EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS IN THIS ISSUE Heard about FAN? Social Friendship Aged Network. Page Paint2 in the Park Bring out your creative side. Page Women’s3 Group Have a chat and enjoy a coffee on us. Page Saving3 Tips with Norma Norma’s tactics to reduce your grocery bill. Page Event4 Round up Vivid Cruise & Crafty Kids. Page Learning5 with us Learn about Money Management and Digital Basics. Page Staff5 updates Check out our new team members. Page 7 FREE ACTIVITIESHOLIDAYSCHOOL THRIVING COMMUNITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE 18 adults and 23 children along with 4 of our staff members enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine, spending their day roaming around the zoo and enjoying the amazing animal encounters! For some residents, this was their very first time visiting a zoo and we’re happy to report all feedback was 5-stars with residents enjoying their day and enjoying a delicious lunch at the Boulevard Cafe. Thank you to all our residents who attended! t. 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865) · w. evolvehousing.com.au @evolvehousing evolvehousing SPRING ISSUE • SEPTEMBER 2022 CRAFTY KIDS see page 5 Sydney Zoo trip In the July school holidays, our residents enjoyed a lovely day out at Sydney Zoo! Basketball Workshop & Cartoon Creation workshops See page 8
Have you heard of FAN? RAG Chat Achieve employment goals
All residents who sign up to the FAN will receive a regular phone call from a volunteer resident to have a friendly chat, see how they’re doing, and connect them to services or events that may be of interest to them.
Can I join the FAN?
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There are a bunch of benefits that come with being a part of the FAN, including bringing residents together and building friendships amongst members, breaking barriers of isolation and improving general wellbeing by encouraging activities and programs to join in!
You will need to fill out a short application form, then you can be added to the FAN and start receiving phone calls! To join FAN email: community@evolvehousing.com.au or call 1800 693 865 and ask for Rob to discuss further. Can I volunteer to make the phone calls? Absolutely! We’d love you to join! We’re always looking to increase our volunteers for this service so we can expand the program to support more residents! If you have additional language skills we’d love to hear about it too! Call 1800 693 865 and ask for Rob to discuss further.
In lighter news, Evolve Housing has booked the first tenant Christmas Party in two years—we will be going to Sydney Zoo on 3rd December. We hope to see you all there! Join Opportunity Pathways for the support you need to find employment or training and new qualifications. If you are aged 17 years and over, and living in the South West Sydney area, you may be eligible to participate. Are you: • Living in public, community or Aboriginal housing, or are a household member Receiving a Rent Choice subsidy, or Are an approved social housing applicant on the NSW Housing Register Are you willing and ready to obtain employment by participating in a training plan? Contact us to discuss what you need. For more information visit: www.evolvehousing.com.au/opportunity-pathways or call us on 1800 PATH2WORK (1800 728 429)
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Over the last quarter, your Resident Advisory Group has been busy continuing to represent Evolve Housing residents. We recently had Evolve Housing’s Investigations Officer visit one of our meetings to talk about community safety. We wanted to share information that we learned about what to do if you feel unsafe in your community. If you know of any serious issues (for example, antisocial behaviour) at your housing complex, you can report them to your Housing Manager and they will be investigated. Your report will be anonymous. If you see anything of a criminal nature, please contact 000 if it is an emergency, or the Police Assistance Line (131 444) if it is not an emergency. Local police have informed Evolve Housing that crime is on the rise across the whole state this year, and have shared resources with tips that may help you protect your home and property. You can view these at: evolvehousing.com.au/safetytips.
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How do I apply?
The Friendship Aged Network (FAN) is a social group for residents over 50 years of age, who live alone or are socially isolated.
If you are an Evolve Housing resident, are over 50 years old and living alone, you are the perfect fit!
SAVE THE RESIDENTDATE:CHRISTMAS PARTY!
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Paint in the Park
After two long years we’re so pleased to be hosting our long-awaited Resident Christmas Party! You spoke, we listened, and this year we’ll be hosting the event at Sydney Zoo (based in Western Sydney)! Tickets to the event will be FREE, and will include entry, food, and a free Ferris Wheel ride. Registrations open Monday 31st October, so keep your eyes peeled for more info on how to register soon. But for now, please see our save the date details below: When: Saturday 3rd December, 2022 from 10.30am Where: Sydney Zoo. 700 Great Western Hwy, Bungarribee, NSW, 2767
Join our Women’s Group
Join the women of Evolve Housing to get to know others in your area and afar, share experience and enjoy a good coffee on us! This group usually meets bi-monthly and we are looking to welcome new members to our group! Our next catch-up will be: When: Wednesday, 23rd November 2022 Time: 10am – 12pm Location: Oliver Brown Cafe, Level 2 Bankstown Central Shopping Centre, 180 Stacey Street, Bankstown For more information or to attend please contact our contact centre and ask for Terina on 1800 693 865 or via email community@evolvehousing.com.au
If you’re a resident living on your own and want to enjoy a fun, safe day out then this is the event for you! Our Support Unit will be hosting an event on the 18th of October, from 10:30am–2pm at Gawi Shelter, Parramatta Park. The day will be filled with painting and mingling and it’s the perfect opportunity to bring out your creative side! Don’t worry, this is a fun learning exercise, so we don’t expect you to be Picassos! You’ll also enjoy a DIY make your own candle to take home! For more information or to register, please visit: evolvehousing.com.au/whatson
Updates to the No Interest Loans (NILS) Program
• Looking at store catalogues each week to find out what items are on sale
After months of Covid mitigations, Evolve Housing is excited to announce that we are returning to in-person home visits for tenants.
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Our resident Norma took to the big screen to share some of her money saving tips to try and help her fellow Aussies get by. She was featured on A Current Affair in June, discussing her tactics to reduce her grocery bill. With rising interest rates and a higher cost of living, all of us could use a little help to save money so we thought we’d share Norma’s advice!
Repayments are set up at an affordable amount over a 24-month period, and importantly, there are no fees, interest or charges meaning that borrowers simply pay back the loan amount and are not burdened by unfair terms or extra costs.
• Save money without sacrificing nutrition or taste by buying frozen veggies instead of fresh veggies
Evolve Housing is an accredited No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) Provider and can facilitate access to fair loans for our residents.
Savvy money saving tips with NORMA !
Norma’s tips include:
For more information about NILS, contact Evolve Housing’s Support Unit team by emailing: support.team@evolvehousing.com.au or by calling 1800 MYEVOLVE (1800 693 865).
NILS is run by Good Shepherd Microfinance and allows individuals and families on low incomes to access safe, fair and affordable credit to purchase essential items.
• Shop at different stores to get the best deals
• Avoid food waste by buying longlife milk or freezing part of your loaf of bread if you think you won’t get through it in time Thanks for sharing your wisdom with the world Norma, we are very grateful to have you as a member of our Resident Advisory Group!
In recent months there have been some updates to the program. Residents may now be eligible to loan up to $2,000 to be used to purchase household essentials, health and wellbeing essentials, education and employment essentials as well as housing and transportation costs.
Our staff look forward to catching up with you just like we used to do, however, we ask that you reschedule any appointments you have with us if you are showing cold or flu like symptoms to keep everyone safe.
Home visits are back!
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Understanding and managing money can be difficult. Evolve Housing offers workshops to help you manage your money. Contact us and we can discuss what area you’re needing support in and arrange for the right workshop for you.
Crafty Kids
Vivid Cruise Evolve Housing residents joined Rob from our community engagement team for a Vivid Harbour Cruise in June. Sailing around Sydney Harbour, the group enjoyed spectacular views of all the Vivid landmarks including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and more. Check out the incredible view!
Evolve Housing offers regular workshops to help our residents boost their skills. If you’re interested in either of the workshops below, please call 1800 693 865 and ask for Rob or email community@evolvehousing.com.au.
Our Opportunity Pathways team and Resident Engagement team joined forces for our first ever Crafty Kids event! The day was a wonderful success, with 5 families, and 14 kids joining us for a fun day of crafts, creation and community.
Digital Basics workshop Do you want to improve your skills using technology and the internet? We offer free Digital Basics training to all our residents. We can help you learn to use computers, smartphones and tablets and also teach you about online banking, social media, Zoom video calling and more. We can provide training over the phone or in person, and can tailor our training to suit your needs.
EVENT ROUND UP
It’s been a busy few months at Evolve Housing, as our team have been enjoying holding events for residents again after a long hiatus due to Covid. We hold a wide variety of events for residents of all ages and backgrounds, so keep an eye out for our next events available on our website: http://bit.ly/eh-whatson
Learn with Evolve Housing
Money Management workshop
What were you doing before you joined Evolve Housing?
My role aims to develop, deliver and revise community programs and services that build to improve our tenants’ capacity and well-being!
If you had to choose one last meal, what would it be and why?
My favourite part so far is working with a great team and having the space for creativity/innovation in my role in new local government areas, with new residents!
EVOLVE HOUSING TEAM UPDATES
What would you like residents to know about you?
I’ve worked alongside Evolve Housing in previous roles and have admired their work ethic and the way they have held the organisation to a high standard! I wanted to be a part of that, and when this position opened, I thought it was a perfect fit!
The Community Engagement Team has a large impact in providing a safe space for our residents to have a voice and vision for their community and I can’t wait to grow with them!
Watching individuals and communities grow motivates me, and a team’s energy, positive outcomes and a good challenge inspires me! What do you do in your spare time?
Every day is quite different, but a lot of my day will involve researching and consulting the needs of our residents, planning programs and events in response to this, liaising with external bodies to put these plans to light, and finally evaluating and reporting on the process and key learning to better these programs as they flourish.
Before Evolve Housing, I worked as a Community Development worker for 8 years and as a Youth worker for 3 years in the
I enjoy watching rugby league, spending time with my family, reading and exercising!
Penrith local government area. I provided programs and events in response to community need. What does a typical day look like for you?
Welcome to Terina
I’d like residents to know that I am approachable and accountable — if you see me around, please feel free to come over and say hi! I would love to hear about what you’d love to be part of, and what’s important for you as a resident of Evolve Housing! What motivates you and inspires you?
EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS As you may know Heidi has left our organisation to jet-set around the world, and we’re so pleased to introduce you to our newest member of Evolve Housing — Terina, our new Community Development Officer! What better way to get to know Terina than to do a little Q&A, understanding the ins-and-outs of what’s most important to her. Introducing Terina… So Terina, what made you want to work for Evolve Housing?
Oporto’s Bondi Burger meal with chili and avocado! Yum!
What’s your favourite part of your role so far?
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Evolve Housing
Kaylem Kaylem was one of our cadets in our first ever cohort of the CHIA NSW Cadetship program. She graduated in June 2022, after having completed a 12-month traineeship with us and her Certificate IV in Social Housing. Kaylem said she enjoys the rewarding work that Evolve Housing does, and has since been given a permanent job as Assistant Housing Manager. Alma Alma has joined us as a Housing Manager for the Bankstown area! Alma previously worked in private real estate, and chose to apply to work with us as she wanted to “be more helpful in the community”. In her spare time, Alma likes to work out, hang out at home, and spend time with her friends and nephews.
HomelessnessacknowledgesWeek2022
Three of the participants were kind enough to share their stories with our staff to help provide a first-hand perspective on Onehomelessness.oftheseparticipants was Tracy, who shared about how the Together Home program has helped to turn her life around. Once homeless, Tracy now has her own house and is being supported by her case worker to improve her life. “It’s beautiful to wake up with my home and be able to cook a meal and feel safe and not vulnerable, not always have to watch my back,” Tracy said. Thank you to all the Together Home participants who attended our event – the insights and stories shared have inspired us to think more deeply about how we can help rough sleepers.
EVOLVE HOUSING NEWS | 7 Sarah Sarah has recently joined Evolve Housing as a Housing Manager, Project Delivery. She previously worked with our subsidiary, EchoRealty, and has also worked in marketing. She said that she feels like she is part of a bigger community working at Evolve Housing, and she likes that her colleagues are compassionate and work hard to support clients. While Sarah lives in Sydney now, she grew up on remote rural properties where wheat and cotton are grown in Northwestern NSW. She loves music, hula hooping, painting and gaming. NEW STAFF THRIVING COMMUNITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE
Staff and some tenants were in attendance, and the day was an opportunity to encourage reflection on how our organisation can better support rough sleepers.
Evolve Housing acknowledged Homelessness Week 2022 (1st August to 7th August) with a morning tea held on Thursday 4th August at our Parramatta office.
We were privileged to be joined by participants in the Together Home program, which provides housing for rough sleepers for 2 years along with wraparound support. This program is funded by the NSW Government, and we deliver it in the Western Sydney, South Western Sydney, and Nepean Blue Mountains regions.
Evolve Housing acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land where we deliver our housing and services. We acknowledge and pay our respects
If you have questions about any events please call 1800 693 865 and ask for Rob.
Digital Trivia
At Evolve Housing, we acknowledge that complaints provide valuable feedback. You can make a complaint by ihear@evolvehousing.com.au, by calling us on (1800 693 865), or by writing to: 9–13 Argyle Street, Parramatta 2150 NSW. Are you unhappy about a decision made about your tenancy? You can lodge an appeal within three months from the date of the original decision. To lodge an appeal, please fill out the Appeals form, which you can access online at: http://bit.ly/Appeal-Evolve-Housing or by contacting our 1800 myevolve (1800 693 865).
Jump into our online trivia game via Zoom on the last Thursday of every month at 11am. The next game, held on Thursday 29th September, will include questions about Star Wars. To register, visit: evolvehousing.com.au/whatson
How to make a complaint or appeal
Upcoming school holiday activites
