Prime Minister, Julia Gillard visited Northcott Disability Services central office in North Parramatta on 3 April to announce a new housing project based on an innovative accommodation model, for people with a disability in Parramatta.
A joint partnership between Affordable Community Housing Limited (ACHL) and Northcott Disability Services, this project will provide fully accessible, modern and affordable supported accommodation units for people with a disability, supporting people with disabilities to live as valued members of their community.
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We are delighted and congratulate the students who have received its Educational Financial Assistance (EFA) awards for the 2012 educational year.
ACHL’s Educational Financial Assistance (EFA) program helps the families of tenants with the cost of educating their children in primary, secondary and tertiary education, while the Physical Activity Scheme (PAS) covers costs for sport.
The Chief Executive Officer of ACHL, Andrea Galloway, said a record 225 children from rights across Sydney’s west, received awards at a special ceremony at Auburn Town Hall on Wednesday, April 11.
Affordable Community Housing Limited (ACHL) has thanked the Federal Member for Chifley, Ed Husic for officially opening its new multi-storey residential housing complex in Mt Druitt.
More than 50 guests, including local community and sector stakeholders, ACHL support partners, the project’s architect, trade contractors, local media and tenants attended the event on Wednesday 28 March.
ACHL’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrea Galloway said the new 34-unit complex in Hythe Street, is the first multi-storey unit block identified by ACHL in a high needs area, with 13 units able to be adapted for tenants with disabilities. Ms Galloway said at risk tenants would also be are provided with a range of counselling, training and other social services assistance, through ACHL’s support service partners.
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ACHL had the pleasure to be part of OzHarvest CEO Cook Off fundraiser right in the middle of Sydney's CBD. Our very own CEO Andrea Galloway teamed up with celebrity chef Neil Perry of RockPool fame. Andrea made the ACHL team proud as she cooked alongside Neil and served our tenants with a delicious three meal course. One of our tenants who is a training and aspiring chef had the opportunity to mingle with chefs that inspired him to want to cook even more.
The night was hosted by Karl Stefanovic of the Today Show and some very excited tenants had there photos taken with him. We even had Jimmy Barnes entertain us to conclude the evening. Most importantly the night raised over $900,000 for OzHarvest to help further their work in feeding and supporting the homeless and people in need. To check out our photos go to our MY ACHL Facebook page.
(David Peachy, ACHL tenant, ACHL CEO Andrea Galloway)
Rugby League legend David Peachey spoke of shared aims and philosophies when he addressed the tenants and staff at our annual general meeting held at Blacktown RSL. David outlined the work of the David Peachey Foundation that helps young indigenous youth reach their full potential whether in educational, sport or cultural endeavours.
ACHL tenants were treated to a special paddle cruise outing this month on the a classic and romatic old style Paddlewheeler. With the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Mountains National Park and Nepean Gorge lucky tenants had a relaxing morning cruising in style. From the comfort of the paddle wheeler, tenants were treated to spectacular views and interesting sights of beautiful flora and fauna.
Parramatta Local Tenant Group hosted a social get together through a bus trip to Berrima on the 10th of June. The attendees who represent tenants from the Parramatta region had a wonderful day out and a delicious lunch. The Parramatta group meet up regularly to discuss a variety of issues as well as plan a variety of social events.
If you would like to join the Parramatta Local Tenant Group, they meet on the third Monday of every month in the Domain Room, 1 Oakes Street, Westmead. For further information call Robert on 8622 1500.
( Move It, Sports Day, April 2011) (Youth Week, April 2011)
In 2011 we are hosting an assortment of events and activities intended to engage our tenants in a wide variety of programs and inititiaves.
In early April to celebrate Youth Week, ACHL and Mission Australia hosted a youth event filled with activities such as Zumba, spray painting, boxing and dj lessons. The event which was well attended highlighted the importance of providing diverse experiences and opportunities for young people in order for them to discover and show case their talents.
While Move It! a sports day on the 15th of April for youngers got hearts pumping. Young people got a chance to try their hands at a number of sporting activities with the AFL running a workshop. The sunny day also provided a delicious BBQ lunch and an excellent catch up for parents and staff.
At ACHL we have started tenant Meet and Greets running every couple of weeks whereby ACHL staff have morning tea with tenants in selected locations. These morning teas are an excellent way for tenants to get to know ACHL staff, share ideas, highlight any issues and get to know their neighbours better.
To celebrate Seniors Week we hosted a getaway to beautiful Mt Tomah in the Blue Mountains. The picturesque gardens with their many exotic and beautiful plants proved to be a wonderful and relaxing day for all that came along. To view photos, click on the images.
On Wednesday the 20th of April, a family picnic day in Parramatta Park was a wonderful get together for families. The picnic was well attended with an easter egg hunt, crafts stall & BBQ lunch.
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The evening of Thursday the 26th of May saw ACHL staff and tenant families come together to celebrate the succesfull children who were grant recipients of the Educational Financial Scheme. The scheme which seeks to address financial difficulties faced by parents when educating their children was an overwhelming success with parents delighted with the program. Families were awarded up to $500 for primary school children and $1,000 for high school and tertiary students. The scheme is also aimed at helping disadvantaged young children remain at school.
To honour the succesfull children, ACHL hosted an evening of entertainment, inspiring speeches from distinguished guests from the University of Western Sydney, delicious foods and a thrilling performance from a police band
Last month's Tenant Christmas Party proved to be a wonderful success. The turnout was even bigger than the previous year and tenants were treated to spectacular performances, delicious food and a visit by Santa himself. The beautiful day was spent by tenants and staff enjoying the sunshine and a myriad of activities. ACHL looks forward to an even bigger party this year!
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ACHL staff from SR Constructions met with the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Minister Paul Lynch. Minister Lynch was very keen to learn about the new common area project ACHL has created where SR Constructions have been given all common area maintenance and employ tenants particularly Indigenous tenants.
Currently SR have employed 8 Indigenous tenants all currently being trained to perform maintenance work. SR Constructions have also identified tenants who have the skills to cover other roles such as office administration and apprenticeships.
If any tenant is interested in the program they should contact Robert Costa (86221510) at ACHL to gain an understanding of how we can help with employment opportunities.
Affordable Community Housing Limited strongly believes that providing housing is more than simply putting a roof on people’s heads and actively encourages and provides social opportunities for tenants. Therefore ACHL is pleased to receive the 2010 NSW Award for Excellence in Community Housing in the area of Tenant Participation. Click for full article
ACHL is proud to announce our newest addition to our social housing portfolio, an apartment complex for elderly and people living with a disability. The event was officially opened by Hunters Hill Mayor Susan Hoopmann and highlights the strong direction of ACHL. Click for full article
ACHL has moved into the development field for the first time with the current construction of a 34 unit complex at 32 Hythe st Mt Druitt. This property is a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom units with 13 fully adaptable units. We are using the services of Impact Group to project manage the development and Sirius Building company to build it. The funding of this project comes from Housing NSW Social Housing Growth Fund and the Federal governments National Rental Affordability Scheme NRAS program. We have committed our own funds as well as raising borrowings. The project will house both social and affordable housing tenants.
On the 25th of October a ground breaking Ceremony took place with our chair Rosemary Bishop performing the honours. We are confident this is the first of many developments that ACHL will do in the future.
ACHL has joined with OzHarvest, a not for profit organisation that rescues excess food from restaurants and food outlets to provide those who are struggling financially with food support. As a provider of social housing we are acutely aware how growing living costs are having a negative impact on tenants. ACHL took on this exciting opportunity and we are currently distributing food from our Local Tenant Group in Bankstown. The program is facilitated twice a week and is run by a variety of volunteers. This service reaches up to 40 people each week and provides a variety of nutritional food for those most in need.
ACHL is excited to announce a two day workshop focusing on dealing with energy issues for Aboriginal tenants The workshops which will run on the 23rd and 24th of November are part of the NSW Government's Energy Efficiency Program and offers our tenants an opportunity to get a detailed insight into sustainable practices and lifestyles. For more info
