Shelter WA Awards 2020
Thursday 26th November
Russell Square
Thursday 26th November
Russell Square
In order to acknowledge this occasion we held the inaugural Shelter WA Housing and Homelessness Awards, to recognise the organisations and individuals in the sector for the work they do.
Supported by Lotterywest
The inaugural Shelter WA Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions from organisations and individuals in relation to social and affordable housing and homelessness services across Western Australia.
These Awards reflect collaboration, excellence, innovation, compassion and leadership in the social and affordable housing and homelessness sectors. Also during the unprecedented time of COVID 19, we incorporated additional awards that reflected extraordinary achievements through this period.
Nominees that demonstrated that they have embraced diversity and promoted inclusion within the social and affordable housing or homelessness sectors were favorably looked upon.
The awards event supported by Lotterywest was held on the evening of Thursday 26th November at Russell Square in Northbridge, Perth.
A great mix of people from the affordable housing and homelessness sector, lived experience, educational institutes, private sector and media, joined us to recognise the incredible organisations and individuals who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to ensure all West Australians have a place to call home.
Josh Zimmerman- The West Australian and The Sunday Times – Life inside tent city
The solid research linking housing policy failures with the reality of people living in tent city, and enabling people to tell their own story, reflected with compassion, respect and challenging the stereotypes often associated with people living on the streets, impressed the judges. The judges liked its lack of judgmental attitude and sense of the historic injustice of under-funding of housing.
Media Award Nominees
Ruah Community Services – After-hours support service
The judges felt that this program addressed a clear, evidenced based need that regularly results in people exiting housing into homelessness. The after hours support service with wrap around support from outreach workers and nurses has a big impact on supporting people as they transition to their new home. The judges were impressed by the funding partnerships and the independent evaluations driving continuous improvement.
Innovations for People Award Nominees
Central East Aged Care Alliance – Affordable Living Options – Central Eastern Wheatbelt Region
This collaboration by eleven local governments, the State and local communities led to 71 affordable living units being built across the Eastern Wheatbelt providing housing options for people on low incomes enabling older people to stay in their local communities and remain connected.
Innovations for Supply Award Nominees
Southern Aboriginal Corporation – All Services
These are both worthy winners for this award delivering real outcomes led by Aboriginal people. The scale of activities being undertaken by SAC and the level of collaboration with other organisations and within the Noongar community is outstanding and impressed the judges.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Award Nominees
City of Rockingham – Rockingham/Kwinana Homelessness Interagency Group
Thirty seven agencies are represented on this inter-agency group driving co-ordination to end homelessness in this region. The judges were particularly impressed with new, long term investment by Council into an assertive outreach program, partnering with the community sector to reach people experiencing homelessness – demonstrating a real commitment to working collaboratively to end homelessness in their local area.
Local Government Award Nominees
Dr. Amity James – Curtin University – Various reports
The judges would like to commend all the nominees for their work and the significant contribution each researcher and research team has made. They were particularly impressed by Dr James’ focus on harnessing the expertise of people with lived experience within her research work, her strong collaboration and the impact of her research on public policy outcomes.
Research Award Nominees
Just Home Margaret River – All Services
Each and every nominee was deserving of this award. The judges felt that the grassroots, volunteer led movement for housing justice led by a collective group of people with current or previous experience of homelessness to drive advocacy for housing change embedded the power of lived experience across all their activities. The judges were impressed that Just Home delivers programmatic, practical and advocacy for the issues around social housing and homelessness.
Lived Experience/Co-Design Award Nominees
Like the rest of the world Western Australia was taken aback by the COVID 19 outbreak at the beginning of 2020. Many struggled during this time, but none more so than those people and services that were already overstretched before the outbreak. The following awards recognise those that went above and beyond during this time
Pan Pacific – Hotels with Heart
The judges were impressed by the great partnership. Providing accommodation for people sleeping rough during the height of the pandemic is a great example of what can be done when people are not judgmental and open their hearts. They were generous, welcoming and compassionate. The partnership with the community sector and government led to a positive experience and provided good learnings that will inform future initiatives .
Private Sector Initiative Award Nominees
St Patrick’s Community Support Centre – St Pat’s Day Centre
The judges were impressed with the rapid adoption of St Pat’s services to keep their doors open. Also their focus on partnerships to identify and address the needs of new emerging groups in the community. The Doorstop Dinners not only provided over 34,000 meals but supported local restaurants who were doing it tough doing the pandemic – a win win.
Rapid Response from the sector Award Nominees
Connect Victoria Park for all Programs
The judges were impressed by the scope of the programs at Connect Victoria Park, in particular, the co-design process that has led to a focus beyond housing to engage and support older people through a range of activities that connect within and into the community.
Community goodwill Award Nominees
Adrian Pisarski has a 35 year history in the community sector including roles with housing, homelessness, welfare and youth peak bodies in Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, Queensland and nationally.
He was the Executive Officer of Queensland Shelter between 2002 and 2013, the Chairperson of National Shelter between 2004 and 2013 and is currently the Executive Officer of National Shelter. He served on the Board of ACOSS between 2007-2013 and was vice president for five years.
Adrian was a member of the Affordable Housing Summit Group, instrumental to the development of the National Affordable Housing Agreement and NRAS. He has served on numerous advisory bodies for housing, homelessness and youth affairs.
Qualified in business and accountancy, Catherine is an Associate Director at one of Australia’s largest banks. Cathy brings expertise in leadership and appreciates the importance of challenging convention and being able to move between strategy and specifics, without getting lost in the details.
Cathy currently volunteers with the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), where she works as part of the PESP team sharing lived experiences to help others understand homelessness, its causes and its solutions – with the goal of improving the service system through awareness raising, capacity building and improved policy development.
Cathy is deeply passionate about helping young people without a home and is committed to making a difference for those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the tracks in Australia’s housing crisis.
Kate Colvin is the spokesperson for Everybody’s Home, Australia’s national housing and homelessness campaign. Kate is also the Deputy CEO of the Victorian homelessness peak body, Council to Homeless Persons, where she has led the Policy and Communications team for the past five years.
Kate has worked in senior leadership and advocacy roles in community organisations for the past 25 years, and has played a key role in the development and leadership of other housing campaigns, including Australians for Affordable Housing and the Vote Home campaign.
Wendy Hayhurst was appointed in March 2019 as CEO at the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) the peak body representing not for profit community housing organisations across Australia.
Previously she led CHIA NSW – the state peak – for four years. Wendy has spent almost her entire career in social and affordable housing – working her way from the front line to a non-executive directorship and senior managerial roles in a wide range of housing provider organisations, regulatory bodies, and specialist consultancies in the UK and Australia.