The Olympia Housing Initiative meets the need for more varied and accessible housing, such as the apartments and detached houses in the same area.

The project will fund itself through the sale of some older properties, with the proceeds of those sales being used to build new, more suitable homes in the same area.

Tenants can choose to either stay where they are or join this scheme and wait for a new home to be built.

When a home becomes empty. one of three things will happen:

• it will be maintained and occupied by new tenants
• it will be redeveloped, or
• it will be sold and the proceeds will go toward building more new public housing.

The end result will see the same number of public housing properties spread over a wider area.

The project is divided into two streams:

Stream 1 (small blocks)

• more than $160 million worth of new public housing over ten years
• renewing over 600 units in an incremental self-funding sale and build program
• tenants can choose whether they want to take part
• tender of design and construction of small sites as they become available.

Stream 2 (larger blocks)

• identifying opportunities for redevelopment of key larger sites
• possible partnership with private and/or community sector
• identifying options for how the sites are redeveloped.

The Olympia Housing Initiative will:

• gradually redevelop old and unsuitable public housing to better meet current and future needs in the area
• keep the same amount of public housing in the area but make it newer, more comfortable and more accessible
• reduce the concentration of public housing and achieve a better balance between public and private housing
• cut maintenance costs by replacing old and run-down homes with newer and more efficient ones
• improve amenity for both public and private residents and create a more sustainable community
• make sure tenants get the right sized home for their needs
• help improve the image of public housing in the Olympia area
• ensure streetscapes for public and private housing are indistinguishable.

The department is partnering with the community and residents.

So far more than 500 households have volunteered to participate and around 250 families have moved into homes that better suit their needs.

A dedicated housing team has worked closely with each family on their relocation needs. The team knows how important it is to be a part of the local community, so they’re based in a local community hub space.

They know their key to success is keeping tenants happy, so the team maintains good relationships with residents and local agencies to ensure that the people who will live in these new homes are given all the support they need.

Residents who have relocated were surveyed in late 2016 and their response was very positive. Tenants were 100 per cent satisfied with the overall quality of their new homes, and they gave the services provided by the local team a 97 per cent rating.

Another positive sign was that they rated their satisfaction with their neighbourhood at 97 per cent.

The Public Tenant Employment Program (PTEP) provides opportunities for public housing tenants to gain sustainable employment and training opportunities, and for suppliers tendering for work with the Authority to demonstrate value-for-money considerations beyond just price. If you are a public housing tenant interested in applying for this program, or you are a industry supplier tendering for a project, find out more via our dedicated Public Tenant Employment Program page.

Suppliers can find more information about working with us via our Practitioners page.