Reminder - Employment Opportunity at Shelter Tas! We are looking for someone with suitable skills and experience to take up the position of Policy Officer at Shelter Tas.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a commitment to social justice and housing and homelessness issues to join the sector's peak body. The new Policy Officer will join our small and professional team and should possess:
- Knowledge of housing and homelessness issues and the associated political context
- excellent written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to effectively consult with key stakeholders
- demonstrated skills in policy development and analysis
- the ability to produce high quality work within tight timeframes
- demonstrated capacity to represent a professional organisation in a variety of settings.
This is a permanent Hobart-based position, working 8 days per fortnight.
Applicants are required to address the selection criteria as outlined in the position description, go to www.sheltertas.org.au for more information.
Applications close COB Thursday 21 April 2016.
Please call Shelter Tas on (03) 6224 5488 or email eo@sheltertas.org.au if you would like to discuss the position further.
Expressions of Interest for Certificate IV and Diploma of Social Housing Courses Are you interested in participating in accredited training leading to a full qualification in the Certificate IV or Diploma in Social Housing? Shelter Tas and the Centre for Training in Social Housing (CTSH) and Housing Tas have been successful in obtaining funds to deliver this training at greatly reduced costs (subsidised by approximately 80% for not-for-profit organisations and 50% for government services).
The training will be a blended approach with both face-to-face and online delivery. Face to face training can be delivered in Hobart or Launceston depending on where participants are located.
This program will be delivered by CTSH, who have been successfully delivering this qualification for the last 4 years in Tasmania and across Australia. Training will start in May and places are limited, so please contact Shelter Tas on 6224 5488 or info@sheltertas.org.au for a copy of the Expression of Interest form. The forms will need to be completed by 30th April 2016.
Tasmanian Planning Commission - Affordable Housing at Macquarie Point Shelter Tas Executive Officer, Pattie Chugg appeared at the Tasmanian Planning Commission, advocating for affordable housing at Macquarie Point. Pattie told the Commission, ”Shelter Tas knows there are positive consequences from including affordable housing in new developments such as a vibrant and lively social environment. Planning has an important role in positive social outcomes such as avoiding pockets of disadvantage and separate areas of privilege. Better planning can avoid the mistakes of the past that divide our community and leave a legacy of problems. The trend world wide is for planning for affordable housing and for integrating social outcomes into planning. Planning for affordable housing nationally is a dynamic area for innovation.” We are still waiting to hear the Tasmanian Planning Commission's determination on this important issue.
Homes Act and Residential Tenancy Act Amendments On 7 April, the Legislative Council passed legislation to enable implementation of some of the Tasmanian Affordable Housing Strategy initiatives. Shelter Tas was part of consultation with community sector stakeholders, and lobbied Upper House members and we are pleased to see that the amendments now include additional safeguards.
Centre for Training in Social Housing Seeking Contract Trainers and Assessors The Centre for Training in Social Housing (CTSH) is seeking expressions of interest from local Tasmanian trainers with a TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and experience in the social housing and/or homelessness sector. They require the person to deliver, assess and/or develop content in the Cert IV in Social Housing and Diploma of Social Housing in Tasmania. CTSH offers training in both online and face-to-face modes. People with an existing qualification from the Community Services Training Package will be highly regarded. For further information please contact Kevin Saide at the Centre for Training in Social Housing on 02 9281 7144 x 215 or KevinS@communityhousing.org.au. Please send your CV and references to recruitment@communityhousing.org.au by 4th May 2016.
National Shelter Reconciliation Action Plan National Shelter (including Shelter Tas as a member) launched their Reconciliation Action Plan at a recent ceremony. The RAP acknowledges National Shelter and its members' commitment to to both the spirit and process of reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal people in Australia and to develop and maintain relationships. Click here to view a copy of the RAP.
Factoid of the Week
A 2013 survey assessed 360 international housing markets for housing affordability across nine countries: Melbourne is ranked as sixth least affordable city in the cohort with Sydney ranked fourth.
Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey results for the third quarter of 2013.
Media Releases
Acting together on youth homelessness Minister for Human Services, 13 April 2016. Click here.
New affordable homes under construction for Tasmanians in need Minister for Human Services, 7 April 2016. Click here.
Research and Articles
Hard to count exact number of homeless youth on our streets The Mercury, 14 April 2016. Click here.
Meet the homeless protesters who are taking on tax breaks for the rich The Guardian, 8 April 2016. Click here.
Queer, young and homeless (audio) ABC Radio National, 3 April 2016. Click here.
Federal cities policy, housing affordability and low-income jobs AHURI, 6 April 2016. Click here.
How can Australia fix its housing affordability crisis? (audio) ABC Radio National, 24 March 2016. Click here.
Indigenous lifeworlds, conditionality and housing outcomes AHURI, 28 March 2016. Click here.
Macquarie Point affordable housing call dismissed The Mercury, 26 March 2016. Click here.
Thousands of empty homes adding to Sydney's housing crisis, experts say Sydney Morning Herald, 28 March 2016. Click here.
The gender wage gap continues to widen in Tasmania The Examiner, 26 March 2016. Click here.
Events and Training
Implications of the 2016 Federal Budget - Public Forum Invitation
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has moved the Federal Budget to 3 May, amid a conversation about tax policy which has ebbed and flowed and a deficit which stretches far into the future. This is the Prime Minister and Treasurer Scott Morrison's first budget, and their last opportunity to carve out the economic territory for the Government before the election campaign.
A panel of experts and community leaders will discuss the implications of the 2016 federal budget and the alternative policy programs being promoted by political parties contesting this year's federal poll. The discussion will move beyond the national commentary to assess the implications of proposed budget policies on the Tasmanian community. Panellists will be:
Saul Eslake - independent economist and former Chief Economist of the ANZ Banking Group and Bank of America Merrill Lynch Australia
Kym Goodes - CEO of TasCOSS
Michael Bailey - CEO of Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Prof. Richard Eccleson - Director, Institute for the Study of Social Change
Chaired by Associate Prof. Dennis Grube, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Social Change. When: Tuesday 10 May, 6.00pm Where: Stanley Burbury Theatre, UTas Sandy Bay campus Register:www.events.utas.edu.au or 6226 1587.
Tasmanian Youth Fourm (TYF) Housing and Homelessness Forum – Friday 13 May The Tasmanian Youth Forum (TYF) Housing and Homelessness Forum is for all young people aged 12 to 25 in Tasmania.
The Forum will focus on providing the opportunity for young people to share their ideas about how they can be better supported in relation to these issues and plan for their future. Participants will also be able to learn more about housing and homelessness through a range of activities and from our guest speaker, Zac Lockhart, who was awarded Tasmanian Young Australian of the Year for 2016 for his work in sharing his own experience of homelessness to break the stigma associated with young people experiencing housing and homelessness issues.
The Forum will be on Friday 13 May from 10:00am to 3:15pm at the Door of Hope, Launceston.
This is a free event with lunch provided for participants. There will also be a bus coming from the North-West and South of the State to provide some free transport options for participants (contact Tegan for more information)
Registration is essential and can be done online at https://tasyouthforum.eventbrite.com.au or by contacting Tegan on 6223 5511 or at tyf@ynot.org.au.
Ice Training for Frontline Workers
The Ice Training Package is a free resource, developed by NCETA - The National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, for frontline workers who want to enhance their crystal methamphetamine skills and knowledge. It is relevant to a wide range of sectors, including health and welfare, education, criminal justice, and transport. Read more here.
Skills for Change: Advocacy Workshops Who: TasCOSS What: Skills for Change: Advocacy Workshops Workshop 1 - Effective Advocacy Strategies Workshop 2 - Effective Advocacy Skills Where: The Old Woolstore Apartments, Hobart When: Workshop 1 - 16 May 2016, Workshop 2 - 17 May 2016 Cost: $170.50 - $280.50 Registration: Online: Workshop 1 and/or Workshop 2 Contact: Dale Rahmanovic P: 03 6231 0755, E: dale@tascoss.org.au Please note: you must register separately for each workshop.
2016 Affordable Housing Conference – July 28, 29 What would it take to create 100,000 wonderful new affordable homes in NSW?
Registrations are now open for the 2016 Affordable Housing Conference. See the conference website for more details. More information about speakers, the program, awards and the PAYCE conference app will be released soon. International speakers who are attending the conference include: Piers Williamson - has been the Chief Executive of The Housing Finance Corporation (the leading profit-for-purpose lender to UK Housing Associations) for the last thirteen years Prof. Geoff Meen - Head of Economics, University of Reading. Prof. Meen specialises in research into housing markets at different spatial scales from the local to the national Prof. Suzanne Fitzpatrick - has been involved in international collaborations on a broad range of housing-related issues and is also part of a network of academics across North America, Europe and Australia.
Conference details are updated regularly, so check the website soon for more information.
Other News
Grant Alert - Community Sector Banking Social Investment Grants This year Community Sector Banking’s Social Investment Grants Program will focus on reducing homelessness.
Funded directly by contributions from Social Investment Deposit Account holders and Community Sector Banking profits, the grants create real impact through everyday, not-for-profit banking.
The 2016 Social Investment Grants Program will open for applications on Monday, 2 May 2016.
A total of $200,000 across three grant categories will be made available to not-for-profits with innovative homelessness programs or projects. To learn more about the Social Investment Grants Program, click here.
If you would like a media & communications pack sent to you to help promote the 2016 Social Investment Grants, please email communications@csbanking.com.au.
Healthy Food Access Tasmania The Healthy Food Access Tasmania project has developed an Australian-first web portal, full of a rich set of resources, tools and data all in one place - and its now live!
The web portal aims to empower local governments around the State, and their institutional and community partners to improve access to affordable healthy food for Tasmanians.
You can watch the short video which explains how the web portal works and subscribe to their monthly newsletter or Go to healthyfoodaccesstasmania.org.au for more information.
Thanks to all contributors for their submissions and feedback to the eNews. As content comes from many different sources, views expressed are not necessarily those of Shelter Tas. We welcome your input to the eNews - please send suggestions or articles to comm@sheltertas.org.au for consideration.
