AHO Newsletter Winter`s End 2014

AHO Community
Housing News
Winter’s End 2014
Inside this issue
> Mandy’s Column
>Corporate
>Policy
> AHO Assets
> Regional News
> Community News
> Provider Feedback
> Staff News
Mandy’s
Column
It has been great getting to know the
sector over the past few months. I can
see that we work with a great bunch
of people committed to improving
outcomes for the Aboriginal community.
The Secretary FACS, has tasked me
with delivering a review of the mediumterm direction of the AHO and service
improvement plan, in partnership
with the AHO Board. While there are
still a few gaps, much of the work
required is already well underway and
I am confident that we will develop
achievable, effective and efficient
plans together.
I have been busy getting around the
state visiting communities and talking
with providers. In the next phase of
developing plans to better support
Aboriginal organisations and people,
we will be bringing together Aboriginal
community housing providers in a forum
to work on how best to place the sector,
the AHO and our initiatives and activities.
This will help enable us to not only
provide affordable housing, but to also
integrate support services to address
underlying causes of disadvantage,
rather than simply alleviating housing
stress. We will be discussing completed
reviews and reforms that are currently
underway across all areas of the AHO,
the social housing sector and FACS
more broadly. This will help guide
us in identifying opportunities to
optimise our service delivery.
The Board recently met and a
Common Agreement was endorsed
for consultation with Providers. It will
streamline all management agreements
with providers and will give ACHPs
assurance about the AHO’s role
and responsibilities. Feedback from
Providers will be sought to inform a
detailed implementation plan across
the sector.
The Board has also committed to the
continued roll out of the tenant support
and education program for the next
two years from 2014 to 2016, and will
establish grants for providers to better
support tenants. More information will
come to you on this shortly.
So, we have a lot of work to do and I look
forward to working with you all over the
next couple of months to set some new
directions.
Mandy
Regional Aboriginal Housing Committees
The Terms of Reference for
the Regional Aboriginal Housing
Committees (RAHC) have now been
drafted and approved by the AHO
Board. Work is now underway on
developing Expressions Of Interest and
how they will be deployed. We expect
that RAHCs will be up and running in
late 2014.
AHO Community Housing News 1
Corporate
Contract, performance management and reporting changes
Provider Contract
and Performance
Management Framework
The AHO has created a document
(the Provider Contract and
Performance Management
Framework) that explains the context
for its relationship with providers
delivering housing and related services
under the Aboriginal Housing Act,
and its approach to contract and
performance management.
The Framework gives Aboriginal
Community Housing Providers (ACHPs)
and other organisations delivering
housing and related services on behalf
of the AHO, information about what
they can expect from the AHO.
The Framework includes principles for
data collection and reporting that are
relevant to all AHO providers, including
ACHPs.
The document explains how the
AHO assesses provider compliance
and performance; uses reporting
information from providers; and
addresses non-compliance by a
provider.
The Provider Contract and
Performance Management Framework
will be publically available on the AHO
website in the coming weeks.
Policy
Provider
consultation
workshops held
The Build and Grow policies and
Housing Management Selection
Policy were presented at a series of
four consultation workshops held
with 29 Aboriginal Community Housing
Providers (ACHP) in March 2014, across
the state. Separate sessions were held
with NSWALC and AHO staff.
Aboriginal Community
Housing Provider reporting
In response to feedback from
providers, the AHO is improving the six
monthly reporting requirements for
Approved Providers.
Some improvements were
implemented for the July reporting
period with more to come over the next
twelve months.
For the July reporting period providers
will have noticed the following
improvements:
• A new looking report format
• Instructions for completing the report
in a new User Guide
• New optional questions relating to
your organisation’s challenges and
successes over the reporting period
• Revised Key Performance Indicators
and a better feedback process from
the AHO
• Some supporting documents no
longer need to be sent to the AHO.
Head lease provider
reports
Head lease providers will notice the
latest report from the AHO is in a slightly
different format. The new format
provides more detailed information
about income and costs relating to the
management of the portfolio and was
introduced in response to feedback
from head lease providers and
subleasing organisations.
The new format has been introduced
in response to feedback from head
lease providers and also subleasing
organisations.
Common Agreement
The AHO is developing a Common
Agreement to replace the multiple
agreements that some ACHPs have
with the AHO.
It is envisioned that providers will sign
one umbrella agreement with the
AHO covering general responsibilities
such as maintaining registration with
the AHO, applying AHO policies and
meeting reporting requirements.
Separate terms covering specific
areas such as management of AHO
properties, subsidies for example, will
then be included as schedules to the
agreement.
Introducing a Common Agreement is
a big change for ACHPs and the AHO
and it will therefore be carefully planned
so that ACHPs are fully aware of the
changes and their responsibilities.
AHCPs will be consulted and have the
opportunity to provide feedback on the
draft. The feedback will also be used to
draft an implementation plan across
the sector.
Feedback from the workshops
is currently being collated and is
expected to influence amendments
to draft policies. Providers gave
constructive feedback and supported
the approach of balancing policy
outcomes with business objectives
and autonomy.
better manage expectations, and to
remove duplications.
The key changes will be to improve
clarity of intent, restructure the
operational policy elements to
improve meaning, provide clarity on
compulsory and optional elements to
Stakeholder input is essential in
developing any AHO policies to ensure
their relevance to the Aboriginal
community housing sector and
community.
The AHO appreciates the willingness
of providers to share their views,
knowledge and experience. The
sessions were very positive and have
given us a lot of information to work
with when revising draft policies.
AHO Community Housing News 2
Policy cont...
ERA Provider Forum
The Employment Related
Accommodation (ERA) Forum for
providers held in March 2014, was the
first of its kind. Informal discussions
with ERA housing providers late last year
highlighted the need for an ERA forum
where providers could network, and
share: critical success factors; barriers
to engaging with potential tenants; and
support mechanisms for existing tenants.
The forum provided opportunities to:
•d
iscuss best practice in ERA property
and tenancy management
• consult with stakeholders about future
innovative ways to support ERA tenants
and increase the uptake of ERA in key
locations
• acknowledge the commitment of
providers in supporting the ERA Program.
A total of 28 people attended the ERA
forum including participants from
Community Housing Providers and
Aboriginal Community Housing Provider.
Participant feedback was overwhelmingly
positive and emphasised the need for
ongoing networking and learning and
development opportunities.
The ERA program aims to provide
affordable accommodation for Aboriginal
people who intend to study or work away
from home, in regional areas in NSW.
To find out more visit
www.aho.nsw.gov.au/era.
•p
rovide a platform for providers to share
information
AHO
Assets
The following results were delivered
in the 2013/14 financial year:
Refurbishment
The target for 2013/14 was a
69% increase on last year. The
Refurbishment target of 154 was met.
Backlog
The target for 2013/14 was a 92%
increase on last year. The Refurbishment
target of 310 was achieved.
AHO Planned Maintenance
The target for 2013/14 was a 10%
increase on last year. The APMP
completed 240 units which met the
budget requirements, and a large
number of works in progress have
provided a very good start for the
2014/15 program.
New Supply – AHO Capital Works
PARS Performance Review
The AHO has developed a PARS
Performance Review Framework.
The Framework establishes the process
for undertaking PARS Performance
Reviews (PPR) for providers that have been
approved under PARS.
Aboriginal community organisations that
applied to be registered with the AHO
as approved providers under PARS are
required to meet performance and
reporting requirements. As part of these
requirements, PARS approved providers
must complete periodic PPRs.
PPRs will provide ongoing assurance as to
the performance of registered providers
in meeting the PARS requirements. The
PPR checks that any required actions
identified during a PARS assessment are
addressed, that any non-performance is
detected, and that steps are put in place to
ensure ongoing compliance with the PARS
performance areas so that assets and
tenancies are not put at risk.
While the PPR focuses on compliance with
the PARS performance requirements, other
compliance obligations will be managed by
the AHO in a separate process. To reduce
administrative burden, the compliance and
reporting processes will be simplified in the
future.
The AHO has engaged the Registrar for
Community Housing to implement the
program of annual PPRs. The review
program will include access to provider
information sessions and is underpinned
by a PARS Performance Review Guide
developed by the AHO.
25 new units were delivered.
New Supply – NPARIH
With a target of 52 acquisitions, the
AHO delivered a total of 79 - a significant
increase against the target of 35 for
last year.
ERA
The target of 21 homes was achieved.
Other items
The AHO Portfolio Strategy is in
development.
The first round of PPRs have taken place
and included providers which participated
in the PARS pilot round. We will continue
on a rolling schedule based on registration
expiry dates of providers.
The AHO will be in contact with PARS
approved providers over the coming
months to invite them to participate in
a briefing session and begin a review.
A copy of the PARS Performance Review
Framework and Guide can be found on the
AHO website at www.aho.nsw.gov.au then
click on Housing Providers > Build and Grow
> PARS.
AHO Community Housing News 3
Provider
Feedback
“Twofold Aboriginal Corporation
(TAC) is based at Jigamy Farm
on Pambula Lake, half way
between Pambula and Eden
on the Far South Coast. The
Corporation commenced
in 1979 and is committed to
progressing the goals of the
local Aboriginal community of
the Twofold Bay Region and
helping in any way to alleviate
poverty and improve the lives of
all community members. TAC is
a small housing provider with 10
houses in the Eden township. We
hope to grow our level of housing
significantly to meet the needs
of the community both now and
into the future through a mix of
social housing, helping people
access the local rental market
and home ownership.
The Board and myself were very
excited to hear that we made
it through the PARS process
and have recently gained our
registration with the AHO. Many
months of hard work and hard
decisions about the future
by all involved have led to the
creation of very usable policies
and procedures and a solid
governance structure that will
serve the Corporation well. We
hope, with the assistance of
the AHO, to become a growth
provider and help make a real
impact on life in this small
community.
We are looking forward now to
undertaking back log repairs
on our existing housing stock
and our potential to manage
other housing in the area as well
as developing plans to build
or purchase further housing.
Many members of the local
community have building and
maintenance skills, so we hope to
be able to provide employment
outcomes through our housing
program also. On behalf of the
Board I would like to thank the
AHO for the assistance they
gave us during the registration
process and look forward to a
good working relationship into
the future.”
Chris Bird
Chief Executive Officer,
Twofold Aboriginal Corporation
Regional News
Northern region
Tweed Aboriginal Co-Op Board of
Directors approved the signing of a
head lease agreement with the AHO in
April 2014. The Co-Op is operated by
volunteers from the local Aboriginal
community and has a portfolio of 28
residential social housing properties.
The Co-Op is committed to, and
passionate about, delivering high quality
social housing to its mob, and that has
been the significant factor in its success.
Northern region ACHP
Forum a success
The Northern region recently staged
an Aboriginal Community Housing
Providers (ACHP) Forum in Lismore.
Seeing the need for a forum in which to
share good work practises and provide
peer support, the AHO worked with
ACHPs to set the agenda and Terms of
Reference. Hosted by, and coordinated
with, Bundjalung Tribal Society Ltd,
the forum brought together 30 active
participants including board members,
CEOs and tenants from ACHPS located
Western Region
Since joining the AHO as Acting Regional
Manager for Western Tina Swan has been
concentrating her efforts on developing
and implementing a robust strategy to
have AHO officers out in the community
more frequently and engaging with the
sector more effectively.
To this end the Western region has been
very busy with many provider visits.
In other news Bart Sykes is now
leading the Employment Related
Accommodation program for Western.
Members of the Twofold Aboriginal Corporation
everywhere from Grafton to Tweed
Heads (Many Rivers portfolio).
The aim of the ACHP Forum was to:
• Discuss key local issues in delivering
Aboriginal housing and related services
(identify issues and possible solutions)
• Work towards improving
communication between ACHPs
and key stakeholders
• Provide information to ACHPs about
key stakeholder initiatives, reforms, and
new directions, seeking feedback from
delegates
• Allow ACHPs to provide information
about activities and new initiatives
happening within their community
• Assist key stakeholders to plan the
delivery of their programs and services
within the local area.
AHO Project Officer Christian Fuller said,
“I would like to acknowledge the hard
work that Debra Rhodes from Bundjalung
Tribal Society Ltd provided to ensure
that the Forum was a success and also
a special thanks to the Bundjalung
Tribal Society Ltd Board of Directors for
volunteering to be the host provider”.
Sydney South Eastern Region (SSE)
At SSE we have been busy working with
the community to ensure our properties
are fit for purpose. We are currently
assessing scope of works with relevant
stakeholders for modifications for
disabled tenants.
We are assessing the case for the
acquisition of an additional property
in the Wingecarribee Council area and
following up on proposed actions arising
out of a meeting with representatives
of the Botanic Gardens about the
Community Greening program.
We’re assisting ACHPs to access
Capacity Building and Business
Development and we’re following up on
issues arising out of the meeting of the
Illawarra Multi-Agency Transition Planning
Framework to address homelessness.
AHO Community Housing News 4
Community News
“Yes I Can” program true to its name
A Cuban developed literacy program
is proving very successful in remote
NSW. The “Yes I Can” literacy program
was piloted in Wilcannia, with Enngonia
and Bourke taking part most recently.
The program is unique in that it is largely
community driven - by educating
and training community members to
deliver the program it also provides
opportunities for people to practice their
improved literacy skills.
Through the National Partnership
Agreement on Remote Indigenous
Housing (NPARIH) the AHO is funding
the University of New England (UNE) to
project manage this campaign. Murdi
Paaki Regional Enterprise Corporation has
been engaged to handle the logistics of
employing local people as facilitators.
The AHO initially provided a scholarship
for the inaugural campaign in Wilcannia.
This campaign was deemed successful
and the AHO increased its support for the
campaigns in Bourke and Enngonia.
“The classes utilise an audio-visual
method, with students and facilitators
watching and learning from DVDs, which
shows a class of students like themselves
learning how to read and write. Once
classes finish, campaign staff organise
another 8-12 weeks of post-literacy
activities to help people consolidate what
they have learned, and builds pathways
into employment, further education and
increased community participation.
“Tenants are better equipped to
read correspondence from their ACHP,
obtain their driver’s licence, understand
bills, and are more likely to go onto further
education or to find and maintain
employment. This knowledge supports
participants as tenants in community
housing”, said Jack Beetson, Executive
Director, Literacy for Life Foundation.
Partners involved in the implementation
of this campaign have recently
established the Literacy for Life
Foundation Ltd. The main role of the
foundation is to coordinate the national
roll out of the campaign. The foundation
board members are Ms Donna Ah Chee,
CEO of the Central Australian Aboriginal
Congress (Chairperson); Professor Jack
Beetson, Executive Director and National
Campaign Coordinator; and three
directors, Ms Pat Anderson, Chairperson
Lowitja institute, Mr John Flecker, CEO
Australasia, Brookfields Multiplex, and
Mr Don Aroney, Executive Director
Operations, Brookfields Multiplex. It will
be this foundation that manages any
future literacy campaigns. The UNE will
remain involved and will be responsible
for evaluating future campaigns.
A graduation ceremony was held in
Bourke with participants from Bourke,
Enngonia and Wilcannia attending,
along with His Excellency Ambassador
Pedro Monzon, from the Embassy of the
Republic of Cuba.
The Penrith Panthers Rugby League
Football Club also supports the
foundation and has agreed to display the
Literacy for Life logo on their guernseys
for the remainder of the 2014 National
Rugby League season. General Manager,
Mr Phillip Gould was present to announce
this at the graduation ceremony in
Bourke.
In order to stretch the learning
opportunities, and to give Enngonia
residents the chance to practice what
they had learnt, they were each sent a list
of questions about their experience and
encouraged to provide written answers.
The responses were plentiful and as
you’ll see from the comments below,
the program really has made a marked
difference to the participants’ lives.
Why did you decide
to do the literacy
program?
“Because I wanted to
see my people get a
better education and to
understand what sort of
forms they were reading
and filling out … most
couldn’t understand what
they were doing,” Rick
Elwood.
“To help further my skills. To help my
people and my community in more
programs,” Judy Shillingsworth.
“I didn’t get to finish my schooling then
hearing about the literacy class I thought
it could help me in what I didn’t complete,
also to refresh what I did learn but
forgot,” Chelsea Dennis.
“Because I wasn’t much good at school
and through the literacy programme
after doing it, I have come a long way,
now I am starting to teach some of the
new students,” Craig McKellar.
What difference has the
literacy program made to
your day-to-day life?
“Now I buy the papers and have better
understanding of things like filling in
forms,” Gordon Sullivan.
“How to write better and read and
understand some difficult words, how to
write resumes and letters,” Taryn Kelly.
“I saw a lot of positive messages come
out of it and a lot of the students come
out of their shells. It was inspiring for me
to see the positive changes in them,” Rick
Elwood.
Would you recommend the
program to others?
“Yes the ‘Yes I Can’ program has changed
my life around because it had our own
people running it, easier to understand
and its lots of fun, you get to read and
write better and make you feel good
about yourself, more confident in things,
they supply you with food which is also
great,” Taryn Kelly.
Yes I Can Graduation Bourke
AHO Community Housing News 5
“Yes I Can” program
true to its name cont...
Community News cont...
“I think everyone who dropped
out of school should do it,”
Samuel Shillingsworth.
Social Comics created by community
What advice would
you offer others?
“That nothing is hard if you put
your mind to it,” Melissa West.
What do you hope to
achieve now that you
have completed the
program?
“I could be whatever I want to
be,” Brooke Edwards.
“To get a job,” Gordon Sullivan.
“To go to TAFE or do
some classes,” Samuel
Shillingsworth.
“I am hoping to get a job; I
would like a job to help my
community,” Taryn Kelly.
“To encourage the students to
go ahead and be a facilitator
and teach others to be as
positive as they are,” Rick
Elwood.
Any other comments
about the literacy
program?
“I didn’t think I could do it
because I couldn’t read and
write properly but when I went
to the’ Yes I Can’ program and
seen my mates there it helped
me and there was no one
making fun of how people read
or write… and it was great,”
Raymond Barker.
Through the National Partnership
Agreement on Remote Indigenous
Housing (NPARIH) the AHO funded
social comic and children’s storybook
development workshops as part of the
Tenant Support and Education Program.
Social Comics assist with literacy,
education, health, employment and
training. Evidence shows that comics
encourage reluctant readers back to
reading and they have been a significant
resource for communities in remote
locations with poor literacy rates.
The social comic workshops were
facilitated by Inception Strategies
and allowed tenants in remote areas to
build a picture of life in their community
and to weave key housing issues into a
story that is written by community for
community. Workshops have so far been
held in Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Bourke,
Enngonia and Collarenebri.
The resources from each set of
workshops will be used across the sector
to inform tenants about key issues that
impact their tenancies. The Lightning
Ridge and Walgett workshops focused
on the importance of paying rent,
the Bourke and Enngonia workshops
focused on repairs and maintenance,
and the Collarenebri workshops focused
on issues arising from overcrowding.
The Collarenebri workshops took place in
early April 2014 with a two-day workshop
for tenants and a one-day workshop for
students at Collarenebri Central School.
Inception Strategies worked closely with
Murdi Paaki Regional Housing Corporation
and Gunida Gunyah Aboriginal
Corporation which are the approved
Aboriginal Community Housing Providers
(ACHPs) in Collarenebri. They provided
valuable information about current
issues in their community. The ACHPs
organised the tenants to participate in
the workshops which were held at both
the Local Aboriginal Lands Council Office
and the Collarenebri Central School.
The participants of the workshop drafted
a script which was submitted to the
AHO for approval prior to the team at
Inception Strategies starting on the
artwork. It is a 12 month process from
the time of the workshop to the release
of the comic. The AHO will go back to
each community to launch the comics
once they are complete.
Chris Barden, a primary school student
from Collarenebri Central School was
asked to comment on the workshop “it was the best day of my entire life,”
he declared.
The first comics and storybook from the
Walgett and Lightning Ridge workshops
will be published in September 2014.
Collarenebri Central School students with Inceptions Strategies facilitators and AHO’s Bart Sykes
AHO Community Housing News 6
Community News cont...
Mall-Bunoogah AC to reap benefits
Last year the Mall-Bunoogah AC Board
decided it would head lease to the
AHO to ensure that its mob would have
suitable and affordable social housing
for many generations to come. It signed
the head lease in April last year and
recently had a meeting to commence
backlog repairs and maintenance
on its properties, under the National
Partnership Agreement on Remote
Indigenous Housing (NPARIH).
Mall-Bunoogah AC is a small Aboriginal
Corporation located at Mallanganee, a
small inland town 50 kilometres west of
Casino in Northern NSW - its property
portfolio consists of 5 residential social
housing properties.
A co-ordinated approach has been
taken by the AHO and the Land & Housing
Corporation to ensure the works are on
time and fulfil Mall-Bunoogah’s needs.
Uncle Kevin Torrens, Mall-Bunoogah
AC Chairperson stated that the mob
are happy that work has started on their
properties and he can’t wait to see the
completed results.
Gordon and Lois Johnson with the AHO’s Alex
Webb
AHO helps out
Bundjalung Nation Elder Gordon
Johnson was living in Grafton and
finding it increasingly difficult to travel
to regular medical appointments
in both Lismore and Brisbane. The
constant travel was adversely affecting
his health and placing financial burden
on his family.
From left to right: Tim Crawford, Michael Donovan, Marjorie Hickling, Kevin Torrens, Terry Kelly and Chris Fuller
Cooramah Housing & Enterprise AC
Cooramah Housing & Enterprise
Aboriginal Corporation was established
in August 1984, with its primary function
being Community Development
Employment Projects (CDEP) and
housing. After the closure of the CDEP the
organisation floundered for several years.
under the AHO’s Provider Assessment
and Registration System, starting the
process in May 2013. Cooramah Housing
and Enterprise AC received conditional
approval in early 2014.
John Kirk, Chairperson, is full of praise
for the efforts of the current Board.
“This board basically picked up the
pieces, turned the organisation around,
and brought it back to where it should
be,” he said. Part of the Board’s focus was
to improve the social housing component
of the organisation.
The process began with discussions
with the AHO and presentations by AHO
project officer Dallas Taylor. Once the
Board was aware of the steps required
to become registered with AHO, it
enthusiastically pursued approval
Through lateral thinking and knowledge
sharing between numerous AHO
teams and non-government
organisations, an AHO property that
had been severely damaged and which
was on the market for sale, was found
to be the logical solution in meeting
Gordon and his wife Lois’ needs.
The AHO took the Ocean Shores
property (located between Tweed
Heads and Byron Bay) off the market
and instead contracted Land and
Housing Corporation to undertake
extensive reconstruction works on the
home. The property is now managed
by Many Rivers Regional Housing
Management Services Aboriginal
Corporation.
“It was a great outcome for all involved
parties and the appreciation and
emotion shown by the Johnson family
reminds me of why we do what we
do and how our decisions impact on
families in a positive way - I am thankful
for this positive experience,” said AHO’s
Christian Fuller.
From left to right: John Kirk, Felicia Byrne, Sonia
Andrews, Sarah Molles, Robyn Willis, Rosemary
Curtis, Dallas Taylor
AHO Community Housing News 7
Aboriginal Housing Office
Freecall: 1800 727 555
E: ahoenquiries@aho.nsw.gov.au
www.aho.nsw.gov.au
Head Office
Level 6, 33 Argyle Street
(PO Box W5 Westfield)
PARRAMATTA NSW 2150
T: 02 8836 9444
Sydney/South Eastern Region
Level 6, 31-39 Macquarie Street
(PO Box W16 Westfield)
PARRAMATTA NSW 2150
T: 02 9354 1550
E: aho.sser@facs.nsw.gov.au
Northern Region
First Floor, 51 Moonee Street
COFFS HARBOUR NSW 2450
T: 02 6659 2630
Western Region
Suite 3, 65-67 Church Street
(PO Box 790)
DUBBO NSW 2830
T: 02 6841 9100
Staff News
AHO CE sleeps rough for a good cause
The annual St Vincent De Paul CEO
Sleepout was held in Sydney on Thursday
19 June. It was an opportunity for CEOs
and community leaders to sleep rough for
one night in winter and raise awareness
and funds for homeless services.
Our A/CE Mandy Young slept rough for
the event, joined by FACS colleagues
Mike Allen CE Housing NSW, Marion
Bennett ED Housing Policy and
Homelessness and Georgina Harrisson,
DDG FACS Strategy and Policy. It was
a powerful reminder to participants
of how some of the most vulnerable
members of our community live every
night, particularly Aboriginal people who
make up a significant proportion of those
who are homeless in Australia.
In the morning, I got to go home and jump
into a hot shower, but sadly this is not the
case for over 105,000 people who have
nowhere to call home any day of the year.
People are not ‘the homeless’ – they are
just like you and me – sisters, brothers,
mums, dads and even small children. I
had to do something about it and I hope
you will too.
Donations are still welcomed and you
can donate at www.ceosleepout.org.au.
The funds we raise will allow Vinnies to
provide real solutions for people without
a home. Thanks for your support.”
Here’s what Mandy had to say about her
experience:
“Along with over 1000 other business
leaders, I recently took part in the 9th
annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout. I rugged
up and bedded down with nothing more
than a sheet of cardboard and a sleeping
bag. While the experience only gave me a
glimpse of what it is like to be homeless, it
certainly was an eye opener.
Mandy Young, A/CE AHO
Leeanne’s runway success
Just one of Leeanne’s beautiful creations
Leeanne Kennedy, Project Officer,
Sydney South Eastern keeps herself
busy out of hours with her Aboriginal
fashion label, Mindall & Bungall meaning
‘beautiful’ and ‘swift’ in her traditional
language. Leeanne showcased her
designs on the catwalk at Australian
Indigenous Fashion Week (which ran
off the back of Mercedes Benz Fashion
Week) in Sydney in April 2014.
Leeanne’s work draws on her rich
Aboriginal culture and spirituality.
She combines elements of nature in
colours and textures and fuses these
with luxurious fabrics and sophisticated
designs to bring out the true power of the
feminine spirit. Well done Leeanne!
Submissions
We’re always looking for interesting content for our newsletters, so if you’d like to make a submission please contact
Nadia Feletti on 02 8836 9418 or nadia.feletti@facs.nsw.gov.au.
AHO Community Housing News 8