Amélie Housing building hope
Local
A little-known development in the community housing sector in SA is starting to pay dividends as new opportunities are sought to “build hope through housing”.
Frederic Ozanam Housing Association (FOHA) was established in 1984 by the St Vincent de Paul Society in South Australia.
A Tier 2 community housing provider, it became incorporated in May 1984. With more than 35 years’ experience delivering specialist tenancy management services, and a housing portfolio comprising various dwelling types from Goolwa in the South to Elizabeth in the North, FOHA developed a long-standing reputation as a professional and trusted community housing provider in South Australia.
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In 2019 FOHA received an invitation to merge with Amélie Housing under the umbrella of the St Vincent de Paul Society. With Tier 1 status, Amélie Housing had commenced operating as the national community housing provider for the Society the year before, following a mandate from the National Council.
Amélie Housing was established as a ‘special work’ by the Society of St Vincent de Paul.
With a team of seven staff in Adelaide, under the leadership of State manager Roman Kowalczyk, Amélie is pursuing opportunities for growth such as its most recent development project in the north of Adelaide. Currently in the planning and approval stages, the project comprises 20 new social and affordable homes.
Mr Kowalczyk said the opportunity to merge and work closely with other states and territories as a national community housing provider presented FOHA with an opportunity to pursue development projects that would deliver more homes for South Australians in desperate need.
“By working closely with a range of partners including the Cabra Dominican Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, St Dominic Priory Inc and Sisters of St Joseph, Amélie Housing seeks to ‘build hope through housing’ and reduce the housing stress experienced by many within the SA community,” he said.