Our Impact
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting is good for business whilst also providing clear, measurable outcomes and accountability for how we run our business, support our residents and staff, and contribute to a more sustainable planet. A few selected highlights of Our Impact 2023, our second impact report, are featured below.
In 2023, our second year of impact reporting, we have built our capacity to identify and report on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts of our operations and interactions with residents.
The sustainability of our business is increasingly becoming core business for City West Housing. We have sought to align our impact reporting with the new national ESG standard for community housing, developed on behalf of the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA).
We are an early adopter of the new standard and will report separately to CHIA on our ESG framework requirements.
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City West Housing has pursued a range of initiatives to ensure our housing, services and business operations are good for the planet, good for our residents and good for business sustainability, including those below.
Practices to impact climate change
 | Rooftop solarThe installation of 1,109 rooftop solar panels on 10 apartment buildings is providing 298 households with up to $323 in annual energy savings and taking the equivalent of 79 cars off the road every year. |
Gas free developmentsAll our future developments will eliminate the use of natural gas for cooking and heating, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and saving residents $200 in gas connection fees. In 2023, we also removed gas stoves and ovens from 25 apartments, replacing them with electric appliances. | |
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Protection of the local environment
 | The Plant LibraryA resident-inspired Build Your Neighbourhood initiative funded in 2023 is seeing more than 35 neighbours swap plants and gardening tips while building a community. |
Sustainable approach to materials
Responsible waste managementIn preparing the site for our new Boronia Apartments development in Waterloo, we have gone beyond City of Sydney requirements in diverting from landfill 97.6% of all demolition waste. |
Affordability and security
 | Income based rent model100% of our affordable housing residents pay subsidised, income-based rents that do not exceed 30% of their combined household income. |
Building safety and quality
 | Investment in lighting safetyÂWe have extended our program to retrofit and replace halogen lights with LEDs in common areas so that residents feel safer in well-lit areas with less frequent blowouts, also with benefits for the environment. |
Resident voice
Listening to and empowering residentsWe had some 1,436 interactions with our residents in 2023, through a range of forums and mechanisms, to seek their input and feedback on issues affecting them and their communities. |
Resident support
 | Supporting young peopleOur new Aspire Education Fund supported 15 residents in Years 7-10 to stay in school. Grants of up to $1,000 a year were used for tuition, uniforms, school camps and a range of extracurricular sporting and musical activities. |
Placemaking
 | Fostering social cohesionA new partnership with the Belvoir St Theatre is helping residents get to know each other through the shared experience of live theatre. In 2023 we sponsored 59 residents to attend four plays. |
Staff wellbeing
 | Support and wellbeingOur 2023 Employee Engagement Survey showed:
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Structure and governance
 | Overall approach to governanceCity West Housing meets and often exceeds its obligations under the sector, corporate and not-for-profit regulatory regimes that oversee our business. |
Board
 | Committed directorsOur directors dedicate a significant amount of time to fulfilling their governance responsibilities as Board, including collectively in 2023 through:
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Systems and risk management
 | Systemic changeÂOur new TAS housing management system launched in June 2023 is a major business transformation project that will improve our service delivery and help us manage risk. |
