Salvos to manage new Western Australian community housing
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
The Salvation Army has been announced as the community housing provider for a West Australian Government housing and homelessness initiative.
The news comes as the Regional Supportive Landlord Model project, promised two years ago, gets underway in WA.
Under the plan, rolled out as a partnership between the Department of Housing and Works and the Department of Communities – Office of Homelessness, 100 new social houses are being built or purchased between the cities of Geraldton, Albany and Kalgoorlie.
The Salvation Army is undertaking the tenancy management of the planned 40 properties in Geraldton, which will allow for greater wraparound support for those facing unstable or inconsistent housing.
Salvos Housing State Manager Bethany Critchley said the program, which currently totals $53 million in government funding for housing purchases and management, was a great fit for how The Salvation Army already works across the country. She said the team had already connected in with the Geraldton Corps Officers, Captains Tim and Di Size, and were planning ways to collaborate.
“We are a supportive landlord anyway in that we do connect people [into] services,” she said. “This will just be a little bit more concentrated in linking them to services, creating community space for them, bringing in living skills, in how to sustain a tenancy so that we can actually help them in maintaining long-term housing.”
Bethany said in practice, this would look like ensuring the tenants were able to connect with chaplaincy, Doorways and Moneycare services as well as corps officers, but that Salvos Housing was also very aware of maintaining clear boundaries in tenancy management.
She said the engagement with the client could be more “targeted and concentrated” through the Salvos’ involvement.
Two of the recently-purchased properties to be handed over to The Salvation Army. Images: Bethany Critchley
“We still want to make sure [tenancy managers] don’t cross the line into supports, because that’s very important to keep that separate,” she said. “But they will be encouraging more and having more to do with connecting them than just doing a referral. There will be a lot more engagement with the tenant.”
The new and refurbished properties will be officially handed over to The Salvation Army for management on 4 March. The Salvation Army is contracted to the role for a three-year period, with a review at the close of that time.
“[The WA Government’s] commitment’s pretty strong, and I know we'll do a good job,” Bethany said.
