At a Glance

TOTAL WORKFORCE as at 30/6/18	82 employees
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO IDENTIFY AS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people	3 employees

EMPLOYMENT STATUS

Full-time Employees	63 employees
Part-time Employees	19 employees

EMPLOYMENT TENURE

≤1yr	22 employees
1-5yrs	46 employees 3 employees with tenure of 5 years
6-10yrs	11 employees 1 employee with tenure of 10 years
11-15yrs	3 employees 2 employees with tenure of 11 years 1 employee with tenure of 13 years

Average tenure: 3 years

AGE DEMOGRAPHICS

≤ 20yrs	0 employees
21-30yrs	11 employees
31-40yrs	24 employees
41-50yrs	18 employees
51-60yrs	21 employees
> 60yrs	8 employees

Average age: 44 years

HIGHEST QUALIFICATIONS

Yr 12 - HSC	6 employees
Trade Licence	4 employees
Certificate II	3 employees
Certificate III	5 employees
Certificate IV	13 employees
Diploma	9 employees
Diploma - Advanced	4 employees
Degree - Bachelor	15 employees
Degree - Masters	5 employees

Chris Benton Award

In 2017, the Argyle Housing Board introduced the Chris Benton Award. The purpose of the award is to commemorate the commitment of the late Chris Benton to Argyle Housing and the contribution he made to the organisation as a long serving Board member, Chair and Argyle’s first Patron. Chris was the driving force behind growth at Argyle and during his tenure as Chair, Argyle Housing extended its geographic footprint substantially.

The Chris Benton Award is voted by the Argyle Housing Board and presented to an employee who is committed to Argyle’s vision and values and who demonstrates the work ethic that Chris modelled and valued. The inaugural award was presented by Chris’s widow Roslyn, to Argyle Housing’s Project and Training Officer, Christine Woods at the Annual Stakeholder meeting in November 2017.

“I was overwhelmed and very proud to have received the award. I take pride in working for Argyle Housing and in being able to make a positive contribution that assists our tenants and community. Having known Chris Benton through work and seeing first hand how passionate he was and how hard he worked for Argyle Housing, I am very humbled to have been chosen to receive this recognition” (Christine Woods)

Athallia’s Story

“Take advantage of every opportunity that comes to you as you will never know where it can take you.”

Athallia is one of Argyle Housing’s Finance Officers and holds an Accounting Degree and Certificate IV in Bookkeeping. She is a most joyous and sunny person who lights up the room with her amazing smile and infectious laughter. However, Athallia also has an inspirational story to tell and an important message to share.

“When I first came to Australia from Zimbabwe in 2005, at the age of 18, my whole life changed. My most vivid memory is being cold…so cold, and of missing my friends, my boyfriend and my father who was not able to join the family for two years.

Adapting to this new environment and having to learn new skills to help look after my family was a challenge. I had to learn to do housework, mow the grass and cook! I had never done this before in my life. Looking back, I see now that these new skills prepared me to look after my own family and home later in life.

Not long after moving to Australia, I was able to attend Wollongong University and attain my Accounting degree with a minor in Business Law. It was warmer in Wollongong than Bowral and I enjoyed living on campus. While I was at university I also worked to save the money to return on holiday to Zimbabwe once a year, and to eventually marry my boyfriend. I was always confident that if I worked hard enough and saved that I would be able to achieve this goal.

I returned to Australia with my husband and worked two jobs to try to save to buy a home. This was the number one goal for me. Even after the birth of my first child, I continued to work this hard. It was only after the birth of my second child that I began to realise how much I had missed out on with my oldest daughter, and how much I wanted to stay at home with my children.

It was at this point that we decided to change priorities and find a way for me to give up work, at least until the children went to school. We realised that we could not afford to continue renting in the private market with just my husband’s wage and searched for an alternative. In 2015 we applied to Argyle Housing for an affordable rental property and were thrilled when we were offered a two bedroom unit. There were some sacrifices that we made when I gave up work, but we had a roof over our heads and our kids were happy – these were the really important things.

During our time renting with Argyle Housing other opportunities were also made available and I was able to register with TAFE and complete a free Certificate IV in bookkeeping at home. It was only because of Argyle Housing that I found out about this course and I am very grateful to have been able to participate.

As my children got older I returned to work part time and, when we decided to buy a home, I started to look for a full time job. I was absolutely surprised and delighted when the employment agency let me know about the vacancy at Argyle Housing! I was so happy when I was employed as it gave me the opportunity to give back and to help others.

It was only because of Argyle Housing that I had been able to stay at home with my children and to further my education. Renting an affordable property through Argyle had allowed us to save enough money to finally buy our own home in September 2018. We had made some sacrifices along the way but I feel blessed to have been able to spend time with my children and to have eventually achieved what I really wanted.”

Alex’s Story

Like everyone, Alex has a unique story, with elements that we all can relate to. Having grown up with his family in Taiwan, Alex’s spoken languages were Mandarin and Taiwanese.

Luckily he was exposed to quality educational programs as a kid which boosted his learning of the English language: Star Trek the TV series!

Alex’s career saw him employed as a Chinese-English translator/interpreter due to his love of English and western culture. However, Alex soon realised it was an unfair working environment where the labour forces were being exploited. That’s when he and his wife decided to take a break and head out to Australia on working holiday visas. After serious consideration, Alex decided to follow his passion and study toward a degree in Social Work. Luckily, Alex landed in a job with Argyle at Ainslie Village after he had accomplished his accreditation as a social worker.

In his role as Tenancy Action Worker in the ACT, Alex has been given two vastly different portfolios to work with. One is Ainslie Village, a shared accommodation in central Canberra; the other is Kalorama in Conder, a senior housing complex for over 55s in southern Canberra. Alex realised that it takes entirely different mindsets when working with tenants in each location, and adapted accordingly.

Ainslie Village residents are mostly people with high and complex needs. Work in the village demands empathy, flexibility, responsiveness to crisis and the ability to form relationships with the vulnerable and marginalised. The senior tenants in Conder on the other hand, respond better to human presence and face to face conversations, and it’s essential to establish a network of connections between tenants where they are aware of each other’s state of wellbeing. Alex finds his role challenging but never boring, and rewarding at times when tenants express their gratitude for the support or moved up to the next stage in life.

“We often come across people when they’re experiencing something profound in their lives, and we help, in some small way, we help. The people I work with everyday are just trying to keep their head above water, a little bit of support makes it a little bit easier.”

Alex recognises that through the support he has provided, people’s lives are being changed. And the beautiful thing is, Alex’s life has been changed as well.

“As we confront the issues head on, we change, we adapt, we grow. The important thing is keeping a positive outlook toward life, because the joyful heart is the best medicine.”

ACT Community Housing Sector Property Manager of the Year – Raija Purse

In September 2018, the Real Estate Institute of the Australian Capital Territory held their 2018 Excellence Awards for the industry at QT in Canberra.

“Our annual Awards for Excellence are a chance to reflect on the contribution the real estate sector makes to the ACT, and the professionalism and dedication of all the businesses and individuals working in this field.” REIACT President, Michael Kumm.

At the Awards, Argyle Housing’s Tenancy Officer for Common Ground in Gungahlin, Raija Purse, was awarded the Community Housing Sector Property Manager of the Year. The significance of Community and Public Housing being involved in the awards and recognised within the Real Estate industry is one that will bring all sectors closer together to provide affordable and sustainable housing for ACT tenants.

Since joining the team in January 2017, Raija has found that an honest and open approach with tenants assists in building a respectful and grounded relationship where they are comfortable discussing issues as they arise. Having previously worked at a crisis accommodation service in the ACT, Raija finds great satisfaction in seeing tenants make positive steps forward in their lives. She believes that with safe and secure housing tenants are able to concentrate on improving their life skills, workplace skills or furthering their education through programs offered by Argyle Housing.

“I am very proud of Raija for winning the award. Her work ethic and values align with the company’s own vision and values. Argyle Housing’s commitment to our tenants not only includes providing sustainable housing to those on low to moderate incomes but we also operate widespread tenant participation programs. These include providing our tenants with educational support through tertiary scholarships in the hope they are able to achieve social inclusion and build their own financially viable future.” (Argyle CEO, Wendy Middleton)

Campbelltown Office Relocation

On Tuesday 26 June, 2018 Argyle Housing proudly opened its new office at 14 Browne Street, Campbelltown. The new premises is an open plan setting with light, space and colour ensuring a welcoming environment for tenants and visitors. It has brought new life into the Argyle tenancy team.

“After many years at our previous address, it was time for us to seek more suitable premises and create an adaptable space with an open plan working environment. The purpose of this space is to allow for a more personalised level of engagement between our tenants and staff while allowing our team a more interactive platform to work. Thank you to Campbelltown City Council for the opportunity to secure a long-term lease, close to parking and other agencies.”

The move was planned over a six week period with consultation and communication with tenants ensuring that they were fully informed at all times. Staff in Campbelltown also provided ideas and feedback on floorplans and seating and, despite initial concerns with an upstairs office, they were excited to be moving to a new environment and saw it as a new beginning.

The official opening was well attended and tenants and guests who came in for lunch were invited on a guided tour of the office area. Reactions and feedback on the day were very positive with everyone genuinely surprised and pleased with what they saw.

The new office is owned by Campbelltown Council who offered a 10 year lease which Argyle Housing happily accepted.