HHS Delivering Strategy 2040

Delivering Strategy 2040

Acknowledgement of Country

Haven Home Safe acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.

We extend that respect to our other office locations, to the Wurundjeri People, the Wadawurrung People, the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee, being Latji Latji and Ngintait Traditional Owners and all First Nations peoples. 2

We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which our Bendigo office is located.

ABOUT THE ARTIST AND ARTWORK:

This artwork titled Buk Gerrbumul Wurrdha - Strong Community is by First Nations artist, Mick Harding. Mick is from the Yowong-Illam-Balkuk and Nattarak Baluk clans of the Taungurung People. In the artwork, the shields symbolise the strength of our shared bonds, guarding the values and relationships that unite us. Within these protected spaces, we nurture the roots of our heritage while planting new seeds of hope and resilience. Seeds symbolise the beginning growth, nurtured by strength of community, the bonds of connection, and the richness of culture. Together, we create a thriving, harmonious environment where every individual and every story is cherished.

Message from the Chair and CEO

Two years into Strategy 2040, we have reached an important moment to pause, reflect and refocus. This review is not a change in direction, but a strengthening of our commitment to deliver housing and support that responds to the real needs of people and communities —particularly across regional Victoria, where demand continues to grow faster than traditional supply responses.

By adapting to the changes around us and strengthening our foundations we can deliver on this commitment.

We are operating in a context defined by rising housing stress, funding constraints and unprecedented demand for both housing and support. The community sector is under pressure, yet amid this complexity Haven Home Safe has continued to grow—not in size alone, but in capability, clarity and impact.

For Haven Home Safe, growth is not just measured by the number of homes we build. Growth is seen in the outcomes we create: growth is seen in the clients who stabilise and thrive, the stability people gain, the confidence that returns, the community connections rebuilt, the climate impacts reduced, and the capability and wellbeing of our staff.

Growth is defined by impact, not output and the successful application of our work to create lasting results.

Since the launch of our strategy at the end of 2023, we have delivered 100 new homes in a 12-month period, marking the completion of our Big Housing Build program with 387 homes delivered in total. We also expanded our use of modular construction to improve environmental performance and accelerate delivery in regions where local trades are scarce.

Our In My Back Yard (IMBY) pilot marks a major step in unlocking small-scale, sustainable infill that responds directly to demographic shifts such as the rise of lone-person households and ageing renters—demand patterns particularly pronounced in regional Victoria.

As a statewide housing provider and advocate, we are uniquely embedded in regional Victoria. Our place-based expertise and extensive connections with local communities means we can influence and shape housing in a way that responds to regional realities now and into the future.

In partnership with Cushman & Wakefield, we advanced important work on Australia’s People Continuum, which is reshaping how we think about housing investment, design and delivery.

This research shows that the greatest mismatch between housing need and supply is occurring in regional Australia, where:

• Lone-person households are growing rapidly

• Low-income renters aged 50+ are expected to almost double

• Housing diversity remains limited

• Social and affordable housing demand is rising

• Climate risk is rising.

The people continuum elevates Strategy 2040 by anchoring it in what our staff do best – walking alongside people across their entire housing journey.

We value lived experience and where we can co-design with clients through elements such as Client Voice, trauma-informed design and First Nations’ perspectives. These are core inputs into our Strategic Decision-Making Framework, ensuring the decisions we make and the outcomes we pursue are grounded in evidence, culture and lived experience.

Through The HHS Way Culture Workshops, our workforce helped define the values and behaviours needed to deliver consistently and effectively, whilst aligning how we operate so we can meet growing demand with confidence and discipline. We continue to invest in the tools, systems and processes our staff need to do their work well, and we have taken deliberate steps to reduce organisational complexity and bring more clarity to have collective impact.

We remain committed to building better futures, one home, one person and one partnership at a time.

Rob Camm Board Chair

As we shift into the next horizon of Strategy 2040, our Theory of Change becomes a central guiding framework for the organisation.

At HHS we believe that housing is a human right and as long as homes are treated as commodities rather than a right, the way we house people in Australia will continue to be fundamentally unfair. Through our Theory of Change and our ESG+ Strategy we will use partnerships, advocacy and innovation to create sustainable, affordable community housing, delivery excellence and walk alongside people to remove barriers, navigate systems and use our influence to drive systemic reform.

Our Theory of Change informs our future and we will continue to build on the foundation, innovating for purpose, simplifying with intention, investing in our people and directing efforts where they will create the greatest impact for our clients and the communities that we serve.

Trudi Ray CEO

Strategy on a page

Our purpose Everyone deserves a home

Our vision Better futures

Our impact areas

Impactful housing and support

We will deliver quality housing and support that enhances people’s wellbeing and connection.

Our ambition

Focused growth, disciplined delivery and meaningful outcomes that respond to the needs of people and communities

Impactful partnerships

We will partner effectively to create meaningful change.

Strategic priorities 2026-2029

Drive financial and organisational performance

Ensure financial sustainability and effective and consistent service delivery.

Our values Inclusion and belonging

We believe in a people-centred culture where everyone can bring their true selves, experiences, identities and ideas to do their best work.

Grow our impact

Deliver sustainable and people-focused growth across service delivery outcomes and assets, maintaining our social licence.

Capacity for impact

We will respond to a changing world, positioning for growth through financial and organisational sustainabilty.

Ensure clients and renters have a quality experience

Use evidence and impact measures to improve how we work and deliver services.

Changing lives

We believe when we look for opportunities, embrace challenges, strive for continuous improvement and make a positive impact, we can change people's lives through our work.

Collective impact

We believe we can have a greater impact when we choose to collaborate with each other, our stakeholders, partners and communities to create meaningful change.

Empowering leadership

We believe we are all leaders - self-aware, brave, humble, resilient and accountable. We understand our personal impact, empower others and lead by example. We are willing to reflect, learn and improve.

Being part of Victoria’s regional communities makes us unique in the sector. We really understand and care about the local communities we work with.

Moving together towards 2040: Live well, live better, better futures.

2040 is still a long way off and there will be plenty we can’t yet anticipate. By forming three key horizons we can map out the steps we need to take annually and in five-year blocks to achieve our ambition. Two years into our strategy we have conducted our first review to make sure we are on track in our live well horizon, adjusting for changes that have come our way.

Live well 2026 – 2029

Adapting to change and laying down strong foundations

Continue delivery of placemaking, Client Voice, culturally safe housing and workplace culture programs.

Drive financial and organisational performance through financial sustainability measures and effective and consistent service delivery strengthening our credibility as a trusted voice in housing policy and reform.

Grow our impact by delivering sustainable and people-focused growth across services and assets, maintaining our social licence and contributing evidence to policy, funding and planning discussions.

Ensure clients and renters have a quality experience with HHS by using evidence and impact measures to improve how we work and to advocate for service and system improvements based on what we know works.

Live better 2030 – 2034

From delivery excellence to market and systems influence

Housing diversification and people-focused growth shapes a portfolio aligned to the people-continuum with coordinated advocacy influencing planning frameworks, funding models and regional housing strategies.

Scaled delivery of regional infill and medium density with modular and climate-responsive housing embedded as a standard delivery option.

A mature investment strategy attracts impact-aligned investors, place-based philanthropic capital and purpose-aligned partners, driven by advocacy that aligns capital with people based demand and long term outcomes.

Long-term refinancing and capital structure enables sustained growth beyond funding cycles.

Better futures 2035-2040

From systems influence to legacy change

Advocacy outcomes reflected in policy shifts and investment decisions responsive to people-based demand and long-term housing security.

Influence planning, infrastructure and transport systems to support access, connection and liveability in regional communities by championing 20-minute neighbourhood principles in regional housing delivery.

Predictive, data-enabled approaches to identifying future housing risk to support effective early interventions.

Our advocacy reiterates that housing is a human right and our work contributes to a public narrative that consistently links housing to dignity, ageing in place, climate resilience and equity. Through sustained advocacy and system influence, HHS’s legacy is a housing and supports system more firmly centred on people, place and long-term wellbeing.

Strategic objectives

1. Drive financial and organisational performance

Aims: Deliverables:

• Maximise the impact and quality of services delivered within our funding parcel in line with all compliance obligations.

• Ensure financial sustainability for the future through debt and cashflow management.

• Deliver ESG+ Strategy and associated impact reporting to improve service delivery and attract external investment.

• Meet increased compliance expectations and have greater impact by investing in systems and processes to increase efficiency, effectiveness and consistency.

• Enhance workplace culture with cohesive ways of working that are focused on client outcomes and organisational performance.

Guardrails:

• Meet and operate within contracted agreements and KPIs.

• Achieve operational improvement efficiencies without loss in strategic service delivery outcomes.

• Enterprise risk-management framework to guide risk appetite and tolerances with regular reviews as part of decision-making and action.

• Financial performance and service delivery adjustments must incorporate the ongoing costs of delivery, management and compliance.

Right-size services. Build and maintain financial sustainability. Evidence and quantify our outcomes and impact and utilise for continuous improvement.

Meet all compliance requirements.

Enhance workplace culture.

Invest in systems and processes.

Strategic objectives

2. Grow our impact

Aims:

• Deliver sustainable growth and strategic asset management to be responsive to changing market needs and position our services or growth.

• Prioritise growth in affordable housing.

• Develop property management services offering.

• Grow fundraising and philanthropic contributions.

Guardrails:

• Have a focus on outcomes achieved through partnerships, over ownership of assets.

• Impact growth via asset and/or service delivery.

• Housing investment, design and delivery to be based on evidence-based market segment opportunities for a people-focused housing approach.

• Explore new sources of revenue for development and services where strategically aligned.

• Enterprise risk management framework and Treasury Management Policy outline the risk appetite and controls for growth.

• Strategic Decision-Making Framework guides investment.

Deliverables:

Pursue sustainable growth and strategic asset management. Expand focus on affordable housing. Develop property management services offering. Develop partnerships framework and approach. Advocacy to drive systemic change. Grow fundraising and philanthropic contributions.

Strategic objectives

3. Provide a quality experience for clients and renters

Aims:

• Deliver collective impact by working with partners and finding creative solutions to remove barriers to finding a home.

• Clearly communicate service delivery commitments and empower people through information and supports approaches.

• Continue to invest in our placemaking approach for greater community connection.

• Further enhance the client voice in our decision making and use evidence and impact measures for continuous improvement.

• Deliver on our commitments for cultural safety and reconciliation.

Guardrails:

• Whilst we operate within contracted agreements and KPIs, we can continue to provide a quality experience for clients and renters.

• We will proactively communicate and manage reputational risks associated with perceived or actual service changes.

Deliverables: Use evidence and impact measures to improve client and renter experience. Prioritise Cultural Safety. Embed client voice approach. Expand on placemaking approach.

Our Theory of Change

This Strategy review is grounded in our Theory of Change which clearly articulates the problems we are addressing, our response to those problems and what happens when we’re successful.

Problem Response Impact

Australia’s housing system is fundamentally unfair – it treats homes as commodities, not as a human right. With a critical housing shortage, having a job doesn’t mean you can afford a home. Rising costs, climate change, family violence, the ongoing dispossession of First Nations’ peoples and growing health and wellbeing challenges are compounding disadvantage. The result is more people are being pushed into housing stress, instability and homelessness.

“ Before this, my story was about homelessness and mental health issues. ”

We believe housing is a human right and everyone deserves a home. Through partnerships and advocacy we demonstrate what sustainable and affordable community housing can be. When a home isn’t available, we walk alongside people and find creative solutions to remove barriers, help navigate the system, provide support, and drive systemic change.

When we’re successful, renters and clients have a positive experience with us and a better future. They have more autonomy, voice and choice for a home and support that meets their needs and provides connection to community.

“ Your understanding, care and continuous support helped me regain trust in people and find some peace of mind again ”

“ This is not just a home to me, it’s my sense of safety and belongingness. ” :