Rachael Barone

Housing Advice and Assistance Team

• Coordinate tasks through the workflow using Housing Integrated Information Program (HiiP)
• Assessment of clients' needs and eligibility for social housing
• Coordination and allocation of social housing properties - eligibility checks and engagement with external stakeholders (support services)
• Capturing and assessment of Victorian Housing Register (VHR) applications, new and existing clients
• Processing RentAssist Bond Loan. Issue of vouchers to real estate agents and private landlords
• Vacated maintenance compensation cases
• Vacant unit inspections and raise appropriate maintenance orders via Housing Integrated Information Repairs system (HiiP Repairs)
• Property inspections with proposed clients
• Property inspections with local area contractors
• Monitoring external contractor vacated maintenance timelines
• Correspondence with various policing agencies in relation to evictions and criminal damage done to properties
• Pre-vacating inspections (Current department renters)
• Exit tenancy condition reports
• Goods left behind process at vacated properties (as per Consumer Affairs Victoria guidelines)
• Preparation and assessment of housing appeal cases, team leader recommendation to management
• Deliver a high-quality telephone and reception service to clients, service providers and members of the public by maintaining a welcoming and professional manner, acknowledging all visitors and callers, respecting diversity, and responding promptly
• Maintained overall safe work environment with employee training programs and enforcement of safety procedures
• Provide support through a range of administrative functions as required
• Provide routine advice on housing options from a range of established policy, procedures, and standards
• Appropriate referrals to internal or external support service providers to assist clients with their short-term housing needs.
• Prepare routine documents for review processes and tribunals and attend hearings
• Undertake a range of administrative functions to support the operation of the work unit as required and under general direction, participate in the development and implementation of new processes and systems
• Keep accurate and complete records of work activities in accordance with legislative requirements and the department's records, information security and privacy policies and requirements

Tenancy and Property Team

Housing Advice and Assistance Team

• Empowered team members by delegating responsibilities according to individual strengths and areas of expertise
• Supervise and provide leadership to a team
• Supporting individuals to achieve their potential whilst achieving goals and outcomes
• Building positive relationships with peers and stakeholders
• Resolve operational problems and issues experienced by team members
• Recording work activities in accordance with departmental requirements
• Daily workload team meetings, ensure the team are meeting organisational objectives, service delivery standards, timelines, and client needs
• Fortnightly staff supervisions
• Local head contractor quarterly and monthly meetings
• A place to call home (APTCH) monthly meetings with external stakeholders, to discuss new clients being put forward for the program
• Daily monitoring of Team Leader workflow, priority housing escalated applications
• Ministerial responses, Correspondent Action Summary (Direct departmental reply)
• Managing conflict resolution among team members, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment
• Collaborating relationships with other department leaders to establish shared goals and ensure alignment across teams
• Enhanced team productivity by implementing efficient work processes and regularly reviewing performance
• Streamlined workflows for increased efficiency, reducing turnaround times for critical tasks
• Maintained overall safe work environment with employee training programs and enforcement of safety procedures
• Performance expectations, monitoring progress towards goals and providing constructive feedback

• Supervise and provide leadership to a team, delivering and assessments of Rent Relief grants
• Proactively building and maintaining a positive relationship with peers and stakeholders across the organisation
• Leadership and supporting individuals to achieve their potential and contribution to organisational goals and outcomes
• Resolving complex problems and issues being experienced by team members
• Assessment and preparation of fraudulent rent relief grant cases
• Operating with an increased level of accountability in delivering within broad strategic directions
• Mentor and guide a team of eleven staff, managing and monitoring staff workload
• Collaboratively working closely with other leaders within the team, ensuring the three teams work align and ensuring key objectives an goals were met
• Fortnightly supervisions

• Provide a rent relief grant in response to the declared state of emergency for vulnerable renters
• Provided support, information, and referral of a range of services to assist vulnerable client outcomes
• Management of applications in accordance with policy, procedures, and system requirements
• Review and recommend strategies to ensure client outcomes are achieved effectively
• Coach, mentor and guide staff to improve their service delivery and maximise their contribution to achieve service outcomes
• Collaboratively involved with external stakeholders to provide expert advice on the rent relief grant initiative
• Work in close collaboration with senior management
• Assist senior management in work allocation and management of additional agency and ADF staff
• Management of a shared mailbox – distribution and response.
• Operating an external phone line with a rotating roster responding to various phone enquiries
• Successfully managed multiple grant projects, ensuring timely completion and accurate reporting

• Management of Housing Business Support shared mailbox - distribution and response
• Registration of external party registration identification numbers (EPRIN) in HiiP
• SharePoint website content, design and edit
• Document accessibility formatting
• Publication design and format services
• Limited demand bi-monthly reports, publishing reports to SharePoint website
• Warehouse publication orders and status checks
• Oracle use – paying supplier invoices
• Authorisation/Registering Centrelink requests for new and current employees online Centrelink access
• Centrelink auditing (annually and quarterly)
• Allocation of meeting rooms, minute taking and agenda completion
• Facilitated regular meetings with team members to discuss progress updates, address challenges, and brainstorm solutions for ongoing success.
• Established strategic partnerships with external organizations, expanding program reach and impact.

• Operating the Victorian Housing Register
• Housing Call Centre data capture
• Telephone duty to clients and external stakeholders
• Management of a shared mailbox - distribution and response
• Housing Integrated Information Program (HiiP) data cleansing
• Consolidate agency waiting lists onto the Victorian Housing Register
• Amendments of duplicate applications on the Victorian Housing Register
• Assessment of Victorian Housing Register applications
• Coaching and mentoring Participating Registered Agency staff to support the learning of HiiP, online forms, and operational guideline procedures
• Guiding external agencies in registration of departmental eBusiness portal, client search tool, HiiP access and lodging online Victorian housing register applications

• Housing Advice and Assistance Team (Barwon)

• Housing Advice and Assistance Team (Barwon)
• Allocation of work
• Supporting the team and team leader
• Monitoring workload and Key Performance Indicators
• Completion fortnightly roster
• Management of a shared mailbox - distribution and response
• Training new staff members – in departmental protocol and within social housing guidelines
• Attendance of weekly team leader and senior housing officer catch ups

• Housing Advice and Assistance Team (Barwon)

Tenancy and Property Team

• Patch size of 350 properties
• Deliver a high-quality telephone and reception service to clients, service providers and members of the public by maintaining a welcoming and professional manner, acknowledging all visitors and callers, respecting diversity, and responding promptly
• Support through a range of administrative functions as required
• Routine advice on housing options from a range of established policy, procedures, and standards
• Appropriate referrals to internal or external support service providers to assist clients with their short-term housing needs
• Undertake supervised home visits as required
• Preparation of routine documents for review processes and tribunals and attend hearings
• Undertake a range of administrative functions to support the operation of the work unit as required and under general direction, participate in the development and implementation of new processes and systems
• Keep accurate and complete records of work activities in accordance with legislative requirements and the department's records, information security and privacy policies and requirements
• Established positive rapport with tenants through regular communication channels such as newsletters or community events
• Improved tenant satisfaction by addressing concerns promptly and implementing effective solutions
• 6 weekly and Tri-annual home visits
• Weekly rental arrears reporting
• Assessment rental rebates