TAREE’S Community Housing Limited has officially opened its new office in Victoria Street.
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Refurbished at a cost of $100,000, the office will manage 212 properties for the non-profit organisation which provides affordable and sustainable housing for those in need.
Lyne MP Rob Oakeshott and CHL chairman Chris Shields were official guests at the opening, attended by staff, tenants and other support providers such as the Dundaloo Foundation, Home Base Forster, Samaritans, Taree Aboriginal Land Council, GTCC and Housing NSW.
Mr Shields told those present that Taree’s highly skilled staff had an overall satisfaction rating of over 90 percent and one of the lowest rent arrears rates in Australia.
“This is due to the good work, commitment and dedication of Kerry McDean and her staff.”
He said renters had been hardest hit by the housing crisis and while it seemed that mortgages took precedence in focus, the stress felt by renters was double.
“One of the keys to CHL’s success is its belief in building strong partnerships and undertaking new initiatives,” Mr Shield said.
“Recently we worked with the Dundaloo Foundation to help people with intellectual disabilities into 14 units in Taree.
“Currently CHL is working closely with Housing NSW on an affordable housing pilot project including 10 properties to change the profile of public housing in the area. This has also led to an incredible opportunity for one of the tenants to buy their rental property.”
NSW operations manager, Frank Birkefeld (who is based in Taree) said the make-up of those people helped by CHL was about 75 per cent traditional social housing for those on very low to low incomes and other disadvantages; and 25 per cent affordable housing for those on moderate incomes, with key workers such as teachers, nurses and police targeted.
However, he said in the Manning, CHL mainly dealt with those on the shared social housing waiting list.
Mr Birkefeld said back in the 1980s most towns had community housing providers. In the Manning, former Greater Taree mayor, the late Mick Tuck, was instrumental getting the movement going with a small office in Wingham.
Then in 1996, the government encouraged these smaller organisations to band together and Manning Community Housing merged with similar offices in the Hastings, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour to create Community Housing Mid North Coast. In 2009 they were approached by CHL, which was based in Victoria, to merge with them.
Now Australia-wide, CHL has over 3000 properties as well as projects in East Timor and South America.
