cofc.com.au/housing

Churches of Christ Housing Services Resident Newsletter Winter 2018

“If I didn’t have a garden, I wouldn’t be here – It’s my life!”—

Helen, Redbank Plains

In this edition 2 Message from the Regional Services Manager 3 Message from the Chaplaincy Team Leader

4 A Day Out for Labrador/Southport Residents 5 Bruce Street Garden 7 Garden Award Winners

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Message from the Regional Services Manager

I’m excited to take up my new role of Regional Services Manager and look forward to meeting you on my travels.

Welcome to the Winter edition of HouseTalk. I hope you are all preparing for winter as the temperatures drop and hot days become a distant memory.

As I learn the ropes in my new position, replacing Floyd Stephens, I hope to be able to meet many of you as I take in a tour of our Brisbane and coastal region offices.

I have worked as a Senior Housing Officer at the Ipswich office since 2010.

I’m excited to take up my new role of Regional Services Manager and look forward to meeting you on my travels.

In mid-June we will welcome local dignitaries to the official opening of our own private development of 50 ‘affordable living’ townhouses, Kurrajong Townhouses, in Kallangur. Local Mayor, Allan Sutherland will join us as part of a celebration with tenants, staff, and the Handy family, who generously donated the land on which the development was built.

As we noted in the last edition of HouseTalk, it’s a time of change in the office in Kenmore as we manage a variety of staff changes and movement. We are excited for, and wish the very best to Business Support Operations Manager, Alicia, for the pending arrival of her first baby. As one of our longest serving staff, Alicia will be missed as she takes some extended parental leave.

Again thank you to everyone who completed the Tenant Satisfaction Survey. We have noted in this newsletter some of the key areas that you asked for action on and what we have (or soon will) put into place.

I would like to make specific reference to the hot water billing. Several residents will have received a letter recently explaining the process of changing over from RMS for client billing of hot water (applies to shared or centralised hot water systems) to a new company—LPE—who currently manage our Kallangur and Acacia Ridge sites.

We felt that it was time for a change and this was confirmed by your feedback through the Tenant Satisfaction Survey. LPE offer the additional payment option of Centrelink Centrepay deductions, which some residents advised they would prefer. For a variety of reasons, the transition from RMS to LPE has unfortunately not gone smoothly. I understand that this is very frustrating and we are currently trying to resolve outstanding issues. I apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. Please contact me at the Kenmore Office if I can be of further assistance.

I hope that you enjoy this edition of the HouseTalk newsletter—it’s great to read about our tenant trips, help given to one another and care of the gardens. I hope that it inspires you to get together with friends and neighbours to take a trip, join a community barbeque or help a neighbour in need. Don’t forget to tell us about it!

Jamie Beahan

Regional Services Manager

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Message from the Chaplaincy Team Leader

“One of the great privileges as a Churches of Christ

Chaplain is to witness the lengths to which my fellow

CofC colleagues and indeed our CofC residents go to

in order to help each other out.” — Steve Webster, Acting Housing Chaplain Team Leader

I recently heard of a Churches of Christ in Queensland staff member who was trying to help a resident in her care. The elderly gentleman had been struggling with his mobility for some years and had been unable to get around easily. He is largely confined to his unit and isn’t getting out much at all except for his hospital appointments that he really doesn’t enjoy! After some discussions between the care worker and our on-site Chaplain, I’m delighted to be able to share

that the tenant has had a mobility scooter donated to him. By chance, another resident had received a new larger mobility scooter and was giving away his old small scooter for free. With the help from the on-site Chaplain, the scooter was collected, charged up and presented. The joy that this gift has given is immeasurable! I’m told that you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if you tried! When asked what the gift meant to him he said, “I will be

independent now”. He added, “I will be able to go down to the mail box and check the mail” and, “I will be able to go down to the community room for the community roast dinner”.

This gift is a massive blessing to this resident and means that he is able to put his home care package funding to other services and items to help him in his daily life. Thanks to all involved.

Tenant Survey Feedback – Improvements As part of the recent Tenant Satisfaction Survey, we committed to address issues raised by tenants as areas for improvement.

You said… you were unhappy

with the ongoing garden

maintenance and cleaning of

your unit complexes.

So we…… have implemented

quality management inspections

to look at the overall condition/

presentation of the unit complexes.

You said….. three monthly

periodic inspections were too

frequent.

So we…..… are now trialling

four monthly inspections in an

effort to reduce our impact on

your independence and privacy.

You said… ..you were

unsatisfied with the services

provided by our billing agent for

hot water.

So we….. ..contracted a new

billing agent with improved

services – including the option

to pay bills via Centrepay, which

was not previously available.

You said…… you would like

better identification/signage at

your unit complexes to aid

emergency services in locating

the correct unit.

So we…….. have commenced

a signage audit program across

our sites in order to provide

appropriate and clear

identification signage at our

complexes.

If you have any further

questions please contact your

nearest Housing Services

Office.

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“Many thanks to Churches of Christ, Chaplaincy Services, volunteers and others who

contributed to make this a fabulous day out together.” — Lynette

— Lynette

A Day Out for Labrador and Southport Residents

On Friday 4 May, some residents from our Southport and Labrador housing properties were kindly picked up in a Churches of Christ Care bus at 9 am by Chaplain Graham and taken out for the day.

It was a delightful trip down through the Numinbah Valley and Scenic Rim big volcano area of northern New South Wales to the small quaint town of Tyalgum.

The company on board was great and the weather was perfect, which made the scenery even more spectacular.

We stopped for morning tea at Flutterbies Cottage Café, which was divine and I, like many others, can’t wait to go back there again as the food, décor and service was wonderful.

Then it was on to Tumbulgum for a barbeque on the banks of the Tweed River where it was so peaceful and relaxing by the water.

Many thanks to the Community Chaplains, volunteers and others who contributed to make this a fabulous day out together.

Lynette

Kamala Apartments, Labrador

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We Love Good Neighbours The ‘Resident of the Season’ awards are open to nominations from residents (as well as our staff). If your neighbour, who is also a Churches of Christ Housing Services’ resident, has gone ‘above and beyond’ in your eyes, why not nominate them for the award! This will give them a chance to win a $20 gift voucher and a ‘Resident of the Season’ certificate of recognition. You can contact your housing officer, community chaplain or local site office to pass on their name and the reason why you think they deserve the award. Winners are announced in each season’s HouseTalk newsletter. Going ‘above and beyond’ could include residents who:

• assist with community barbeques and events • volunteer in their local community—such as gardening or cleaning • help their neighbours with daily activities • offer their skills to the community–such as language classes or handyman services • participate in community development initiatives—such as Social Enterprise or Tenant Advisory Group

The lucky winners will be selected from the nominations. This season we would like to congratulate:

Helen – Southport Helen devotes her time and resources to take care of our wonderful garden area and we have a beautiful place

to sit with our family and friends. Thank you Helen!

Frank – Mitchelton Frank helps to manage the commercial waste bins on behalf of Dianella Apartment residents at Blaker Road.

Thank you Frank!

Street Libraries – Where is Your Nearest One?

Street Libraries are beautiful homes for books, planted in a nearby front yard. They are accessible from the street, and are an invitation to share the joys of reading with your neighbours. How do they work? You can simply reach in and take what interests you; when you are done, just return the book to the Street Library network, or pass them on to friends. If you have a book or two that you think others would enjoy, why not donate some from your own collection and pop it into a Street Library near you. Use the Street Library website to find out where the nearest one is with tips on how to set one up - further details at https://streetlibrary.org.au/

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Flu Season – R U Covered? Protect yourself, protect others.

Under the Federal Government's, National Immunisation Program, some people are eligible for a free flu vaccination because they are most at risk of poor outcomes. This includes:

Pregnant women (at any stage)

People aged 65 years and older

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months to five years

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and older

People aged six months and over with medical conditions that mean they have a higher risk of getting serious disease (such as diabetes, severe asthma, lung or heart disease)

As the strains of the virus

change regularly, it’s

important to get the

modified flu vaccine every

year.

Check with your doctor as

to the best time to get the

vaccine. There are several

places giving out the flu

vaccine including your

doctor’s surgery and

leading national pharmacy/

chemist chains. If you are

not eligible for a free

vaccine, you can still

access the vaccine for

around $10.

Work Starts on the Bruce Street Garden

They have been working at Bruce Street for approximately seven weeks and hope to finish in July/August.

Several residents showed their

appreciation to the young men

by inviting them to the Bruce

Street monthly barbeque in

late April.

For many of these young men,

this is an opportunity to gain

work and life skills.

The residents very much

appreciate their efforts and are

looking forward to their new

garden space later in the year.

Watch this space!

Residents at Bruce Street, Redbank Plains are at last seeing progress on their Community Garden thanks to assistance through the Marist 180 Program.

The garden will see a new shaded area, shed, fruit trees and raised planter boxes.

With assistance from Churches of Christ staff and the on-site Chaplain, Lynne Feldon, a successful application was made to the Marist 180 Program. This Program aims to help individuals create positive change in their lives.

There is now a great group of young men working at the site under the watchful eye of supervisor Tim.

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Garden Award Winners Nothing says a happy tenant quite like a beautiful garden and Housing Services were very proud of two North

Ipswich tenants— Maria and Dianne— who both won first place in their respective categories – Courtyard

Garden Town and Water-Wise Garden Town in the 2017 My Home Awards.

Dianne - First Prize Water-Wise Garden Town – The garden promotes water-wise techniques such as composting materials and mulch, and includes plants that require low-moisture environments.

Maria - First Prize Courtyard Garden Town - You live in a unit, townhouse, or apartment and you have a small garden or a cluster of pot plants in your courtyard.

Dianne’s garden is a sight to behold. It has a wonderful mix of palms, succulents and perennials with a mix of beautiful pots. In the back corner lives a family of gnomes and dwarves while on the other side of the unit a troop of meerkats look out from beneath the palms. Decorative birds adorn the walls and a variety of sheep and lambs are corralled in another corner. Dianne loves to potter in her garden and has made every corner uniquely different. She has lived in her unit in North Ipswich since its construction eight years ago. Staff at Bunnings are on first name terms with Dianne and, as you might expect, she spent her $80 prize money in Bunnings. Dianne shares her garden with her two Devon Rex cats. It’s easy to see the huge enjoyment she gets from her garden, her very own piece of paradise. Well done Dianne!

Maria’s garden has been a beautiful display of both flowers and fruit and vegetables over the eight years that she has lived in her unit. Despite many gardening challenges including bad flooding in recent years, Maria has recovered every time and has once again created a beautiful garden with areas of both grass, pot plants and an attractive mix of paving, Tuscany pebbles and miniature mondo grass. Roses are Maria’s favourites and she has a huge library of photos charting the growth not only of her flowers, but also of her passion fruit vine and other vegetables that she has grown over the years. Maria says her garden is an extension of her personality and a reflection of herself. She has worked hard to turn the blank canvas that she started with into a place for relaxing and enjoyment. Well done Maria!

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Welcome Rebecca! We extend a very warm welcome back to Rebecca De Sousa who has re-joined the team as Housing Administration Officer, Kenmore.

Rebecca supports the Brisbane Housing Officers and the wider Housing Team by assisting tenants with maintenance requests and account queries.

When you call the Housing Services Head office, it’s most likely Rebecca who will answer the phone and who will direct your query.

Rebecca and her husband and their four year old son moved down from Darwin to Brisbane 18 months ago

Rebecca first joined Churches of Christ Housing Services at our Ipswich Office on a temporary contract, from Catholic Care NT, a not-for-profit organisation where she was working as the HR administration officer. Rebecca says they did some fantastic work with the community—especially in the remote Indigenous communities.

Rebecca is very familiar with moving as her husband serves in the RAAF.

Rebecca’s top-tip – “keep calm and have a sense of humour!”

WELCOME Rebecca! We are very happy to have you back on board as a permanent staff member

It’s almost impossible to think that it is now time to rug up at night as the winter chills are upon us. Most of us have sweltered our way through the summer and the cooler temperatures are a relief.

So just how can you beat the winter chills?

Here are some practical solutions for your body and the space in which you live.

Keeping Warm This Winter Warm your body first—It's easier to change your body temperature than room temperature. Layer up in winter with several layers of thin clothing to trap air in between. Wear a hat too. Make the most of free—Get out in the midday sun when it’s there and warm those bones. Spend some time in the library or at a shopping centre. It’s soup season—Warm yourself up with a healthy soup for lunch or dinner. Heat your space—keep your feet warm and rug-up when you are watching night time TV. Warm the bed with a hot water bottle or a heated blanket (use a timer though). Cover the floor with rugs—They act as insulation between your feet and the cold, hard floor. Reverse your ceiling fan—Most models have a reverse switch. It turns the blades anti-clockwise and

pushes the warm air from your heating system from the ceiling (remember, warm air rises) back down. Maintain your heaters—Get them serviced professionally every few years to keep them running more efficiently; gas heaters in particular should be well-maintained to ensure safe operation. Not there, don’t heat—Close up any rooms you don't use and turn off the heating there. Look for possible draught culprits—Windows and doors can be an issue. If you're just heating one room, close its doors and windows to keep in the heat. A door snake or a rolled up towel can help stop any draughts. Keep the heat in with some heavy curtains.

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Mitchelton Markets Mitchelton Markets are now a regular feature on the calendar with the next Market scheduled for 25 August 7am – 12pm.

The markets have been running now since 2013 and regularly attracts over 15 stalls providing a range of:

Potted plants

Preloved clothing

Designer clothing

Hand-made cards (orders taken for special occasions – wedding etc., birthdays etc)

Jams and chutney’s

Gift Baskets

Wooden toys

Homewares and pots

Refreshments.

Sausage Sizzle with Style!

Come and say hello to Norm and Dennis on the barbeque and check out their awesome aprons – made by market stall owner Sheez.

This recipe serves 4 – share with a friend or store in the fridge for later use. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

820g can tomato soup

1 cup short pasta (such as macaroni or mini penne)

250g frozen mixed vegetables (such as corn, peas, carrots and broccoli)

400g can borlotti beans, rinsed, drained

Shaved parmesan, to serve (or vegetarian hard cheese)

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Crusty bread, to serve.

Winter Recipe: Cheat’s Minestrone

There’s nothing like a warming winter soup on a cold winter evening!

This ‘cheat’s minestrone’ is healthy, economical, and quick and easy to prepare.

Method

Step 1 - Empty soup into a saucepan and add 1 1/2 cans of water. Bring to the boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent pasta from sticking, until almost tender.

Step 2 - Add vegetables and beans, then return to the boil. Cook for another 3-4 mins, to heat through.

Step 3 - Serve topped with parmesan and sprinkled with parsley, with crusty bread on the side.

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Brisbane

Brisbane International Film Festival

Running 17 Aug – 3 Sept Palace Barracks and Palace Centro

The 23rd Brisbane International Film Festival will screen over 60 international and Australian films.

For more information see - https://www.palacecinemas.com.au/festivals/brisbane-international-film-festival/

Ipswich

Urbane Markets Ipswich

Friday / Saturday nights –4:00 – 10:00pm

Swifts Sports Club, Booval.

Ipswich’s new permanent food market – Urbane Markets Ipswich – will see up to 15 food stalls set up shop at Swifts Sports Club, 95 Brisbane Rd, Booval every Friday and Saturday night, alongside 30 general market stalls and a vast array of entertainment from 4:00 – 10:00pm.

Gold Coast

Craft Fair

9 – 4pm 20-21 July Tweed Heads / Coolangatta Craft Fair

Displaying and creating local and interstate arts and crafts - wooden craft, applique, embroidery, Christmas craft, glass art, felting, quilting, patchwork, card making, knitted rugs, and much, much more.

For more Gold Coast event information visit: http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Sunshine Coast

Queensland Garden Expo

13-15 July Nambour Showgrounds

Join some of Australia’s leading Gardening experts for three days of lectures, demonstrations, and workshops.

More details - http://www.qldgardenexpo.com.au/

A $50 dividend will be applied automatically by all electricity retailers across Queensland for more than 1.9 million households in 2018 and again in 2019. Check your bill!

$50 Credit on Your Electricity Bill A $50 dividend payment will go to home owners, tenants, customers who receive a power bill.

Eligible Queensland pensioners and seniors also receive a $340 annual electricity rebate.

As electricity is one of the most significant household expenses, the $50 will bring welcome relief to many people!

This dividend is automatic for every account holder (does not apply to hot water accounts). It is really important that you check your bill and contact your retailer for more information if you are unclear.

The $50 asset ownership dividend is a key element of the government's Affordable Energy Plan, which also includes a two-year cap on electricity price rises to average inflation and rebates of up to $300 for energy efficient air conditioners, washing machines and fridges.

The plan also induces rewards of up to $75 for households and $120 for small businesses in regional Queensland who take up Ergon Energy's monthly billing options.

Check out our top tips for keeping warm this winter!

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Tenant Advisory Group

The Tenant Advisory Group (TAG) provides

Churches of Christ Care Housing Services’ tenants

with greater access to information, advice and

opportunities to be actively involved in changes

relating to their housing, as well as encouraging

connection with the local community.

A working lunch is provided at each meeting, and

transport arrangements made where required.

Meetings are held every three months alternating

between central meetings and regional group

meetings in Ipswich, Brisbane, Gold Coast and

Sunshine Coast.

Come along! If you would like to come, but have never been to an

event like this before, give us a call and we can tell

you all about it and get you registered. To register

please phone 07 3327 1674.

Next Central TAG Meeting: Wednesday 12 Sept 2018 11am–12pm

Location: To Be Confirmed

Reminder – Office Contacts

Office hours are Monday to Friday - 8.30am–4.30pm

Brisbane Phone 07 3327 1674

Ipswich Phone 07 3436 8900

Gold Coast Phone 07 5539 7655

After-hours Service

We know that sometimes there are problems you encounter after-hours – this is why we have the after-hours phone service. Please note – this number is for emergencies only.

EMERGENCY NUMBER – 1800 446 604

Key Safe – How to get yours

Avoid expensive locksmith fees and prevent property damage with a key safe.

Churches of Christ Housing Services has key safes available for tenants to purchase for $25 plus installation.

Costs for Installation will vary depending on your location and type of property. The key safe and installation costs can be repaid by instalments starting from $5 per week.

Contact your Housing Officer for more information.

Top Tips: Inspection Preparation

Ensure your personal details are up to date - including your telephone number.

Provide keys to any new locks and ensure there are no obstructions to accessing the property.

Advise us if there are any security devices in place that need to be disabled.

Report any property damage prior to the inspection.

Complete a Maintenance Request if required – leave it on the kitchen bench if you will be out.

Friendly tenancy reminders

It is important to air your home to prevent mould.

Open up curtains, blinds and windows daily as

mould thrives in closed-up, dark and stuffy rooms.

Report any suspected illegal activity to police and

then also to Churches of Christ Care Housing

Services.

Get spare keys cut to give to a family member or

friend to avoid lock-outs or get a key safe fitted.

Contribute to House Talk!

We love to hear from you and want to include your

stories in HouseTalk !

If you have an article, photo, art, poem, recipe or

story to share from your community, then email us at

housingservices@cofcqld.com.au, phone us on 07

3327 1674 to discuss your contribution or why not

write something and give it to your Housing Officer or

Community Chaplain.

Get writing!

About us Churches of Christ in Queensland has been an active part of the community since 1883. We have a significant presence in Queensland, Victoria and Vanuatu with hundreds of local services. Our staff and volunteers positively impact tens of thousands of lives each year. We operate a range of missional and community care services to assist families, the elderly and people in need through church communities and our care services groups operated through Churches of Christ Care and Churches of Christ Housing Services.

We are one of Australia’s largest and most diverse not-for-profit organisations, operating services throughout Queensland and Victoria. Active in the areas of children, youth and family services; community housing; retirement living; home and community care; and residential aged care services, we provide Christ-inspired care and compassion to vulnerable people at different stages of their life journey.

Churches of Christ Housing Services Ltd provide community housing and housing support options for individuals and families who earn low incomes, are discriminated against in the private housing market, or

who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Head Office

41 Brookfield Road

Kenmore Queensland 4069

Phone: 07 3327 1600 Website: cofc.com.au