Community housing operates
in a changing environment.
The rapid growth of the sector,
a more diverse business, and
the need to secure other forms of investment are just a
few of the drivers of change. Structural steps need to
be undertaken
to ensure viability in the face of change.
Establishing
sector or system-wide structures to deliver key aspects
of the business
has been identified as one possible strategy. In March
2002, the Forum held a seminar of community housing stakeholders
to explore the issues, benefits and risks in developing
system-wide
structures.
The seminar primarily focused attention on
system-wide structures that take on some of the functions
of the
business of a housing
organisation. In the Australian experience these have
mainly been umbrella organisations set up to manage
the assets,
procurement and financing. This seminar aimed to develop
a clear picture of the range of functions that could
be managed by system-wide
structures
and the steps needed to achieve this.
Importantly,
it also focused attention on the benefits and the risks
of establishing
system-wide structures (for government, providers and
consumers).
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