Housing NSW bulletin – Meeting with management 26 June 2015

Housing NSW bulletin – Meeting with management 26 June 2015 (PDF version)

Housing access requests

• The manner of housing access requests is undergoing change with a view to improving housing service delivery and freeing up staff time and resources.

• Rather than face-to-face, the process will move to over the phone and online systems.

• The Housing Contact Centre (HCC) will be responsible for taking initial calls:
  • Redistribution of funding between the districts and HCC
  • Triage performed with complex matters being referred on
  • There may be opportunity for staff transfers into the HCC but this is not a given
  • There will be no redundancies or forced relocation.

A six month trial has been conducted in the Nepean/Blue Mountains and this will be the first site to roll out the project. Once working smoothly, a rollout schedule for the other districts will be made available.

Staff rosters following change to usual hours

During consultation to align closing hours to OneFaCS (5pm rather than 4:30pm, which Housing staff formerly operated under) the PSA raised concerns that rosters would need to be set up to allow for equitable distribution of staff finishing times.

The PSA understands that there are tacit expectations which result in the same staff being required to stay late to meet business requirements.

It appears that rosters may have been created to deal with counter but not phones, or different rosters may be in place for each. This solution has NOT satisfied the concerns of the PSA nor the needs of members.

If your area does not have a reasonable roster in place, please discuss with your local PSA delegate.

Outsourcing public housing to NGOs

The PSA is opposed to any government outsourcing of public housing to NGOs.

The PSA’s response to Housing NSW management on this issue can be read HERE.

Member meetings will be conducted in the future to canvas members’ thoughts and feelings on this issue and develop strategies. Please attend your local meeting and have your voice heard.