The program started in May 2017 the program will run until August 2017 reaching all of AHV's clients.
The AHV community engagement program partnered with Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Victoria Legal Aid, the Tenancy Union of Victoria and other local support agencies.
"These workshops offer an opportunity to explain where Aboriginal Housing Victoria is standing at the moment, its future directions." says Daren Smith CEO of AHV, "It is also an opportunity to talk to tenants about their rights and their obligations. The organisation can only stand and improve if the tenants understand what their rights and obligations are."
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"Aboriginal people have higher housing needs. So we are certainly not going to implement harsh measures against vulnerable people"
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Regarding the proposed harsh changes to tenancy laws currently under discussion across the country AHV operates under the same residential rules as all other landlords in Victoria.
"AHV understands that it has very vulnerable people among its tenants and is working hard with the tenants to help them sustain their tenancy. The organisation doesn't want to evict tenants who can't pay their rent," he says.
"Evicting vulnerable people would be counterproductive, because a lot of our tenants are victims. They don't have anywhere else to go.
AHV is not interested in punitive measures against vulnerable people for small amounts of money. Mr Smith says racism still exists out there in the private rental market. Aboriginal people have higher housing needs and AHV do not plan on implementing harsh measures against vulnerable people.
Darren admits that there is a problem regarding the very long waiting list for AHV accommodation.
"There are almost as many people on the waiting list as there are properties, yet there are only 100 vacancies a year and idefinitely a deficit in housing," he says.
AHV has a 5 year asset management plan, and might have to sell some of the properties. They are planning on how to manage those properties in the future, building new stock that is of a better quality and meets the needs of tenants.
According to the CEO of AHV the response from the clients to the ongoing engagement workshops is overwhelmingly positive. The initiative is also about talking to supporting workers who, in turn, take the message back to their clients as well.
