Community Housing Solutions

STEPS Community Housing Solutions (STEPS CHS) is a newly formed Division of Southern Training, Employment and Placement Solutions Ltd.

Our Vision

The vision for STEPS Community Housing Solutions is to increase the supply of affordable housing in Tasmania.

We construct truly affordable homes for tenancy by people currently experiencing ‘housing stress’ and in many cases unable to maintain employment or to make effective use of other services designed to assist them to full participation in the community.

The creation of the new STEPS Community Housing Solutions division is consistent with STEPS’ mission;

To alleviate the effects of poverty and disadvantage by seeking and initiating employment, training and community development opportunities, which facilitate and support positive change for job seekers, employers and communities.

How will the Vision be realised?

As a tenancy manager, STEPS CHS will take the role of a ‘caring landlord’. STEPS CHS will be driven by developing a low cost rental system as our prime focus and take an interest in our tenants’ wellbeing and make every effort to help tenants maintain their tenancy. This includes partnering with other local agencies to extend support to tenants who experience hardship in maintaining their tenancy and general living skills. STEPS CHS would therefore:

• allocate homes and manage tenancies for a mix of tenants, and
• coordinate support services for those tenants in need of support

Specific polices and procedures are under development to clarify these roles. These policies are being developed in alignment with the National Community Housing Standards Manual.

STEPS CHS will manage its rental portfolio through its existing seven site offices across southern Tasmania utilising and retraining existing resources and expanding locations and resources as required.

Opportunities exist to utilise trainees on our construction projects. This will both improve costs and add valuable training experiences for trainees. A construction program with a significant and predictable lifespan will enable planned longer term training opportunities.

In 2006, STEPS CHS began the rollout of Stage One of its Capital Investment Program (CIP). This has already resulted in the construction of eleven new affordable housing units and a further 13 are in various stages of construction or planning, for completion before Christmas 2007 or early in 2008.

The Stage One CIP is a key strategy to assist in the development and documentation of our amenity, quality, procurement and management standards for future stages.

Following the successful completion of Stage One, STEPS CHS will commence the delivery of its Stage Two program. This will result in the construction of approximately 600 new homes over a ten year period, thus adding considerably to the supply of affordable housing in Tasmania.

How does the community benefit?

Through these programs and strategies STEPS Community Housing Solutions will address a number of key needs of local communities, such as;

• meeting unmet housing need;
• establishing and sustaining tenancies;
• supporting community participation;
• attracting people to areas; and
• removing barriers to employment in regional communities.

In areas of high demand STEPS will seek to establish affordable housing as well as local service outlets and become actively involved in the business of the community and its people.

In addition to the construction of new affordable homes STEPS will work with and support existing and future housing organisations providing planning, development and asset and tenancy management services. These services may be delivered either as a part of a secured transfer or the provision of outsourced services.

For further information please contact STEPS Community Housing Solutions on (03) 6213 4001 or email on housing@stepstas.com.au.

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