Ivanhoe Estate Tenant Group - Ryde Council's Volunteer Group of the Year, 2016.

Cross posted from the Brown Couch: former Ivanhoe Estate resident Marie Sillars talks about the strength of a community, the shock of relocation, and how to ensure all is not lost to "renewal".

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My time with the Ivanhoe Estate Tenant Group Inc. started some 6 years ago and I am a Founder Member of the Group. We established a Community Centre (pictured) and started organising BBQs, meetings and getting involved in our community.

Four years ago we heard (on TV News) that Ivanhoe was to be demolished as it had gone past "its use by date" and very quickly we started to gather information, attend meetings, take part in Community Reference Group meetings and even became involved with a Parliamentary Committee on public housing. At the same time the group were running craft classes (we have knitted and crocheted scores of blankets, beanies, scarves etc. which will be donated to a homeless shelter & local hospital) computers for the elderly, breakfasts at the Centre, established a community garden (tenants were invited to take any herbs or veggies that they needed) and generally made ourselves busy with the day to day matters that a community needs. We had Oz Harvest for 2 years where we distributed up to 150 kilos of food on a Saturday afternoon and we had the greatest fun. Most of the Oz Harvest Committee were over the age of 60 and it was a great way to make sure that the elderly tenants had enough fruit, vegetables and groceries to keep them going until the next Saturday. Rain, hail and shine we worked our way through the food with an incredible energy for people of our age.

We knew the time was coming when the final decision would be made but somehow just kept working away trying not to think about the inevitable time when the FACS people would deliver the letters and we would then we would have to decide how we would deal with this. Late last year the letters were delivered and even though we knew it was coming the whole place went into shock and we were called to a meeting at the Community Centre where we were introduced to the officers who would become our Relocation Officers. It was an awful day and it had quite a negative effect upon the tenants, especially the elderly folk. We decided on that day that the Committee would go ahead "business as usual" and try hard to get through what was to become a difficult period. As Christmas at Ivanhoe came and went we all knew that this would probably be our last Christmas together as a group, and the atmosphere around the Centre changed. People were sad and a bit down and together with the Salvation Army on the Estate we tried very hard to keep people's spirits up and tried to make a positive side of the relocations.

As time went on and we were still attending meetings the interviews with our respective Relocation Officers were conducted and we were then told to wait as the Officers searched for places for us. As this has been happening tenants started to move away and so I contacted some people outside of the Estate to help establish a "Footprints" Committee to gather information, pictures and stories about the Estate so that when the new places are built, people there will know that there was a thriving, exciting community existing before. Ryde Council, Salvation Army, Macquarie University, FACS, and many of our wonderful supporters have come on board with this idea to create media, films, interviews and many other ways to show how a great Community CAN work and that Public Housing Tenants can work in a positive and intelligent way to come together and be proud of what they have achieved.

Two weeks ago I myself had to move and I am not very far away from the Ivanhoe Estate so I am able to keep craft classes happening on Mondays for those who are still there. The Committee who had worked so hard at Oz Harvest had started to move away also and we will all keep in touch in the future. As this Community fades away we are keen to let people know that through the Footprints Programme the Ivanhoe Committee will not be forgotten.

Last week (5th May 2016) some of the Committee attended a Volunteer of the Year Evening with Ryde Council and I was so very honoured to be nominated as Volunteer of the Year. I did not win but the Ivanhoe Estate Tenant Group DID win Volunteer Group of the Year 2016 and I have to say it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Even through our times of sadness it just shows that a community such as the Ivanhoe Estate can shine through, smile and move on to other communities. As they say "Onwards and Upwards" but in the end it has been a great achievement and one I will never forget!

Marie Sillars May 2016

Telopea redevelopment overview

The NSW Government has announced a 'master plan' for the redevelopment of a large portion of Telopea, north of Parramatta, over the next 10-15 years. 

Public Housing is a prominent feature of Telopea. According to 2011 Census figures, Telopea contains 468 Public Housing dwellings, making up 20% of the suburb as a whole. 

An information sheet provided to Public Housing tenants by FACS Housing confirms that Public Housing tenants will be relocated for works completed under the scheme, without precisely indicating who will be moved or when. It states, "The first relocations will not take place until late-2017...", and "[Affected] tenants will have the opportunity to return to Telopea after redevelopment".

Above: the boundaries of the master plan area, taking in almost half of Telopea

Indeed it appears probable that redevelopment of Public Housing sites will be a major component of the project. Social Housing Minister Brad Hazzard's announcement says the project "will deliver an estimated $2.5 billion of new social, private and affordable housing and housing infrastructure". FACS Housing's Telopea Master Planning Team has provided that the Government will deliver estates with a mix of Social, Affordable and private market housing, in partnership with developers and the not-for-profit sector. And a Parramatta Advertiser report posits that such construction will comprise approximately 70% private dwellings and 30% Social Housing. This strongly resembles the Public Housing estate redevelopment strategy utilised in Communities Plus projects (as well as the preferred development style of the Social and Affordable Housing Fund). 

However, it also appears that redevelopment may stretch beyond NSW Land & Housing Corporation sites. The tenant information sheet provides that "all land within this [master plan] area will be considered by the master plan, regardless of who owns the land".

Little beyond the boundaries of the precinct to be affected by the master plan appears to have been finalised. The Master Planning Team have said that the plan will continue to be developed through 2016, with local stakeholders invited to participate. 

Why Telopea?

The Telopea Master Planning Team has provided a dual rationale for development and implementation of the scheme. 

First, the Parramatta Light Rail Project will include construction of a northern line between Camellia and Carlingford. Whilst stations and their locations have not been set at this time, the line is expected to run through Telopea. Construction of the line will commence in 2018-19 and conclude by 2036. 

Second, the planning team has determined that current Public Housing stock in the suburb, "does not meet the needs of many of the tenants". It cites the age of the stock, inappropriate bedroom configurations, and a lack of circulation space in reaching this conclusion.* This position is strongly reminiscent of the position regarding under-occupancy of Social Housing expressed in the Future Directions strategy for development of the State portfolio as a whole. One of three strategies proposed to reduce under occupancy therein is the construction of "more smaller, fit for purpose dwellings to match the needs of new and future tenants". The Master Planning Team also notes that the cost to NSW Land & Housing Corporation of maintaining the stock is rising as the properties age.

Current redevelopment

The team provided that the pre-existing Communities Plus project for redevelopment of public housing sites at Moffats Drive and Sturt Street, Telopea, will "be taken into account" in the ongoing development of the Government's plan for the suburb. However, the master plan project has no direct relationship to the project or to Communities Plus in general. 

Our response

The announcement that Telopea is to be redeveloped appears broadly familiar to Communities Plus, though far less detailed at this stage. The bold red line denoting the boundaries of the 'master plan' encircles half the suburb, and evokes a sense of dramatic change. But the truth is that little beyond a general intention, to be realised over a period of decades, has been revealed. 

A community group operating in the Telopea area has confirmed that local tenants are scarcely better informed on the particulars of how the project is to proceed. This should be addressed as a matter of priority, with tenants informed and engaged at every step. Such an approach would minimise the rumours and feelings of uncertainty that such projects stimulate, as well as provide valuable local perspective to those overseeing the redevelopment.

One of the precious few details confirmed is that at least some, and possibly many, Public Housing tenants will be relocated. And in this regard we note the same concerns as apply to estate redevelopments across NSW. Relocations are inherently stressful for those losing their homes. The needs and interests of affected tenants should be prioritised throughout the process, and the right to return under the same conditions should be upheld for those that wish to do so.

Moreover, if NSW Land & Housing Corporation sites are to be demolished for mixed tenure communities, this ought to facilitate an increase in the total number of both Social and Affordable housing dwellings in Telopea. At present there is no guarantee that stock will be increased or even retained at present levels.

Will its close proximity to Parramatta, expanding rail connections, and high quantity of publicly owned land, it is not difficult to see why Telopea has been targeted for renewal. But any properly realised vision of the suburb as a modern part of the burgeoning "Capital of Western Sydney" needs to account for tenants both current and future. 


* We welcome feedback from Social Housing tenants on the suitability and condition of their homes, or any other redevelopment issues. Contact us at clearinghouse@tenantsunion.org.au. Your anonymity will be respected.

The Telopea Master Planning team are also available for contact on 1800 761 434 or TelopeaMasterPlan@facs.nsw.gov.au. 

Millers Point tenants make their point

Millers Point tenants have made submissions to the NSW State Government as it continues to review social housing in the area.

Two groups have made submissions: the Millers Point Public Housing Tenants Committee (MPPHTC), and the Committee of Residents Elected by Millers Point, Dawes Point and the Rocks (CoRE). They take different approaches, but both are strong testaments to the local community's determination that social housing in Millers Point must be retained. We've read them, and commend them both.

The MPPHTC's submission is straightforward: keep Millers Point as social housing – and, in particular, as public housing. Amongst other things, they make an interesting point about security of tenure and expectations. Long-term tenants at Millers Point – some of them go back many decades, even generations – recall being assured that they should regard their homes as theirs for life. This assurance was given by the previous government landlord of the properties, Maritime Services, when many of the tenants or their families worked in maritime industries or other occupations in what was in some respects a government town. Tenants say they've regard that expectation of security like other people might regard superannuation: as security in their post-work lives.

The CoRE submission also recommends, in the first place, keeping Millers Point as public housing. But CoRE presents an alternative recommendation: if Housing NSW must get out of Millers Point, let tenants stay put and bring a community housing provider in. With the pro bono assistance of the consulting company Sphere, they've crunched the numbers and shown that a community housing provider, with increased rental revenues from tenants' receipt of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, and a limited program of property sales (between 35 and 66 sales over five years, depending on the scenario), could repair the remaining properties to an appropriate standard and manage them as social housing on a sustainable basis.

It is fair to say that not everyone in Millers Point is at ease with the idea of any further property sales, or a different type of social housing provider – but the fact that the CoRE tenants are prepared to do some hard thinking and look at uneasy options says a lot about their commitment to keeping social housing in Millers Point. It is an impressive proposal and deserves further investigation with collaboration from all stakeholders.

Minto redevelopment update

Thanks to our friends at Minto Residents Action Group (MRAG) for this latest update.

"Minto redevelopment is less than halfway through the project – even though on paper the plans are complete and they are just waiting on money to be released. The MRAG believe that we should endeavour to “keep them honest”.  Announced in 2002, started in approx. 2006 and predicted to finish in 2015.  It has already been put back at least 12 months.  Working Together in Minto (a human services project coordinated by HNSW) has withdrawn and the Minto Renewal Forum has ceased.  MRAG have been asked to join the Community Reference Group which will be formed by the new group working in Minto - Macarthur Diversity Services Initiative (MDSI) which so far do not have a worker. Our best alternative is inviting (Renewal, Land and Housing) and (Landcom) to our Minto RAG meetings. They do come when invited."

WHAT WE WERE TOLD (PROMISED)	WHERE WE ARE AT (AND WHAT HAS CHANGED)
Over 55/seniors units      - 120	We have 20.    Construction of 60 more units have started, with possibility of further 40 to start depending on funds availability.  With these I believe (but cannot find proof) we were told that each complex would have a community room, even though normally there had to be 24/25 units per complex.  Of the remaining complexes (40 – 20 – 22 and 18) only the one with 40 will have a community room – and the others may have an undercover area for entertaining.  At this stage all will have lifts.
Two bedroom Ballot  - 102 (There were 111 families in ballot)	There are 20 two bedroom cottages completed with 4 more in the late stages –so there are 78 more to come.  Integrated Housing was planned around the parks and social housing tenants were to occupy about ratio 2:3.   Because of difficulty with Integrated Housing they had to change the plans and sell as individual lots meaning that Landcom lost some lots and then because it was 50/50 HNSW gave 4 lots back to Landcom so we are now short 4 houses around Redfern Park.  We were told that these will be added to the South side of Minto.   I am told by the Housing office in Campbelltown (who control the ballot list) that they are in contact with people on the list and there are people who are happy where they are so will not be taking up the offer…. No numbers.  Because some of the two story places around the parks are unsatisfactory for people on the list Housing has had to divert further down the list.  With uncertainty as to funding and timing of construction for 2 bedroom cottages, consideration is being given to use the 2 bedroom seniors as suitable offers for those eligible from the ballot.
Five bedroom homes - approx. 7	None have been started but plans for 4 have been approved on the north side in Gawler Ave.  A fifth cottage will be placed on south side.
Existing 3 and 4 bedroom cottages – approximately 127 with an additional 50 to be sold	Work is in progress on the cottages bounded by Guernsey, Mortimer, Gawler and Benham with a budget of approx. $80,000 per property on average. The families living in these cottages have had to put up with some dreadful times – some were told they were not losing anything only to have workmen in the next day ripping out their gardens. The civil works have dug their yards up to put in a new drainage system and then not connected them to it only to have their properties flood everytime it rains. Three properties in Piper Way are to be demolished and negotiations were proceeding with the tenants. These will be included in the 50 cottages that are to be sold. On the other side (Pendergast) it has been deferred for a while and will be done in two different sections. I hope that the journey will be more pleasant for them.  LAHC and UGNSW have advised that lessons learnt from northern side will be used to ensure there is less impact on residents; however, there will be disruptions during construction.