A workplace where everyone belongs

People work for our organisation because they are passionate about housing as a human right and doing all they can to end homelessness.

As such, we strive to provide a workplace where we proudly rise to the challenges, celebrate our wins, learn from our failures, and grow - together. We place importance on ensuring our organisational culture reflects diversity and inclusion, human-centred decision making and a strong sense of belonging where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.

Valuing a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture

Diversity and inclusion matter greatly to Haven Home Safe, because the work we do often highlights historic systemic barriers for people who are not able to access affordable housing easily and have lower rates of sustained tenancies. For example, we know that:

― 1 in 6 First Nations people in Victoria access homelessness services every year (Every

Aboriginal Person has a Home report). ― Family and domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children (Nowhere to go report 2021). ― 8.6% of homelessness services clients have disability (AIHW, people with disability in Australia). ― Approximately 28 per cent of people accessing homelessness services last year were also experiencing mental health issues (Mission Australia report 2020). ― LGBTIQ+ people are twice as likely as heterosexuals to experience homelessness. (Mission Australia report 2020). ― Young people from refugee backgrounds are six to 10 times more likely to be at-risk of homelessness. (Mission Australia report 2020). ― Older people are a new and emerging group at risk of homelessness, particularly older women with limited retirement savings. One seventh of all homelessness is experienced by those over the age of 55. (Mission Australia report 2020). ― We supported 1,580 new clients this year from regional and rural Victoria. Our work meets people where they are, respecting their experience without judgement whether they are coming to work for us, when we build homes for them or when they come to us because of homelessness and housing stress. We welcome and provide a safe space for people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations and physical abilities.

This year we focused our Diversity and Inclusion internal activities on: Raising awareness

We hosted an internal communication campaign for staff called ‘language matters’ to support staff to navigate inclusive language practice. Employees can access the guide plus a range of resources in our online Diversity and Inclusion Hub.

Understanding our responsibility for Reconciliation

As part of our Reconciliation Journey, we commissioned an artwork by Aunty Sharon and provided staff with Acknowledgement of Country guidance. We encouraged staff attendance at NAIDOC week events and shared Cultural Safety reflection tools for teams to think about their impact.

Expanding our knowledge

We partnered with Thorne Harbor Health to roll out LGBTIQ+ Homelessness Awareness Training, to provide insights into the disparity that exists with the LGBTIQ+ community who are experiencing homelessness.

Establishing our governance

We established an internal Diversity and Inclusion Committee to explore challenges and opportunities for maturing HHS’s approach to diversity and inclusion. The group developed an Annual Events Plan to create targeted and strategic change.

Learning from best practice

HHS proudly joined the Diversity Council of Australia, which offers all staff access to a range of training, research and resources.

Reflecting and scoping our influence

We planned our Inclusive Employment Survey, which will assist us to better understand our staff. Capturing feedback confidentially enables us to develop strategies to address invisible barriers and improve policies so they reflect the needs of our people.

Haven Home Safe, Geelong Team

Assessing our culture

An important part of our transformation journey is the Cultural Values Assessment we ran with employees this year. The aim was to create a baseline understanding of what’s important to our employees now, their experience of our culture currently and our desired culture. These inputs will be used to co-create our culture moving forward, helping us reach our future vision whilst respecting and valuing where we have come from.

Flexible working arrangements are here to stay

WorkFlex was introduced in response to the end of ‘Work from Home’ pandemic orders in March 2022. Haven Home Safe’s WorkFlex allows staff to negotiate a flexible working arrangement with their manager. WorkFlex is based on three core principles:

― Our people will be able to work in a location of their choice, where they still have easy and regular access to our workplace. ― All roles start from a basis of flexibility, but this might mean different things for different roles, and dependent on the type of work that needs to be done. ― Our people will connect in the workplace at least 40 per cent of their working week.

Finding the ‘sensible centre of flexibility’ means balancing client, business, team, and individual needs. This will look different for every person and will potentially change over time. The introduction of WorkFlex has allowed Haven Home Safe to continue to attract, retain and support staff members who find that flexible working arrangements allows them to be the most productive versions of themselves.

Improving the recruitment and onboarding experience

Part of our continuous improvement focus has been on how we recruit for roles. This year we have simplified approval processes to advertise roles. Candidates are no longer required to complete Key Selection Criteria as part of the application process. Data indicates that organisations with KSCs can lose good candidates at this stage of the process. Instead we are placing more emphasis on the resume, the interview process and other forms of candidate assessment.

Social procurement

As a purpose driven organisation, we know that positive outcomes achieved through social procurement practices can have a lasting difference for people. HHS is strengthening our internal commitment to supporting the employment of people from a range of vulnerable and marginalised groups and ensuring a flexible and supportive workplace through modernised employment and workplace policies. HHS currently uses social procurement sources when available and appropriate, including services provided by both local supported employment services and multicultural services. We access businesses in the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce supplier listing and Supply Nation, and those of registered supported employment services (ADEs), as appropriate.

Workflex has meant I can balance my priorities with less stress. I use my work from home time to really focus on important tasks and look forward to connecting up with colleagues on the days I’m in the office. It feels like a better outcome for the organisation and for my wellbeing.

~ Eliza

Haven Home Safe Employee