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Placemaking Case Studies

Centacare Evolve Housing

Centacare Evolve Housing: Tasmania

At a glance

• Manages a mix of historical housing and new properties.

• Specific focus on rural areas.

• Notable in areas like Brighton LGA and Derwent Valley LGA.

Community Wellbeing Manager and Community Wellbeing Officer

Background

Centacare Evolve Housing (CEH), as Tasmania’s largest community housing provider, manages close to 3200 properties – from its origins of 40 properties managed under Catholic Care Tasmania. The organisation has undergone substantial transformation, particularly evident in its stock transfer through to its current build program.

CEH now manages a mix of historical Housing Tasmania stock and new properties, with a view to expanding its portfolio. A significant aspect of its expansion strategy involves infilling in regional areas and creating mixed tenures, ensuring a diverse and inclusive housing landscape.

CEH Evolve Housing’s is part of Better Housing Futures program in partnership with Housing Tasmania and the State Government which is felt is needed due to wider restrictions in terms of housing funding.

The organisation’s footprint extends across various localities in Tasmania, with a specific focus on rural areas, such as the small towns on the east and west coasts. These areas, previously unfamiliar with social housing, require in-depth community consultation and public engagement to foster relationships and “demystify” social housing. Initiatives such as a multi-agency well-being festival in St Helens exemplify CEH’s proactive approach to integrating into communities and building trust.

CEH’s stock and reach is particularly notable in areas like Brighton LGA and Derwent Valley LGA, where it manages a significant portion of the housing stock. These areas, along with scattered groups of properties across Tasmania, reflect the organisation’s extensive reach across a broad geographic region.

Challenges such as the scarcity of residential land and shifts in social housing allocation underscore the complex landscape in which CEH operates. Nevertheless, the organisation’s innovative programs, such as “Build Up Tassie” and “Inspiring Future Leaders” initiative, and its adaptive engagement strategies highlight its proactive and resident-centric approach to community housing.

As CEH continues to evolve, it faces the intricate task of navigating changes in governance, policy, and resident demographics. The organisation’s forward-thinking perspective, commitment to education, and dedication to community building set a precedent for excellence in the community housing sector.

The lack of residential land in Tasmania poses a significant hurdle, limiting the organisation’s capacity to build and provide enough affordable housing. In urban centres, CEH is exploring complex and high-rise building solutions, venturing into the development of units up to five stories to address housing needs.

The allocation of social housing in NSW has undergone substantial changes, moving needs to a needs-based allocation system. This shift has led to higher concentrations of residents with complex needs in certain areas, posing challenges in providing adequate support and fostering harmonious community relations. The consequences of these allocation policies are felt most keenly by residents themselves, potentially contributing to cycles of trauma and social disconnection.

The evolving governance structure and policy changes in public housing funding and allocation are reshaping CEH’s operational landscape. The privatization of public housing and the changing responsibilities with government contract managers signify a period of transition, requiring forward planning from community housing providers.

Moreover, the changing demographics and emerging needs of residents, such as the demand for larger houses due to trends like shared parenting and split custody, necessitate a revaluation of housing models. This disparity between existing housing stock and emerging needs underscores the need for innovative solutions and adaptable housing strategies. It was felt previously community housing relied on “one approach and one model” so it was felt thinking needed to change around that.

CEH’s expansion into areas previously unfamiliar with social housing brings its own set of challenges. Building trust, educating communities, and dismantling long-standing stigmas demand a concerted effort in community engagement and relationship building. The organisation’s approach, characterised by ‘slow work’—building connections through small actions and nurturing partnerships—is crucial in creating safe spaces for social housing and fostering community growth. It was felt that this was about: “slowly activating a space – get it to a place before you can do work”.

Community Engagement and Placemaking

The Community Wellbeing Officer explained the new tiered approach to community engagement. After Covid-19 a new approach was devised to deliver a tiered tenant engagement approach. It was felt that CEH “are not always the experts in spaces” so they aimed to use their community engagement to help connect residents with services and groups who were the local experts.

Tier 1: Pop-up Events

In Derwent Valley, for example, a pop-up event was organised in collaboration with local services, offering a blend of support and engagement to the community. These events, which also include themed gatherings like Christmas block parties, have been instrumental in fostering community spirit and partnership, drawing in thousands from the community and beyond. A key element was to bring services to the community, services such as youth programmes, drug and alcohol support so that the pop-up events create “safe spaces” for residents to connect with key support services in a non-threatening environment.

Tier 2: Unit Activations

CEH’s unit activations focus on high-density units (collections of eight properties or above), addressing neighbourly issues and common concerns through collective projects (such as improving communal or outdoor spaces). These initiatives, often in collaboration with local Councils and organisations like Landcare Tasmania, have significantly enhanced living spaces and facilitated community conversations and connections.  It also helped again connect residents with wider support services, such as My Aged Care.

Tier 3: Community Connection Groups

Building on the success of unit activations, Community Connection Groups represent the pinnacle of CEH’s engagement strategy. In Kingston, for example, an unused and closed common room was transformed into a vibrant community hub, hosting activities and services that have significantly enhanced community engagement and tenant wellbeing.

Innovative Programs and Community Building

Centacare’s community engagement strategy extends beyond events and activations, encompassing a variety of innovative programs aimed at capacity building and empowerment. The “Inspiring Future Leaders” program, for example, is a 12-week initiative that empowers local community members to develop and implement community projects, fostering leadership and addressing local needs creatively. Previous projects include establishing a food hub, a human library of community stories and community photography. There are ten projects presently in the Brighton area, but the project is expected to expand.

There are also other events and opportunities, such as a gardening competition which actually provides the opportunity to do a spotlight with a resident and this is another way in which CEH supports the community to share, honour and develop communities through storytelling.

Education and awareness work

Working with schools and wider awareness programmes to tackle the stigma about social housing and homelessness. This is vital in communities where social and affordable housing is planned to be built and again is work that often takes time, with change being seen generational. 

An example of this work is a programme around “Homes for All” where portraits were taken of residents and displayed on the highway with a link to the website where they discussed about the importance of home. This art project was promoted during Homelessness Week in collaboration with schools and councils to demonstrate that “homelessness could affect anyone” and people have strength and resilience and more to offer community.

Metrics

CEH uses a social impact framework for all the community wellbeing work that is being done across Tasmania. Currently an evaluation framework for the tenant engagement strategy is being formulated to demonstrate the impact of the engagement activities. This will consist of a theory of change and involve data and narrative telling to share in the growth and impact of the tenant engagement work.

• Strategic tenant engagement.

• Empowerment through leadership.

• Collaboration and partnership.

• Responsive and adaptive strategy.

• Impact evaluation and sustainability.

• “Slow” long-term community development, capacity building work.

• Tackling stigma through education and awareness.

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This project was made possible by funds provided by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) under the NSW Community Housing Industry Development Strategy (IDS). The NSW Community Housing IDS is a partnership between CHIA NSW and DCJ.