Three residents enjoying the creative process

Co-designing community housing with residents to create social connection

Hume Community Housing

Community housing improvement projects

There is significant research that supports findings that better social outcomes are achieved within socially connected and cohesive communities.

Housing is a service delivery area that has a significant impact on how well a community gets on together. Communities who can contribute to where they live are happier, more bonded neighbours.

In 2019, Cred was engaged by Hume Housing to help deliver its first Community Cohesion Strategy for residents of its more than 1700 properties across Western Sydney.

Our Associate Director, Elise O’Ryan, and Elly Spiro enjoying their time with residents of community housing complex in Cabramatta, enhance their courtyard with planting. (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography).

Services
  • Social Value
Share

Our approach

Cred developed fun and creative engagement methods that enabled residents to constructively discuss issues and opportunities for the designated communal spaces within their block.

Workshopping design scenarios and opportunities with the community meant that capital investment by Hume were well-spent on solutions and interventions, creating communal spaces for people to come together and overcome challenges, such as social isolation.

We also engaged residents to be a part of capital works projects, working with Small Shift – a social enterprise that trains and inspires communities to engage in ‘Do-it-yourself’ projects that build community resilience, social trust and employment pathways by up-skilling, mentoring and supporting residents to help lead and implement the project.

Based on our engagement with residents, we installed comfortable seating, shade, planting and colourful decorations created by the residents.

Elderly resident holding up her creation with Elly
Our Senior Consultant, Elly Spiro, engaging with a participant on the decorations for the community housing courtyard (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography)
Elderly participant designing her contribution to the courtyard
Residents were able to design and create personal contributions (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography).
Three residents enjoying the creative process
Residents of a community housing complex in Cabramatta worked together to create design improvements for their courtyard. (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography).
Cred's Elise O'Ryan installing the new creations in the courtyard with residents (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography)
Cred's Elly Spiro potting new plants for the courtyard
Cred's Elly Spiro potting new plants for the courtyard bringing more green and care into the lives of residents (Source: © Matthew Duchesne at Fancy Boy Photography)

The outcome

The Community Cohesion Strategy will guide Hume’s understanding of the role it plays in communities and to encourage strategic thinking on services, partnerships, supports and resources that can be connected to enhance the lives of its customers, and improve local neighbourhoods.

Working with residents of a community housing complex in Cabramatta to enhance their courtyard was a highlight from the project.

This was a real passion project for the Cred team that reminds us of why we do what we do, and the wonderful outcomes you can achieve when you bring people together and give them a voice in shaping their communities and places, even on a relatively small scale.