Welcome to the final Co-operatively Speaking for 2020. What a year it's been!
Thank you
Thank you to all co-ops for your work throughout the year, especially in adapting to online meetings and other challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented.
Thanks also to all the employees at CEHL for their support this year. You have also had to adapt to the challenges of working from home and navigating technology.
Thanks to everyone for their patience and hard work during this time. It's when challenges like pandemics hit, that the co-operative values shine!
No doubt many of you have welcomed the easing of restrictions in time for the holiday period. What a fantastic result from our state in getting COVID cases down and ending the second wave. Who would have thought we'd be in this position when things were looking serious during winter, a great collective effort.
Big Housing Build
I'm also happy to report on some recent (non-COVID) news. Many of you may have seen the Victorian Government's announcement of a $5.3 billion spend on social and affordable housing in the recent budget. This is great news for our sector and program, providing more housing for people who need it and stimulating the economy.
For a long time, CEHL has been a strong advocate for further investment in social housing. I'd like to give an extra special thanks to Stephen Nash and his team for all their work in this area. It's a great result that the government has recognised the importance of social housing and has backed that up with the biggest investment in the sector in the state's history. We look forward to sharing more good news with co-ops as the next steps become clear.
Company Rent and Affordability Benchmark
The work of reviewing and providing input to the Company Rent and Affordability Benchmark continues. Thanks to the 54% of co-ops who recently submitted workbooks as part of that process. We have heard concerns that the original Advisory Group has folded and can confirm that the data provided by members is still being presented to the Board. The Board is fully aware of the changes to the advisory process and concerns raised by members about this. Co-op input to the content and process is extremely valuable for the Board to factor into our decision.
Question & Answer Forums
Also, on the participation front, thanks to all the co-op members who took part in the last online Q&A. We're still refining those forums we value the input from members and their patience with the process.
I wish you a safe and happy holiday period. I hope you're able to spend that time with people close to you and enjoy some of things we haven't been able to (as much) this year: beach, bush or other.
Annual General Meeting
Thank you to all co-op members that attended our first online / hybrid Annual General Meeting. It was great to see so many members there. Thank you to the CEHL team working behind the scenes to set up the meeting and provide all the information and support needed to make it work seamlessly.
We thank you for your detailed questions and passion for our co-op housing program.
We welcome both Sylwia Greda-Bogusz and Gordon Kieselbach for an additional two-year term on the Board.
In 2021 the Board are looking forward to developing our next strategic plan that will take us to 2025 and encourage co-ops to get involved. There is more information on the front page of the CEHL website.
I look forward to seeing you all (hopefully in person!) in 2021.
Yours in co-operation,
Heidi Lee
CEHL Chairperson