Housing Heroes: Interview with Heather Kent

Obviously in over 50 years that concept’s really advanced. We deliver support to 72 men at the moment through that program, and it’s delivered so many amazing life-changing transformations for our residents over those many decades. There’s case management and support worker involvement, and the intent is to get those men back on track with life – it’s experienced enormous success, but of course there is still so much more to be done.

Fast forward to December 2022, Vinnies began working with a local community housing provider in construction of 28 two-bedroom villa units in a remote area of Tasmania called Circular Head. If you imagine the kind of triangle that’s Tasmania, it’s the top left-hand corner of that. It’s an area with a fair amount of disadvantaged and a high level of homelessness, and what we were finding was that folks over 55 years old, who might find their circumstances so challenging that they needed social housing, then needed to move away from that area due to the lack of housing options. This meant moving away from family, friends, and those important networks that can assist them as they continue to age.

We completed the villa units in June of last year – it wasn’t easy as it’s a really regional area, so it’s very tough getting materials, tradies, and all those kinds of things. I guess it’s fair to say that it was the kind of project that would never have happened were it not for a collaborative, concentrated effort that was supported by, in this case, the State Government through Homes Tasmania.

If I fast forward to last year, after working again with Homes Tasmania, we gained funding from the Federal Government to begin construction of 38 studio apartments for women over 55yo experiencing homelessness in the Hobart CBD. And that project is at last now underway! It’s a pretty significant project for us and inner-city, medium-density construction is never easy, but we’re a determined bunch at Vinnies – we’re motivated to respond to the needs experienced by those who are disadvantaged and these days that’s sadly becoming so prevalent! All up, we’ve been involved in the housing crisis, if you like, for about 52 years, but increasingly it’s becoming very much part of our day-to-day work.

Tell us about the first time you heard about Housing All Australians.

Heather: When Bethlehem House, our supported accommodation for men, gained the opportunity to move into new purpose-built facilities at the end of 2023, it meant that we had a vacant building that would be otherwise unused. We do want to fully redevelop that site eventually, but it’s a heritage site and there’s all sorts of constraints, so we know it will take time to fully prepare and gain the funding and approvals to then redevelop that site. 

Homes Tasmania first came to legislative fruition at the end of 2022, and working with the Minister and the Board of Homes Tasmania, we could see that there was appetite for what are termed “meanwhile use” projects. Rather than having vacant buildings in a time of housing crisis, the ethos is simple ”let’s look at how we can utilise them”. So, we began advocating to Homes Tasmania and the Minister to see a site that had been formerly the home of Bethlehem House since 1972, reactivated as a meanwhile use site to support women experiencing homelessness. 

It’s in a location that’s very close to that other development in Hobart that I was talking about (for women over 55yo), so there’s a lot of synergy in developing the two sites in close proximity. One of the barriers for us in developing that site was acquiring the funds required for the capital refurb. It had been a men’s homelessness shelter for 50 odd years, but it was also about getting the operating costs to then staff and operate it. Everything from the house manager to the support workers, to turning on the lights, all of those kinds of things. So, we wanted to collaborate. We didn’t want to pretend that Vinnies Tas is the only solution, and there was already great work being done by Hobart Women’s Shelter and Hobart City Mission. So, we reached out to develop firm partnerships with those organisations and began the advocacy effort to try to unlock the funds to enable both the capital and the operating aspects of that project.  

First of all, I reached out to a philanthropist, and here’s where I want to emphasise that in the face of such a significant crisis, it requires everybody in the village to come together. And so that’s governments, other community sector providers, and also the private sector, including philanthropy. So, we gained support from a very generous philanthropist who gave us a guarantee of up to a million dollars, half a million of which was to acquire some temporary accommodation. These were shipping containers that had been refurbished as living pods and we wanted to keep them on site at that particular location. They were about to go back into the goldfields of WA where Royal Wolf were really keen to relocate them. But through the support of what’s called the Select Foundation, headed by this philanthropist, we were able to acquire them and they’re now permanently part of the housing stock that’s operated by Vinnie’s. But we also needed about another half a million for the refurbs.  

We were lucky because that philanthropist (who tends to operate below the radar and doesn’t look for public recognition), could see the value in going on the public record and talking about the fact that this is such a big problem that everybody’s got a role to play. So, this was when we put the government on notice that we also needed the operating costs from Homes Tasmania if this project was going to come to reality, supporting an extra forty or so women during a time of housing crisis and where so many choose to stay in unsafe circumstances. 

One of the best things that came out of this media push (which we purposefully timed to coincide with the state election), was that Housing All Australians had recently appointed their rep for Tasmania, Steve Devereaux, around the same time. Steve saw this media activity, and as he also had a loose connection into the philanthropist, he reached out to him and said, “how can we work together?”.  

The philanthropist, his name is Bruce, got in touch with me and said, “Heather what do you know about Housing All Australians? Who are these people? Is there any credibility? Should we consider working with them?”. I’d never heard of them either, so I hopped online, and I can remember that sense of excitement that what we’d been talking about, you know the fact that it takes a village, was exactly what Housing All Australians was looking at doing.

You refer to them as pop-ups, we were referring to them as a “meanwhile use” project, but I think both terms connect with people in that kind of “uh-huh I get what you’re talking about” thing. So, for us that was a moment of great excitement, and after Bruce and I met with Steve it was like, okay, how can we make this happen?  

Had you heard of a “pop-shelter” or “meanwhile use” project before this? Or was this a new concept for you?

Heather: It was really new for Tasmania. I remember being part of the Housing Minister’s reference group when we were developing the Tasmanian Housing Strategy and there was a group of 12 of us and this concept of “meanwhile use” was a little foreign to others. We were a little bit familiar with it because Vinnies Tas was its own entity, but obviously we’re part of the bigger nationwide Vinnies ecosystem, and there’s a group called St Vincent De Paul Housing Australia that operates in several jurisdictions and in New South Wales they’ve been active in that meanwhile use concept. 

When the Minister was first talking about it he was talking about State government-owned buildings and that the government had a role to play in making those available, and we’re like well, hey, why not think about community organisations, any assets that they might have, even privately owned dwellings, let’s make better use of this during a time of crisis. So, I was familiar with the concept of meanwhile use, and comfortable with it being called a pop-up, but in Tassie nobody had ever really considered it. But we really leveraged it when it was included in the Tasmanian Housing Strategy. I could probably even name up which element of the action plan cites meanwhile use because we went hard with the Minister and said – you’ve said that you want to sign up for these meanwhile use pop-up projects, where’s the funding, where’s the collaboration to make those happen? 

So, I was a little bit familiar with them, but they hadn’t existed in Tassie previously. It’s been really good to learn more about them through Housing All Australians, initially online, but then also connecting with you guys, including doing a little bit of a visit to some pop ups around Melbourne back in March, and getting even more inspired about the creative options that are available out there. 

When you heard about corporate Australia rolling up their sleeves and getting involved and donating services, time, and energy, what were you thinking?

Heather: Okay so I dived onto your website when Steve first reached out to us, to have a look to see who else is involved, and I remember seeing Dulux, Caroma, Linen House, Quest all named and it was kind of like “tick tick tick” these are all partnerships that I can see working for us with what’s now known as our Amelie House project. 

The site for the Amelie House project wasn’t in poor state, but it was aged, and it needed a refresh, and these were all entities that we knew could come to the table to help support. One thing that I didn’t contemplate, but it proved to be probably the most significant ingredient in the success of our partnership on this project, was the project management expertise that Housing All Australians injected into this. Steve was fabulous at garnering support, and we know that his team are ready to be on call for the next project that we’ve got. 

So, through Steve and his networks we locked a project manager in to walk beside that lead contractor. Locking that project management expertise into this that was such a gift that for Vinnies, such a broad organisation with so many things going on, everybody’s doing things off the side of their desk, having that support was massive.  

He did a stellar job and helped us lock additional in-kind support from other corporate partners like Dulux and The Ascott Group with Somerset Apartments. 

When you first started talking with Housing All Australians about the project itself (Amelie House), what were your worries and doubts?

Heather: Ok, first up, jeez I wish I’d known about this earlier! Second up, what can we make happen even though we were already a little down the path with the project already, by the time Housing All Australians came on board. In simple terms, and hopefully this doesn’t come across as greedy, we wondered how much could we draw in to really help make this project happen.  

I remember thinking prior to Housing All Australians joining the project that we were going to get a good result out of the refurb, but we were going to be moving back in the same beds, wardrobes, linens, etc. that we had had previously. It’s okay, it’s not great, but it’ll do.  

We couldn’t kickstart anything until we had confirmation of funding for the operating costs (because the State government election at the end of March of 2024 delayed the budget) so clearly there’s no point refurbing the building if you can’t open the doors and turn the lights on. Normally the budget would come down from State government in May, instead it came down at the end of September, and then we still had to wait for Homes Tasmania to confirm those operating funds, and that came through in October. So then, bang, green light, off we go to start the refurbs. By then it was probably about mid-November, and Steve said I think we (Housing All Australians) can assist you with fit out, through the closure of a Somerset apartment complex. In Tassie, there aren’t that many of them, so I said “I think you’re talking about Somerset on the Pier?”  Now I’m Hobart born and bred, and Somerset on the Pier is well known as a really great establishment, quality furnishings, well looked after, and it was kind of like wow could this really happen! And it all unfolded so neatly. I still remember walking through Somerset on the Pier with Steve in early December. It felt like Christmas had just arrived. We walked through and could immediately visualise where beds, couches, bar fridges, televisions, how they would all fit into Amelie House and suddenly create a place that was respectful, warm, welcoming, inviting, somewhere that was not just a roof over their heads but somewhere a woman would walk-in and think “wow, somebody cares. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life before”. 

Was there a moment when you thought to yourself, “Wow, this is real, and this is going to happen, and we’re going to have people in here”?

Heater: So, it was definitely walking into the rooms and seeing the painting happening and just seeing that progress because we had such a narrow window of time – getting that project management support through Housing All Australians kept the momentum moving. We had a refurb timeframe from middle of October, to then wanting to open the doors in January, and doing it that time of year with tradies and everything was always going to be really tricky. Kurt was the project manager that was locked in by Steve (HAA), so that was a major part, but I can still remember walking with Bruce and Steve through the rooms when they’d been painted, which was in early to mid-December, and thinking this is going just how we want it to.  

We knew that the Somerset materials wouldn’t be available until after closure, which was 31st of January, so then the next absolute wow moment was seeing the transformation in all of those rooms. There are little vases that are part of the rooms in Ascott, and as the guest of a hotel you might even sort of ignore those. But those little touches suddenly turned these rooms into such warm, welcoming and inviting spaces, and that was another absolute wow. I can still remember our intake room at what’s now Amelie House. In the past, it had always been stark and sterile, and it was almost like walking into an institution. But suddenly it was walking into a lounge where you felt relaxed. You could sit down on a couch with a coffee table with, you know, just little peripheral elements that all helped to shape an atmosphere that was respectful, dignified, warm, welcoming. Somewhere that was really going to make a difference.  

Amelie House already had some philanthropic funds allocated to the refurb. Do you feel that the input from Housing All Australians and their partners made a difference to the final result?

Heather: The refurbs would have occurred because of that philanthropic donation, but they would have been the basics of ABC. Instead, we’ve been able to achieve so much more than that. Without The Ascott donations through Somerset on the Pier, we would have gone from delivering what would have been maybe a three out of ten environment, which would have been “okay”, to delivering something that is eight to nine out of a ten, and we would never have achieved that without them. It would have gone ahead, but it would never have been of the quality and the calibre that we have now. As we know, The Ascott Group had confirmed the financial equivalent of their furnishings donation to be half a million dollars. Obviously, a lot of it has gone into Amelie House, but there is still some furnishings left that  will be sold in order for Housing All Australians to do more projects in Tasmania.   

What were the experiences of some of the residents since moving in? 

Heather: I spoke to a young woman who I met when Amelie House first opened its doors in January. She would have been in her late 20s. She had been couch surfing and living on the streets for so long and had endured a lifetime of disadvantage. You can probably imagine the kind of home life that she’d experienced in her early years. Everything was tough. There was never enough.  
 
When she walked in, she made a comment along the lines of “I have never experienced a home that feels like this”. She just felt overwhelmed. I think initially she wondered, you know, how did she manage to find herself here, considering all the hardship she’d witnessed in her life? She’d never experienced anything like it.  

I’m not using her exact words though. I wish I had them in front of me. I wish I’d askedher to write them down. But the whole experience just made her feel valued, cared for, that somebody took the time and effort to consider what was going to make life different for her. I haven’t expressed that well at all – sorry! 

But it’s really the little things that make these women feel that there’s hope around the corner. That this might be transitional accommodation, but that we’re working closely with them to help them work through their challenges, to help them pursue independent housing. If you’re living on the streets day-to-day, it’s not just your physical circumstances. It’s the mental load, and there’s so much constant stress and anxiety that sometimes you can’t see that there’s hope around the corner. But then you find yourself with a roof over your head where the circumstances and conditions, are so much better than what you could have ever imagined you might experience. That little step around the corner towards a better tomorrow suddenly feels like it’s within reach. 

We purposefully worked hard with Housing All Australians and with The Ascott Group to showcase this and to inspire others. Now, for example, there’s a large private sector housing group that operates in Tasmania called Wilson Homes. They do a huge number of builds, which often features a display home, and typically that is obviously furnished and styled up to the max, and it looks amazing. I understand that they’ve often sought to then sell that display home completely furnished. As a consequence of the media work that we did, they’ve changed their approach, and they now donate the display home’s furnishings to us, so that then we can use that to help somebody who’s just stepping into their own independent accommodation for the first time. So yeah, it’s the spin-offs, which was one of the reasons why we did that, they’re happening already. It’s just really heartwarming and making such a difference. And that’s based off the kind of the inspiration for what happened with The Ascott Group, and everything that was donated. It’s about showing others what can be done, and getting them to think creatively, what can we do to be part of this?  

Do you have any words or thoughts about the role that the private sector can play in helping solve our homelessness and housing crisis?

Heather: First of all, the word crisis makes you think, wow, big, unmanageable, how could I possibly make a difference? So it’s wanting to get people to stop, pause, and think, if I do this, it might be small, but it’s part of a bigger ecosystem of how to make things happen. So, increasing the conversations around this, and getting people to go beyond that word crisis, to think, okay, you can only eat that elephant one bite at a time, how can I be part of that?

Any closing thoughts or words of encouragement for Corporate Australia, wondering whether or not to get involved, any final words you’d like to share?

Heather: You’ve only got to look at the expression on a woman’s face when she walks into somewhere like Amelie House after living on the streets, to know how life-changing and how transformative the generosity of Corporate Australia can be to so many individuals in our community.