but instead of voting for people, we will be asked a simple question:

“A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, do you approve this proposed alteration”?

Our position is that we support the protection of Aboriginal People through a First Nations Voice to Parliament which would be protected by the Constitution which is a key element of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.