How it all started
Since the demise of the Redfern Waterloo Authority (RWA) and its Human Service Plan (HSP), Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and community groups have discussed with Government Departments the need to improve human services for public housing tenants in Redfern-Waterloo.
Our story
In December 2015 the NSW Government announced plans to redevelop the Waterloo Public Housing Estate. NGOs argued that there needed to be a Human Service Plan to sit alongside the redevelopment plan.
In August 2017, the then Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) committed to developing and implementing a Waterloo Human Services Framework alongside the Waterloo masterplan.
Waterloo Human Services Planning Workshops were held by the FACS NSW Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) involving government, NGO service providers and community representatives in 2018. Groundswell NGOs worked with LAHC to develop a draft human services framework. Consultation with local community members was deferred because of a departmental restructure and proposed for key points during the redevelopment planning to mitigate consultation fatigue being experienced by the community. The draft Framework has not been released publicly.
LAHC released the outline of its Preferred Waterloo master plan in January 2019. LAHC, by then in the Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment (DPIE), updated the Social Baseline Report and Social Sustainability Studies in 2020 to support the revised Waterloo South Proposal lodged with Council.
Groundswell NGOs had been separately working with Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) to address some health related issues. This saw the appointment of a health navigator / link worker appointed by SLHD in Redfern Waterloo to help tenants better navigate the heath system and to feed back to health tenant concerns about service access. SLHD also undertook a Health Impact Assessment which focused on the health impacts of the redevelopment announcement on tenants.
SLHD held two Waterloo Health Forums in September 2017 and May 2018 to develop strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of the residents of Waterloo and to inform their input into a human services plan.
Representing Groundswell, Counterpoint Community Services, Inner Sydney Voice and REDWatch co-sponsored the Waterloo Human Service Planning Workshops with LAHC and the Waterloo Health Forums with SLHD. These groups have also been working with the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, and Northern Sydney (SSESNS) District on human services and housing issues.
The DCJ and SLHD Addendums to the Waterloo Collaborative Action Plan arise from regular meetings between Groundswell and each of the agencies looking at issues relating just to that agency. The Collaborative Action Plan is focused on issues across multiple agencies.
There has been significant consultation undertaken with the community regarding current and future needs that will support the development of the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative Group action plan.
In December 2020 the Waterloo Human Services Collaborative Group came into effect under agreed terms of reference.
In May 2021, the Collaborative established two Coordination Groups to develop an Action Plan and subsequently oversee the staged implementation of this plan through implementation groups. The first three areas of the Action plan were the responsibility of the Front-Line Coordination Group, and the last three areas were the responsibility of the Service Integration and Systems Coordination Group.
Both groups report to the Collaborative meetings. The Duration of the Collaborative is as long as community engagement is required to address the current and future needs of the Waterloo community, specifically those living in public housing.
Background Papers: The NGO Background Paper
This Paper below has been put together to assist those entering the Waterloo Human Services Plan (HSP) discussions to understand the historic context. It sets out what Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) believe can be achieved by a Waterloo HSP. It was released on 9th October 2020 in the leadup to discussions with DCJ District about establishing an accross agency Waterloo Human Services Collaborative Working Group.
Background Paper: The Waterloo Impact Report
Prior to the current development of HS plan The Waterloo Impact Project explored local perceptions to establish what views exist around the local client referral system and coordination between agencies, both government and non-government, and the needs for any improvement.
The consultation consisted of interviews and focus groups with residents and agencies. A draft report was made public in January 2020, and feedback was requested.
Independently facilitated follow up workshops took place to test the findings and recommendations. This was a challenging endeavour due to the impacts of Covid-19. The Counterpoint team worked alongside the Waterloo Neighbourhood Advisory Board Waterloo Redevelopment Group and the Redfern Waterloo Groundswell since August 2019 to ensure the report’s relevance and accuracy.
The final report is below as well as a PowerPoint presentations on the recommendations.
“An HSP should explore how government and non-government services can work together in partnership with local communities, to design and deliver better services that make a real difference to people’s lives, especially those who need the services most.”
—REDWatch 2017
