Social Enterprise

St George Community

Housing Ltd

Community Housing Conference

10 November 2010

Karen Walsh

St George Community Housing Ltd

Key Messages

• Provide an overview and definitions of Social Enterprise

and highlight that community housing providers are social

enterprises

• Provide examples of Social Enterprise partnership

initiatives SGCH is currently delivering or developing

• Highlight through case studies and examples some of the

benefits and outcomes for community housing tenants

and the broader community

About St George Community Housing Ltd

• Currently managing over 3000 properties including 102 owned

affordable housing

• Growth to 4000 plus properties by end of 2011

• Staff team of 80 including specialists – and growing

• Strong emphasis on tenant participation, community engagement

and social inclusion

• Operates in 23 LGAs ffering housing solutions from fully subsidised

housing to affordable housing

• Entering into more procurement options including development and

construction

About St George Community Housing Ltd

Our Purpose

“To reduce social and economic disadvantage

through the provision of secure, affordable and

sensitively managed housing for people with low

and moderate incomes”

Our Vision

“Better Lives, stronger communities through

affordable, quality housing”

What is a Social Enterprise?

• Organisation led by an economic, social, cultural, or

environmental mission consistent with a public or

community benefit

• Exist for public and community benefit and trade to fulfil

their mission

• Derive a substantial portion of their income from trade;

and

• Reinvest the majority of their profit/surplus in the

fulfilment of their mission

(source – Social Enterprises in Australia – a preliminary snapshot June 2010 – research report)

Types of Social Enterprise

Goals:

Employment – business that provide support, employment and training

for marginalised groups

Service Delivery – businesses that create or retain services in direct

response to social or economic needs in the

community

Income Generation – businesses that generate profits to support other

community or not for profit organisational

activities

SGCH as a Social Enterprise - initiatives

• Education Bursary

• White Goods Loan Scheme

• Eco – Wise gardening

• Entry Steps

• Greenwings

• Getting Green Project

Entry Steps Sustainable Tenant Employment

Pathways

• Tenant based employment project which focuses on

tenants delivering routine property maintenance services

in SGCH managed properties.

• Partnership with MTC Work Solutions

• A place based approach that will:▫ improve community strength and amenity

▫ provide short and long term opportunities for disadvantaged job

seekers

▫ address social and economic participation.

• Initial focus on NBESP properties

Greenwings

• Place Based Training and Employment Program

• Developed by Newleaf Communities for the

Bonnyrigg area – including Liverpool and

Fairfield

• Jobs Fund $1.7m from Federal Government

• Complete job training with job ready green skills

• Increase opportunities for school based trainees

Greenwings

Four teams

• Retro fit – energy saving

• Property care

• Streetscape

• Local Procurement

Objectives of Greenwings

• Reduce crime

• Improve amenity

• Reduce environmental footprint

• Contribute to environmental sustainability

• Build local business

Greenwings

Short term outcomes

• Retro-fit of 200 existing homes to improve water and energy

efficiency

• Streetscape improvements to improve safety and amenity

• Retention of trees through the development process

• 200 jobs completed (including home cleans, lawn mows) for seniors,

people with a disability and/or chronic health problems

Long term outcomes

• Commercially viable business unit contributing funding to

community development program

• Local employment through Public Private Partnership (PPP)

projects, consortium members and local businesses

• Development of the local economy through local procurement

Getting Greener Project

• The Lower Georges River Sustainability Initiative is a partnership

between four Councils, the Combined Councils' Committee and the

Sydney Metropolitan CMA.

• Funding of $150k through the Environmental Trust.

• SGCH is working in partnership with the St George Migrant

Resource Centre & Inner South West Community Development

Organisation to engage 20 tenants over 6 sites in Permaculture.

• Peramcultutre based communal gardens and garden construction

training for participants at social housing sites.

Outcomes of the project

• Leadership and permaculture training for participants

• Monitoring and documentation training for participants

• Gardening workshops and study trips

• Multi-lingual case studies

• Developing a recipe book

• New enterprise business plans

• 20 trained community leaders and staff and

• 100 households adopt new gardening practices

Summary• Community housing providers are well positioned to

develop and implement social enterprise partnerships

• Benefits to individuals and communities - financial,

social and environmental - which positively impact on

CHPs as social enterprises

• Social enterprises provide unique opportunities for

tenants to access pathways to education, training and

employment – and for some to address multi

generational disadvantage

• Ultimate aim is for initiatives to become self sustaining