The Australasian winners for the 2017 Professional Excellence in Housing Awards were announced on 29 November 2017 in Sydney during the National Housing Conference. The reception at the International Convention Centre was a full house with 230 guests gathering together from across Australia and New Zealand to celebrate the success stories and achievements of housing professionals.
The 2017 Australasian Professional Excellence in Housing Awards Winners are:
Excellence in Social Housing Award:
Sidney Myer Haven | Haven; Home, Safe | VIC
Outstanding Achievement Award:
Greg Budworth | Compass Housing | NSW
Inspirational Team Member Award:
Julie Davenport | Hume Community Housing | NSW
Leading Innovation Award:
Hand Up | Bridge Housing | NSW
Highly Commended: AAHS Collaborative Investment | Horizon Housing | QLD
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award:
Community Action Programme | City Housing, Wellington City Council | NZ
Leading Housing Development Project Award:
Specialist Disability Accommodation Bundaberg | Regional Housing Limited | QLD
Highly Commended: Lawrence Street, Peakhurst | SGCH | NSW
Tenant Led Initiative Award:
Stucco Solar+Storage | Stucco Co-operative | NSW
Leading Asset Management Award:
Compass Housing Services Co | Asset Management Compass Housing | NSW
Photographs from the reception are available here.

QLD
Inspirational Team Member Award: Murray Thompson, Churches of Christ Housing Services Ltd
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Social Buttons - Enabling Community Engagement, BHC - Creating Liveable Communities
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Specialist Disability Accommodation Bundaberg, Regional Housing Limited. Highly Commended: Homes4Life – Sippy Downs Coast2Bay Housing Group Ltd, Ausmar Homes Pty Ltd, and Synapse
Leading Innovation Award: AAHS Collaborative Investment, Horizon Housing
Tenant Led Initiative Award: The Green Square Art Project, BHC - Creating Liveable Communities
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Mission Australia Supported Accommodation Facilities Cairns. Highly Commended: Compass Housing Queensland
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

SA
Inspirational Team Member Award: Nicole Chaplin, St John's Youth Services
Leading Asset Management Award: UNO, St John's Youth Service, Unison and Housing SA. Highly Commended: Improving Assets Together, Westside Housing Association
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Tenancy Education Program, ac.care
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Bowden Rent-To-Buy Development, AnglicareSA Housing Ltd
Leading Innovation Award: Vacancy Maintenance Inspection Application, Department for Communities and Social Inclusion - Housing SA. Highly Commended: Sustaining Complex Tenancies, AnglicareSA Housing Ltd
Tenant Led Initiative Award: Tenant Art Exhibition - Unity Housing, Unity Housing Company Ltd
Outstanding Achievement Award:Matthew Woodward, Unity Housing Company
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Unity Housing & Bedford Alliance
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

NZ
Inspirational Team Member Award: Rosie Gallen, City Housing, Wellington City Council. Highly Commended: Alice Daniel-Kirk, Housing New Zealand Corporation
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Community Action Programme, City Housing Wellington City Council
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Tāmaki Makaurau Community Housing Ltd, New Zealand Housing Foundation
Leading Innovation Award: Smokefree Social Housing Toolkit, Community and Public Health, Canterbury District Health Board
Tenant Led Initiative Award: City Housing tenant C.H.O.I.R, City Housing, Wellington City Council
Outstanding Achievement Award: Peter Jeffries, CORT Community Housing
Excellence in Social Housing Award: City Housing, Wellington City Council
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

NSW
Inspirational Team Member Award (joint): Julie Davenport, Hume Community Housing AND Joy Sneesby, Evolve Housing
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Heading Home - Ending Homelessness Here! Wentworth Community Housing
Leading Housing Development Project Award (joint): Lawrence Street, Peakhurst, SGCH AND Maccarthur Gardens CLT Apartments, BlueCHP Ltd. Highly Commended: Ashfield New Generation Boarding House, Bridge Housing
Leading Asset Management Award: Compass Housing. Highly Commended: AHO/Two Fold Aboriginal Corporation Project
Leading Innovation Award: Hand UP, Bridge Housing
Tenant Led Initiative Award: Stucco Solar and Stroage, Stucco Co-operative. Highly Commended: The Collectives - Utlising Lived Experience Insight, Hume Community Housing
Outstanding Achievement Award: Greg Budworth, Compass Housing
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Compass Housing
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

VIC
Inspirational Team Member Award: Kristie Looney, Property Initiatives Real Estate
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Love Your Laneway Mural Project, Housing Choices Australia
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Women’s Property Initiatives Reynard Street Coburg Development, Women’s Property Initiatives
Leading Asset Management Award: Tenant Induction Program, Port Phillip Housing Association
Leading Innovation Award: HomeGround Real Estate, Launch Housing. Highly Commended: National Housing Service Standards, Housing Choices Australia
Tenant Led Initiative Award: Ashwood Cook Up, PPHA
Outstanding Achievement Award: Steve Bevington, Community Housing Ltd Group
Anthony Hardy Excellence in Social Housing Award: Sidney Myer Haven, Haven: Home, Safe
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

TAS
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award (joint): Resident Community Fund Grant Program, Housing Choices Tasmania AND Tenants Strengthening Communities, Mission Australia Housing
Leading Housing Development Project: Trinity Hill: Partnering for Innovation in Youth Housing, Anglicare - Tasmania
Tenant Led Initiative Award: Social entrepreneurship: ‘Lend a Hand’, Anglicare - Tasmania
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Common Ground Tasmania
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

ACT
Tenant Led Initiative Award: Ainslie Village Cycle Recycle Workshop, Argyle Community Housing Ltd
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Mura Gunya - Older persons housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Housing and Community Services
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Linking into new communities taskforce and the transforming communities partnership, Housing and Community Service
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Common Ground Canberra, A Canberra Housing Proposal
Read more and access photos from the reception here.

WA
Inspirational Team Member Award: Tony Benson, Access Housing Australia
Leading Housing Development Project Award: Sustainable Housing for Artists and Creatives Development, Access Housing Australia
Leading Innovation Award (joint): Foundation Housing ‘Homes for Carers’ Program, Foundation Housing, Western Australian Department for Child Protection AND Family Support; Western Australian Housing Authority and SHIP Assisted Rental Pathways Pilot, Housing Authority of WA
Leading Community Engagement Practice Award: Transitional Housing Program, Housing Authority of WA in partnership with Kimberley Development Corporation. Highly Commended: Creating Choices Program, Access Housing Australia
Excellence in Social Housing Award: Foyer Oxford, Housing Authority of WA in partnership with Anglicare WA, Foundation Housing Ltd and North Metropolitan TAFE
Read more and access photos from the reception here.
NT
2017 Awards Committee:
- Francis Brazil, Chair, NSW AHI Director
- Chris Chaplin, Manager, Policy & Compliance at Port Phillip Housing Association, VIC
- Andrew Davis, AHI President, SA
- Alicia Follent, Operations Manager – Business Support with Churches of Christ Housing Services, QLD
- Victor Jackson, QLD
- Rosie Gallen, Community Action & Eng Manager | City Housing | Wellington City Council, New Zealand
- Nerilie Gilson, Manager Community Housing Programs | Housing, Disability and Community Services | Department of Health and Human Services, TAS
- Alison Kimber, Principal | ak advisory, SA
- Nicholas Loder, Senior Project Officer, Assets division, NSW Land and Housing Corporation, Family and Community Services, NSW
- Kathryn Moorey, Regional Manager – Tenancy Services | Access Housing Australia Ltd, WA
- Wendy Malycha, CEO, St John’s Youth Services, SA
- Mark O'Dwyer, Member of Compass Housing Services N.S.W Operations Advisory Committee, NSW, Tenant Representative
- Clare Phythian, Project Manager, Q Shelter, QLD