MA Housing celebrates transfer of 494 homes

MA Housing staff and Board members have celebrated the new ownership of 494 homes officially transferred as part of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan (NBESP) Stage 2.

To mark the milestone, new MA Housing Director Evelyn Horton took on her first official responsibility in cutting the cake at the MA Housing Board meeting on Wednesday.

“It’s a significant week for MA Housing,” said MA Housing CEO Andrew McAnulty. “Thanks to the NSW and Australian governments MA Housing will have the capacity to leverage these new assets to produce even more housing. Together, we are starting to address the affordable housing challenge.”

The 494 homes are part of 37 NBESP projects that were officially transferred from the NSW Government on 18 April, just under half of the total number of homes won by MA Housing in a competitive tender in 2010. In Sydney, the new homes are located at Chester Hill, Padstow, Revesby, Yagoona, Blackett, Blackheath, Blacktown, Blaxland, Cambridge Park, Kingswood, Lalor Park, Lethbridge Park, Mt Druitt, Seven Hills, Shalvey, St Marys, Werrington and Willmot.

On the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, MA Housing has also received properties in Coffs Harbour, Forster, Kempsey, Laurieton and Taree.

These 37 projects will house a variety of tenants, including families and elderly people from the central Housing NSW social housing waiting list. MA Housing aims to provide 1,200 social and affordable homes by 30 June 2011 and will continue to work in partnership with Housing NSW and private sector partners to increase the overall stock of affordable homes in the state.

In April 2010 the National Housing Supply Council reported that there was a 178,000 gap between housing demand and supply, which is predicted to grow to over 500,000 by 2020. MA Housing was established in April 2009 to help address the supply of affordable housing and to provide low income individuals and families with pathways away from homelessness.

MA Housing welcomes 500th tenant

Yesterday’s welcome event for residents of MA Housing’s Blacktown development in western Sydney was made extra special when Jennifer Morgan arrived.

Jennifer is the proud tenant of MA Housing’s 500th home – a milestone celebrated at the gathering in Seven Hills that included Nathan Rees, State Member for Toongabbie, and Andrew McAnulty, CEO MA Housing.

Jennifer, who signed her lease in December, said her new home was “the best Christmas present” she’d ever received. She has since settled into the unit with her dog Tazzo, who she saved from the pound 13 years ago.

Before receiving the keys from MA Housing, Ms Morgan was desperate to find safe and affordable accommodation for herself and Tazzo. She has been renting in Sydney’s Lalor Park for seven years when her landlord decided to sell the home and gave her 30 days to vacate the premises.

Due to the severe housing shortage, Ms Morgan was unable to find a suitable – and pet-friendly – place to live and was at serious risk of homelessness.

Eventually, she found basic accommodation at the back of a suburban home, and there she lived without an oven and other important facilities for 18 months.

She was elated when MA Housing called to offer her a brand new pet-friendly unit in Seven Hills. She immediately accepted the home on first inspection.

“Since moving in, I now have enough money left over each week to do a proper grocery shop. The first meal I cooked in my new kitchen was a big traditional oven roast for my mother,” she said.

“I still pinch myself every morning to find I’ve woken up in my new home.”

To celebrate becoming MA Housing’s 500th tenant, Mr Rees and Mr McAnulty presented Ms Morgan with a bunch of flowers, a gift voucher and a photo of herself and Tazzo.

MA Housing – which is part of Mission Australia – has recently taken handover of 35 new homes in the Blacktown Local Government Area, which will provide quality housing for individuals and families.

Located across the Sydney suburbs of Seven Hills, Blacktown, and Lalor Park, they have been built as part of the Australian Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, and will be owned and managed by MA Housing.

Mr McAnulty said that these new developments are making a significant contribution through the creation of more homes for people on low and moderate incomes in Sydney’s west.

“Sydney has a significant affordable housing challenge,” he said. “Thanks to the NSW and Australian governments, these homes – and others being built around the state – are an important step in overcoming the issue.

“Housing NSW should be commended for the design and quality of these new homes. MA Housing’s vision around these homes is to make a long-term and positive difference in the area. By providing good quality homes, more secure homes, more affordable homes we’re helping build stronger communities.”

MA Housing welcomes its Wauchope tenants

MA Housing hosted a 'welcome' event on Monday for residents of its new housing development in the Wauchope area.

MA Housing – part of Mission Australia – has recently taken handover of 27 newly built homes in Wauchope and Laurieton with another 28 to follow in Port Macquarie designed to provide quality housing for individuals and families.

The homes have been built as part of the Australian Government’s Nation Building economic stimulus plan and will be owned and managed by MA Housing.

MA Housing’s CEO, Andrew McAnulty, said the new homes were a significant contribution to creating more affordable housing in regional NSW.

“Australia has an affordable housing challenge. These homes – and others being built around the state thanks to the NSW and Federal governments – are an important step to overcoming the issue,” Mr McAnulty said.

“Housing NSW should be commended for the design and quality of these new homes.

“MA Housing’s vision around these homes is to make a long-term and positive difference in the area. By providing good quality homes, more secure homes, more affordable homes we’re helping build stronger communities.”

Kathy Cox OAM, who has been a Wauchope resident for almost three decades, was among the new tenants who joined in the celebrations.

“We haven’t been living in the project long, so it’s still new. But it seems really well set up,” Ms Cox told The Wauchope Gazette. “The layout means there is good privacy and security. The peace and quiet is fabulous, especially for those of us who haven’t had it.

“I like the layout. I’m in a cluster of five other houses, which means you have a good chance for both privacy and to develop good neighbourly relations.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she added. “You just have to talk to the tenants here to know how much they appreciate the security… MA Housing has done a really good thing.”

Above photo: Denise Bartlett, Gail George, Francis Brazil, Sharon Kent, Angela Roberts, Kathy Cox, Thelma Campbell, Michael Wong, Andrew McAnulty, Geoff Carney and Kelly Innes.  Photo courtesy of The Wauchope Gazette.

Further reading...

• MA Housing welcomes new residents
  
• A helping hand into a home
  
• 1,043 reasons for MA Housing to celebrate
  

1,043 reasons for MA Housing to celebrate

In February 2010, Housing NSW opened a tender process for the stock transfer of 4,551 new homes being delivered as part of the ‘Nation Building Social Housing Initiative’ within New South Wales.

“The 1,043 homes awarded to MA Housing represent 23 per cent of the total tender and equates to $317 million of new build asset transfer,” said Andrew McAnulty, CEO MA Housing.

“In addition to the 1,043 'social homes' under Nation Building, we are committed to developing a substantial number of additional affordable homes, the majority of which will be completed over the next five years,” said Andrew.

The win provides MA Housing with a solid springboard as they position themselves for further growth in both NSW and other states and territories.

“MA Housing has achieved these outcomes by levering the strength of Mission Australia,” said Andrew. “Ultimately, it’s about our ability to combine service delivery for our clients.”

Of the 17 housing packages offered by Housing NSW, MA Housing won three, which cover the geographical areas of Blacktown, Penrith, Blue Mountains, Bankstown, Greater Taree, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, and Great Lakes.

“The locations of homes are particularly pertinent to us, especially Blacktown and Penrith where we already have extensive MA services in place.

“While we still have significant work to do to deliver this opportunity, I’m extremely confident that we possess the organisational capacity and determination to deliver a high quality outcome for our new residents and wider stakeholders,” said Andrew.

Building MA Housing brick by brick

“Mission Australia Housing (MA Housing) has a big picture vision for urban regeneration and transformation; a vision for healthy, well-functioning and integrated communities,” said Andrew McAnulty, the MA Housing Chief Executive Officer.

“As part of delivering this vision, we now operate in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, with plans to commence services in South Australia and, ideally, the Northern Territory by the end of 2010.”

For an organisation in its first year of operation, MA Housing has chalked up an impressive list of achievements.

“On 1 March, we took our 108th home into management. We have many more homes in the pipeline, including: six to be developed in Kingswood, 104 homes in Camperdown (to go on-site in June 2010) and 100 homes in various well-located sites around NSW.

“In February, we submitted an expression of interest for the stock transfer of social housing and the development of further affordable housing in NSW, and we are currently reviewing a significant opportunity in the Northern Territory,” said Andrew.

“We are in partnerships to provide 36 additional homes in Tasmania and a substantial project in Victoria, together with a range of further tenders and bids for funding,” said Andrew.

“The strength of the Mission Australia family has meant that we are also engaged in discussing opportunities with Government and other partners in South Australia and Western Australia, and we will shortly be taking forward discussions in Queensland.”

Andrew is well versed in the intricacies of delivering affordable housing. Prior to moving to Australia, he spent more than 15 years with three diverse housing associations in the UK, together with the multi-award winning Stonebridge Housing Action Trust, one of London’s largest single site regeneration schemes.

“It is incredibly exciting to be at Mission Australia Housing. I believe that we will succeed in creating something special if we focus on providing a very good quality customer focused service for our residents, whilst also linking into the strength of the services offered by Mission Australia,” said Andrew.

“With the continued support of Mission Australia, local, state and federal Governments, MA Housing intends to become a landlord of choice, providing a customer-orientated service and a range of housing solutions for those in housing need.”

MA Housing joins the Camperdown Project

MA Housing – a division of Mission Australia  – has been announced as the community housing provider of Sydney’s innovative social housing initiative, the Camperdown Project.

The NSW Minister for Housing, David Borger, made the announcement yesterday at a media conference held to discuss the Development Application for the Camperdown Project with the City of Sydney.

The initiative – based on the successful Common Ground model in New York – provides formerly homeless people with long-term housing and in-house access to support services.

New York’s Common Ground has reduced the city’s chronically homeless by 50% in just five years.

MA Housing will work collaboratively with project partners, Housing NSW and the building’s developer, Grocon Consortium, to provide ongoing tenancy and building management for the project.

MA Housing’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew McAnulty, said breaking the cycle of homelessness has become increasingly difficult in recent years because of the lack of affordable and appropriate long term housing for clients.

"The Camperdown Project will bring together a mix of long-term accommodation for people who have been chronically homeless and affordable rental housing for low-income workers,” Mr McAnulty said.

“From our experiences, we know what works in affordable housing for workers and in short-term housing for homeless people. The Camperdown Project takes a long-term approach to dealing with homelessness, and we’re looking forward to being involved.”

Minister Borger said MA Housing had demonstrated a strong capacity to manage complex tenancies on a long term basis.

“This is particularly important for this new integrated supportive social housing model, designed to help people who are homeless or on low incomes,” Mr Borger said.

"MA Housing will be involved in the development of a support services model with a range of community support providers and Housing NSW, to ensure that future tenants receive the support services they need to sustain their tenancies.”