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Case Study

Practical Toolkit for the Community Housing Sector – Shelter WA

Introduction

Shelter WA is the peak body working to advocate solutions to housing need and homelessness in Western Australia. Shelter WA draws its members from community services, housing providers, government, academia, the private sector and people with lived experience of housing insecurity. Within its housing provider membership, this project was focused on Tier 2 and 3 Community Housing Organisations (CHO) in WA. Community housing is affordable housing for people on low to moderate incomes with a housing need. Shelter WA was seeking support to develop a toolkit of practical strategies to grow these CHO in WA.

Credit: "My Home" project North Fremantle
Situation

The project needed to build on foundational work undertaken to date and be guided by engagement with a mix of Tier 2 and 3 CHO in WA, as well as related stakeholders. Tier 2 and 3 CHO are diverse in their size, focus and location, presenting a challenge to develop material with broad application.

The toolkit was also to have general application for organisations that may support or enable CHO, as well as those that may be considering registration (it is estimated only 15% of CHO in WA are registered).

Solution

This project drew on BlueSalt Consulting’s expertise in both housing and working with peak bodies and followed our recent submission to the new ten year National Housing and Homelessness Plan completed in conjunction with Goldfields Indigenous Housing Organisation (GIHO).

The foundational work was supplemented with extensive research on best practice in locations where CHO’s have had successful growth. Engagement with a diverse mix of stakeholders was used to develop practical case studies and highlight areas of common challenge and success.

Evidence from the literature review, stakeholder interviews and case study research for this toolkit found a number of high-level success factors common across community organisations in the housing sector.

This was used to develop a set of ‘growth foundations’ and ‘growth strategies’ in the toolkit. Growth foundations are connected to all growth strategies and foundational for success. Six growth strategies were then detailed.

Guided by engagement with potential toolkit users, additional case studies were also developed to provide practical examples. As part of the growth strategies, BlueSalt Consulting also partnered with Econisis develop modelling that would be replicable and practical for a range of CHO to use to test the initial feasibility of their projects.

Outcome

BlueSalt Consulting used a range of problem solving to develop a practical toolkit for use by the sector. As registered Tier 2 and 3 CHO in WA vary greatly in size, focus and geographic spread, the toolkit was designed to provide a range of actions that can be selected to suit. The needs of those who work with, fund or can otherwise enable the work of CHO were also considered and highlighted.

With the landscape that CHO work within subject to change, Bluesalt Consulting delivered the toolkit in a format that would allow Shelter WA to make updates in future, as well as repurpose areas for specific target audiences. It was also carefully designed to maintain a simple format, ensuring that it could be used by a range of organisations and remain accessible into the future.

This work was funded through a Housing Australia Capacity Building Program Grant.

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