Diversity and inclusion Showing up for everyone

Diversity and inclusion

Showing up for everyone

Diversity and inclusion are central to how we operate and who we are, both inside and out. We are committed to building an inclusive workforce that welcomes, respects, and values the diverse people we employ and communities we serve.

We are on a journey and strive to incorporate these values into everything we do.

To make genuine change, we are implementing intersectional community-led solutions.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Peoples

We understand a fair and efficient housing system is fundamental to reconciliation.

In November 2020, we committed to developing a Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan, which will set out the steps for our reconciliation initiatives. Consultation in this regard will commence soon. We recognise the Aboriginal communities' inherent strengths and experience and are looking forward to having more conversations.

We will be undertaking this alongside our Cultural Safety Project. During the year, HHS ran a working group to review HHS processes against the Strengthening Cultural Safety of Family Violence Services Framework and Aboriginal Cultural Safety Framework for Community Housing. We extend our thanks to Bendigo District Aboriginal Corporation for being advisory members of our group and for hosting a staff workshop with us.

As part of our journey, we have focused on increasing training and cultural awareness education for our staff, including putting all new staff through the Centre for Cultural Competence Australia (CCCA) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competency course.

And we were the proud gold sponsors of the Bendigo NAIDOC Week Committee’s event. The program provided a series of activities, exhibitions and celebrations that commemorated the year’s theme, Heal County.

People living with disability

Our service - Active SDA - is dedicated to the delivery of Specialist Disability Accommodation, connecting people to their home and the support they need to live as independently as possible.

Leading SDA property owners choose to engage our service for our expert knowledge and experience in operationalising SDA.

We deliver great outcomes for people with disability and property owners alike – by empowering people to access well-designed SDA homes and enabling lifestyle innovation in a quality framework.

We consult with each property owner to tailor a management package to suit their portfolio then our team ensures a seamless delivery which meets client needs and regulatory requirements.

multicultural communities

We want to ensure that people from diverse language and cultural backgrounds have the same access to our services as English speakers.

This year we conducted language mapping to understand diversity, representation, and presentation of multicultural clients to our services. We found there are over 100 languages spoken by our clients. Arabic, Persian, Somali, and Vietnamese are the most commonly spoken languages other than English by our clients.

We continue to improve our communications by offering interpreter services. We developed internal Plain English guidelines and have introduced processes to provide key information in Easy English. LGBTiQ+ communities

We are in the process of reviewing our practices against National Rainbow Tick framework, developed by Rainbow Health Victoria. Staff took part in Rainbow Tick sensitivity and awareness training provided by Thorne Harbour Health, and we have introduced a new Paid Gender Affirmation Leave.

We have also joined the Welcome Here Project which supports businesses and services throughout Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive to LGBTIQ+ communities.

Gender Equity

People of all genders deserve equal access to power, resources and opportunities. Gender equality is critical to prevent violence against women.

We recognise the importance of flexible working arrangements in maintaining a diverse and adaptable workforce. This year we introduced new policies for Paid Parental Leave, Flexible Working Arrangements Policy, and Purchased Leave.

And we have continued to advocate on gender equity issues. Deputy CEO/COO Trudi Ray spoke at the 2021 Australasian Housing Institute’s International Women’s Day breakfast about the importance of promoting and improving gender equity in the workplace. CEO Andrew Cairns published an opinion piece, ‘Men need to do more to advance gender equality and equity’ and continues to advocate for the role men need to take in addressing gender equity. Older people

With an ageing population and a lack of affordable housing, older people are increasingly at risk of homelessness. We want to provide equitable access, opportunities, and services to older, and prematurely aged people.

We consider older people’ as over 55 years, but we understand that for many people due to cultural, social or health disadvantages, many people under the age of 55 can have the same health issues as someone in their eighties due to premature aging.

To support older people, we are a Northern service provider for the State Government’s, Housing Support for the Aged Program, which supports Victorians aged 50 years and over with complex health needs and a history of homelessness. We are also an Assistance with Care and Housing for the Aged (ACHA) service delivery partner to support older people at risk of homelessness or in insecure housing.

Based in Preston, our social enterprise HIVE provides non-trade maintenance services. HIVE employs a mix of people, including mature age workers who have experienced long-term unemployment for a variety of reasons, including their age and skills.