Community Housing Central Australia has been recognised for its achievements as a leader in the community housing sector, recently scooping two awards from the Australian Housing Institute.
Community Housing has won the 2019 Leading Innovation Award in the NT for their Exchange Partnership program with NSW’s largest community housing provider, SGCH, who manage more than 6000 homes.
Under the partnership, teams from both organisations visit Alice Springs and Sydney to experience housing provision in different contexts and environments.
Community Housing CEO John McBryde said the partnership had made a significant impact on staff, customers and the organisation overall.
“The exchange has given both teams a much broader understanding of community housing and provided the opportunity for personal development and growth.
“The SGCH team who visited Alice got a real insight into the Centre, its culture and history, and some of the housing challenges we face here such as overcrowding and limited stock.
“For the Community Housing team who visited Sydney, we’ve been able to take some great, practical ideas and embed them here. It was a great opportunity to learn from our peers, which can be a challenge in an isolated town such as Alice Springs.
“The knowledge transfers have been invaluable for both organisations and are leading to improvements in the way we do business.”
Community Housing Manager Kylie Preece was also awarded AHI’s 2019 Inspirational Team Leader Award NT.
Kylie was nominated for her exceptional service to customers and support and dedication to the CAAH team.
“I really love my job and am fortunate to have had great leaders in my CEOs who have always shown belief in me. My job is diverse, dealing with everyone from tenants to tradies. What I really enjoy is working with everyone to make sure our tenants are able to stay in their homes.
“I was a part of the Community Housing Exchange Partnership group that went to Sydney, which was a fantastic learning experience.
“It really took me out of my comfort zone to experience a much larger organisation. I’ve come back with some great ideas I’m looking forward to initiating here to benefit our staff and our customers.”