our year in review 2017/18 A secure home for all www.shelternsw.org.au our year in review 01 02 03 04 About us Welcome & Our year Systemic p4 Reports in numbers advocacy p8 p14 p16 05 06 07 08 Shelter NSW Research Community Our history; Submissions p24 and NGO Champions of & Publications Education Change p23 p28 p34 10 11 12 09 Goodbye Our Members Financial Thank you Adam p42 Reports p36 p38 p44 Published in November 2018 by Shelter NSW ABN: 95 942 688 134 © Shelter NSW Incorporated Tel: (02) 9267 5733 [email protected] www.shelternsw.org.au 2 3 01 About Us Who we are Shelter NSW has been operating Our value proposition: since 1975 as the State’s peak housing and advocacy body Expertise Independence Working for • We research the causes • We promote and represent a fairer housing of inequity and injustice in broad interests across the system the housing system and housing system – we do Our vision advocate solutions that aim not represent landlords or • We aim to ensure that to make the housing system housing providers – we consumer voices are A secure home for all work towards delivering a do not represent specific included in our policy fairer housing system for all services – and we are not a development, review and tenant advocacy body responses • We know and understand the housing system • We provide systemic • We advocate to Our purpose advocacy and advice on Governments for change • We connect with policy and legislation for the in policy, legislation and stakeholders and consumers We pursue our vision through critical whole NSW housing system programs to resolve housing around new ideas, research inequality engagement with policy and practice, and networks in developing • We are a not-for-profit and thought leadership solutions to housing organisation seeking to • We collaborate with concerns ensure that the voices of Governments, other not-for- housing consumers are profit organisations, and the included in housing policy, private sector on proposals Our values especially those on very low, that support a fairer housing low and moderate incomes system We are independent • We consult and work in We promote social justice partnership with housing consumers and key We lead and collaborate stakeholders to know what happens “on the ground” We value expertise and evidence 4 Our year in review 2017/18 | 5 01 About Us Our people Board Members Our Team Chairperson Chief Executive Officer Sue Cripps Karen Walsh (from 22 June 2017) Principal Policy Officer Treasurer Adam Farrar Ben Spies-Butcher Secretary & Public Officer Senior Policy Officer Liz Yeo (Publications and Communications) Agnes Yi Ordinary Directors (from November 2017) (as at June 2018) Bill Randolph Senior Policy Officer Garry Mallard Ned Cutcher Poppy Dowsett (from March 2018) Stacey Miers Project Officer (Engagement & Outreach) Board meeting attendance Sarah Wilson (resigned September 2018) Lucy Burgmann ●●●● (retired November 2017) Officer Administrator Sue Cripps ●●●●●●●●●● Yana Myronenko Ned Cutcher ●●●●● Casual staff/ (retired February 2018) short-term project officers Garry Mallard ●●●●●●●●●● Bernie Coates Poppy Dowsett ●●●●●●●●●● Carol Hamilton Ben Spies-Butcher ●●●●●●●●●● Edward Bourke Bill Randolph ●●●●●●●●●● Jennifer Rignold Liz Yeo ●●●●●●●●●● Nadia Ballantine-Jones Paola Nunez Stacey Miers ●● (joined April 2018) Robert Mowbray 6 Our year in review 2017/18 | 7 Welcome + Reports From our Chair, Sue casual directors to the board, Stacey Miers and Tony Gilmour, who bring significant From our CEO, Karen expertise in planning policy, housing policy and financial management in particular. We What we deliver in the future have also commenced a review of policies and procedures to ensure that we lead a is limited only by our imagination contemporary service that is fit for purpose I am delighted to be reporting on my first year This year with a predominantly new staff and able to operate effectively into the future. as CEO of Shelter NSW. For me personally, team, the Board, CEO and staff have worked As a volunteer board, you can never under- it has been a year of opportunity, challenges, hard together as Shelter NSW consolidates estimate the commitment that directors adjustment, learning and exploration. For us its approach to housing advocacy. bring to their role, particularly in years such as a team it’s been a year of transformation, Shelter NSW, ably led by our CEO as this which has seen significant calls on repositioning and possibility. My biggest Karen Walsh, has been going through a their time and expertise to contribute to revelation is that for a small organisation, we transformation as it reviews its purpose and support this year of change. Board members pack a punch and we have a big agenda! approach after a period of significant staff take seriously their responsibility to ensure Looking back on the year it’s astounding change. Reviewing our position as a housing the viability and integrity of Shelter NSW. to see what we’ve achieved in the context policy peak, identifying crises and untapped I wholeheartedly thank board members of building a new team and undergoing opportunities, building commitment to the who have worked unstintingly to provide significant change. This Annual Report change process and creating a compelling leadership and help guide the re-emergence highlights some of the more significant vision for our future has kept us all very busy. of Shelter NSW this year. activities and highlights. We have focused on ensuring that Shelter I would also like to acknowledge the NSW is flexible and agile and valued for its On coming into this role I saw this as an leadership displayed by Karen Walsh, our expertise in housing systems and policy. opportunity to lead Shelter NSW into its next CEO, who has brought great skill, energy phase and build on our past success and We have reflected and brainstormed to and enthusiasm to her role and worked hard reputation. I spent significant time engaging develop the Shelter NSW Value Proposition with the board as we focused Shelter NSW with stakeholders, members, the Board so that the people that we work with and the for the future. She has built a strong team and the team to gather insights about how community more broadly understand who and instituted contemporary workplace Shelter NSW is perceived, how we might we are, what we do and why we do that management practices that support a position ourselves for the future to achieve work. This process of reflection has been connected and coherent staff team. Karen impact. This exercise proved worthwhile and both empowering and energising, seeing has actively sought new partners to enable demonstrated the good will towards Shelter us reaffirm our commitment to striving for a us to reach broader audiences as well as NSW by our members and stakeholders, built secure home for all. investing time and energy in reinvigorating up over more than 40 years. The frank and We have also developed a new strategic the relationships we have and longstanding constructive feedback has been valuable in plan to guide our work and effort over the partnerships. She has contributed our strategic and operational planning this next three years to bring strength to our significantly as the change champion leading year, including informing our value proposition value proposition. This plan brings energy Shelter NSW so that it is positioned well at statement and our new strategic plan. This and sets the stage for an exciting future a time when housing policy advocacy has engagement strengthened our relationships, for Shelter NSW over the coming year. never been more important. sparked new partnerships and reminded us of the need to ensure consumer voices are As part of managing and supporting the Finally, I want to thank our loyal members included in our policy responses, development changes at Shelter NSW this year, the Board who actively engage with us, contribute to and review. I appreciate the time, honesty and has had a strong focus on our governance debate about housing issues and without good will that were so generously given. responsibilities. We have appointed two whom Shelter NSW could not exist. ● 8 Our year in review 2017/18 | 9 02 Welcome + Reports In reviewing and refreshing our strategic We reviewed our constitution to ensure Another highlight and cross collaborative in effecting the delivery of more affordable plan we asked ourselves some fundamental it reflects our purpose, aligns with achievement is the project that the former housing in a growing Sydney and support questions about our future role in shaping Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Ageing Disability and Home Care (ADHC the preservation or creation of inclusive and systemic housing policy; our need to adapt Commission model rules and provides us FaCS) commissioned Shelter NSW to deliver vibrant communities across the State. for impact; what we should stop doing; with the foundation to be a thriving and regarding resident rights in supported group Our engagement and expertise have and where we should focus our efforts. Our leading organisation. We have invested homes. We partnered with the Tenants Union been utilised through our participation on strategic plan for 2018-2021 identifies a new in a comprehensive review of our policies NSW to deliver eight consultation forums and committees and reference groups including vision, purpose, values and strategic priorities and procedures across governance and a report to the NSW Government. the Everybody’s Home Operations Group; that will position Shelter NSW to make a real management, with an emphasis on quality Our policy influence and engagement the Sydney Alliance Housing Team; the difference. improvement. Our website refresh is well wouldn’t be possible without collaborating Committee for Sydney Planning Taskforce; underway and will provide an opportunity for In the past year we have made technology and partnering with our sector colleagues.