Homeshare Australia and New Zealand Alliance

HANZA in the news

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 10:41:05 GMT

It's been a busy week for HANZA. With Australia's housing crisis making headline news, people are exploring alternative solutions and arrangements to ensure everyone has a secure roof over their heads. HANZA Chair Rosie Lawn spent some time talking with ABC News about home sharing in Australia and discussed the benefits to those involved. You can read the full article here.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-31/housing-rental-sharehouse-home-bedroom-rent/104125800?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link

It's great to see increasing recognition of the benefits of home sharing in the current housing crisis. HANZA Chair Rosie Lawn also discussed the funding obstacles organisations face in promoting home share. She described home sharing as a more time-effective solution than many on offer.

You can also view an interview about a successful homeshare set-up on their Instagram below. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-EbnmqSLN9/

Listen to the full radio interview below. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/pm/could-intergenerational-house-sharing-help-property-crisis-/104166912

You can read more about the housing crisis here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-06/median-rent-record-high-corelogic/103809092

Homeshare International in Conversation – April 2024 Designing Annual Reports

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 12:08:07 GMT

Join us!

The next session of HI in Conversation on Designing Annual Reports will take place at 20:00 UTC on Tuesday, 2 April ( Wednesday 3 April in Australia ). Find your time by selecting the link below:

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

We hope to have both established and newer organisations join so that we can all learn from each other.

The session will be led by Connor Timmos and Ric Cengeri of Homeshare Vermont. They are asking you to share with them your Annual Reports or copies of other organisations' Annual Reports that you admire.

It might be helpful to include some notes about what you like (and what you think might be improved). Please send links or PDFs to connor@homesharevermont.org . Don't worry about what language the report is in!

We’re going to spend a time talking about the “why” and the “who” before delving into the “how” of these kinds of reports.

This session will be specifically for HI Network (Core and Associate) Members. If you have not yet joined for 2024, please complete the application at: https://homeshare.org/network/join-the-network

2024 World Homeshare Congress

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 22:25:46 GMT

We want to see YOU there!

Get ready for an extraordinary global gathering! Mark your calendars and join us for the 7th World Homeshare Congress , hosted by Associazione A.M.A. - project VIVO.CON in Trento, Italy, from September 6 to 8, 2024 . This event celebrates community, collaboration, and a shared vision of home-sharing.

The Planning Committee, consisting of members from Italy and Homeshare International trustees, has worked hard to ensure this Congress will be a memorable experience. The festivities kick off on the afternoon of September 6, followed by a special Welcome Dinner and Birthday Party. This event will not only celebrate the 7th World Homeshare Congress but also mark Homeshare International's 25th anniversary and VIVO.CON has 15 years of dedicated service to the people of Trento.

Throughout the weekend, Congress sessions will be conducted in Italian and English, fostering inclusivity and collaboration among participants from all corners of the globe. We encourage you to extend this invitation to everyone you know, as the 7th World Homeshare Congress promises to be a remarkable event that transcends borders and celebrates the power of home-sharing in fostering connections and building a brighter future.

Please help us share your thoughts.

Member Profile … Hunter Ageing Alliance

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:38:46 GMT

For our Member Profile for this edition, HANZA spoke with Dr John Ward from the Hunter Ageing Alliance (the Alliance). The Alliance was formed four years ago with an ambition to create an age-friendly community. It brings together concerned citizens from the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region, who have decades of combined professional experience in issues affecting older people.

Dr. John Ward

The founding members of the Alliance are Dr John Ward, Geriatrician; Viv Allanson, CEO, Maroba Aged Care Facility; Professor Julie Byles, Global Innovation Chair in Responsive Transitions in Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle; and Catherine Henry, Health and Aged Care Lawyer and advocate.

The Alliance is aiming to gain registration with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. The WHO identifies eight interconnected domains that enable well-being and maximise community participation among older people, one of which is housing. This has been adopted by the Alliance as a priority area, with people over 65 to soon make up 25 per cent of the Hunter region’s population.

The Housing for Older Persons Project (HOPP) was formed to provide a focus for action on housing in the region. The project team is made up of Dr John Ward, Seema Sanghi, Kevin Fell and Kate Slatter. The team has been lobbying the Newcastle City Council, State Government and housing authorities to establish an effective planning body as well as considering options to address the housing needs of older people. The severity and complexity of the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, argues the HOPP.

The HOPP proposals consider that older people would prefer to live in their own homes with appropriate support and with access to social networks. One of HOPP’s recommendations is to incorporate Homeshare as one of multiple housing solutions and it is urging the Council to participate in the formation of a Homeshare Project. HOPP is planning a meeting of all stakeholders later in the year to progress several strategies, including Homeshare.

HANZA looks forward to hearing about the outcome of this engagement and commend the Hunter Ageing Alliance on its amazing work. You can learn more about the Alliance from their website .

Mary-Ellen Hempel, HANZA Board Director

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Member profile … AVIVO

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 05:04:05 GMT

For this edition, we cross to Western Australia to meet AVIVO and speak with their Disability and Shared Living Practice Advisor, Ashlee Pitcher.

AVIVO provides a range of in-home care and community services including offering a Homeshare service for older people and clients with disabilities. AVIVO, originally Perth Home Care Services, once worked solely in aged care but grew to incorporate disability and mental health services during the 1990s.

Before joining AVIVO at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Ashlee had twelve years’ experience in the community services sector. In her role she provides professional support, training and mentoring to a team of practitioners who support clients to live their best lives.

Since the beginning of the year, Ashlee shared there has been a notable increase in the interest in Homeshare, from both householders and homesharers. Interest has come from both AVIVO’s internal clients and the broader community. She believes Aged Care reforms have highlighted deficiencies in the sector which is providing new opportunities for Homeshare and driving the increased interest.

Older people who wish to remain in their own homes as they age, see Homeshare as an affordable support model. Householders entering a Homeshare arrangement are often motivated not just by their own needs but by wanting to meet the needs of the community. This has resulted in more interest from householders to consider a homesharer who is a refugee or a family violence victim survivor.

HANZA and AVIVO are working together on an exciting new development – a self-directed Homeshare model. This model will enable people to receive training and information from HANZA to direct and establish their own Homeshare matches. They will also still receive a Homeshare training guide from AVIVO to ensure best practice and high-quality outcomes for everyone involved. AVIVO, HANZA and Social Ventures Australia, an expert evaluation provider, have formed a consortium and submitted a funding application to pilot self-directed Homeshare in Western Australia. The successful applications will be announced at the beginning of June 2023.

You can get more information on AVIVO and their services from their website .

Mary-Ellen Hempel, HANZA Board Director

A tribute to Joan Crawford

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 05:51:28 GMT

Joan Crawford was a founding member of HANZA and our first life member.

Joan passed away on 15 March 2023, on her own terms surrounded by her family. She holds a special place in many hearts in the Homeshare community, particularly those of the founding members of Homeshare in Victoria.

When Joan joined the original Homeshare Committee in 1998, she brought with her 20 years of experience in aged care and housing related issues. She worked as a volunteer with the Homeshare team for our first 10 years.

Joan was keenly aware of the desire of older people to age in their own homes and stay in their communities. It was from this perspective that Joan supported and believed in the work to establish Homeshare as a viable housing option.

Joan’s contribution to the establishment and growth of the Melbourne Homeshare program was enormous. In true Joan fashion, she unobtrusively guided and influenced how the program developed and how our team worked.

Left to right: Denise Cooper, Homeshare Coordinator, Beris Campbell , Homeshare Manager, Shirley Anderson , HANZA President and Joan Crawford , HANZA Board Member.

She was a reliable sounding board for little or big issues, a lateral thinker and problem solver. Joan would bring a fresh set of eyes to the trickiest of problems and offer suggestions and solutions. This was invaluable in the critical first years of our Homeshare journey.

In the first two years, it was just Joan and I in the MECWA offices. I treasured the few days a week she was in the office volunteering, helping with every aspect of the program. She was one of those people who could see what needs to be done before being asked to do it.

One of the most effective training methods for newly recruited Homeshare coordinators, was to sit them in a room with Joan. The recruits would listen to her match monitoring calls with householders and homesharers, take notes, and then discuss the calls with her. Watching Joan in action was better than any training video!

Joan has been recognised for her tireless efforts and successes in aged care, particularly her advocacy work at the South Melbourne Council. She has been acknowledged with an Order of Australia, Public Service Medal for Services to Aged Care and the Rotary Club’s Jock Andrews Award for Vocational Services to Older People.

Joan’s contribution to HANZA and the community was momentous, and we will be forever in her debt.

Beris Campbell OAM, HANZA Life Member and Homeshare International Trustee