Complaints Factsheet

Evolve Housing acknowledges that complaints provide valuable feedback to help improve our services.  While there is no ‘one approach’ to complaints handling that will address all complaints, we are committed to handling complaints effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner.

While we work hard to provide you with the best services possible, please be aware that your behaviour and conduct can affect the progress and efficiency of our work.  We will endeavour to be proactive and decisive in managing any conduct that negatively and unreasonably affects us and will support our employees in doing the same.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with the standard or type of service provided by Evolve Housing, which is made by an external person or organisation (complainant), and where the complainant had expected or is requesting a different outcome or result.

The following are examples of matters that are NOT a complaint under our policy:

• Decisions covered by Evolve Housing’s Appeals Policy;
  • For example a decision around eligibility for social housing
• Complaints relating to neighbours
  • These are covered under Evolve Housing’s Neighbour Disputes Policy;
• Standard service enquiries or requests to Evolve Housing for information, approval or action;
• Feedback including opinions and comments which do not require a response;
• Issues that fall outside the responsibility of Evolve Housing such as matters for other agencies
  • For example child abuse, assault, drug use, Centrelink fraud
  • Please contact the appropriate authority for these issues (eg. Centrelink, Child Protection Agency, and NSW Police)
• Complaints between an Evolve Housing resident and external contractor not engaged by Evolve Housing; and
• Matters which have already been escalated to another forum such as a Court or NCAT.

You can make a complaint either verbally or in writing through the following ways:

• Feedback Form (can be found on our website or a copy obtained from our office)
• Letter
• Email
• Telephone
• To an Evolve Housing employee

When you make a verbal complaint to us, we will try our best to provide you with a resolution there and then.  If we are unable to, or you are not happy with our proposed resolution, then you are welcome to submit a written complaint.

If you are unable to submit a complaint in writing, please ask a family member or advocate to help you.  On our Feedback form there is a section for you to authorise someone to submit the complaint on your behalf, please make sure this section has been filled in so that we can discuss your complaint with the nominated person/s.

Once we receive a complaint, we will record it in our Complaints Register and assess it for things such as seriousness, urgency, severity etc.  We will also send you an acknowledgement letter within two (2) business days to let you know we have received your complaint and the timeframe in which we will get back to you.

We will then conduct an investigation into the issues that have been raised and our Complaints Officer will provide you with a response within twenty (20) business days.  There may be times where an issue cannot be resolved within the twenty days, however we will still send you an update to keep you informed.  Please be assured that we take your complaint seriously and our investigation will be conducted in a thorough and impartial manner.

When we have completed our investigation, we will send you our final response outlining our reasons for the decision.

If you have new evidence/information in relation to your complaint, which you believe might change the outcome of the investigation, we welcome you to bring it forward to us.  We will have a look at it and determine whether the complaint should be referred back to the original investigating officer for review.

However if you are unhappy with the outcome of the investigation and have no further information or evidence to provide, we will be unable to reopen the investigation.  In these circumstances, there may be other avenues that you can choose to pursue and we can refer you to the relevant services that you can choose to contact.  For example:

• the Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services
• Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal
• Community Justice Centres
• The National Regulatory System for Community Housing Providers (NRSCH)
• NSW Ombudsman

If we haven’t heard back from you within ten (10) business days of sending our final response to you, we will deem the complaint as closed.

You can choose to make a complaint anonymously, however please be aware that it may be difficult for us to address your complaint to your satisfaction if you choose to do so.

If you have any questions regarding Complaints Management, please contact the Complaints Officer on 1800 693 865 or (02) 8862 1500, or email your enquiry to ihear@evolvehousing.com.au

Please note: The official text of the Evolve Housing website, and of each of the documents and other information available on the website, is the English version.