Community Engagement

Evolve Housing is an industry leader in the provision of traditional and innovative resident engagement and communications programs.The Evolve Housing team prides itself on the innovation, delivery and quality of its resident services by forming partnerships with the broader community to increase the exposure of Evolve Housing and its residents’ needs. This broadening of focus has also given residents and Evolve Housing team members greater networking opportunities throughout their communities.

Over the years Evolve Housing has won a variety of awards for its tenant contact and participation programs including the 2011 NSW Award for Excellence in Community Housing for Tenant Participation. The award recognised that Evolve Housing values the overall wellbeing of its residents through a variety of strategies and programs, demonstrating its continued to building strong resident engagement programs.

The Evolve Housing Community Engagement Team continues to focus on the implementation of its Community Engagement Plan, a strategic framework for engagement through community linkages, alliances with strategic partners and the development of new initiatives aimed at increasing  resident economic empowerment while building stronger communities.

Evolve Housing’s resident engagement programs include:

• Evolve Housing has created a Tenancy Support Service that is second to none in the community housing sector and was kicked off in response to Evolve Housing’s commitment to sustaining tenancies and reducing homelessness.

• An outstanding alliance with OzHarvest which provides tonnes of free food distributed to its residants;

• Evoloans which provides up to $1,200 towards the purchase of essential household white goods;

• Chemist Assistance for tenants whereby Evolve Housing assists residents with the cost of medication on a regular basis.

• Educational Financial Assistance (EFA) to assist struggling families with their children’s education. Allowances for the purchase of school uniforms, textbooks, stationery, computers, educational software, excursions and other specialist equipment is provided. In 2012 over 19  resident families were awarded funding.

• Physical Activity and Sporting fund (PAS) helping families with a grant of up to $250 to allow them to participate in sporting and physical  activities by helping to pay for registration fees, sport equipment and clothing.

• Evolve Housing also keeps in touch with its Friendship Aged Network (FAN) where Evolve Housing team members, residents and volunteers keep in contact with  those residents that are elderly or socially isolated within the community.