The Homelessness NSW Board is comprised of nine members elected by our membership. It is advised by a Policy Council, which can comprise up to 16 members, including Board members. The Board meets at least bi-monthly and we have an AGM at the end of each year.
Our board is made up of unpaid individuals elected by our membership.
Di Glover joined the Board in October 2021. Di has worked in the homelessness sector for over 30 years and in 2020 was very proud to have received a Lifetime Achievement Award (2020 SHS Good Practice Awards). She is passionate about being part of creating a future without homelessness and strongly align to the vision, purpose and values of Homelessness NSW. She has extensive experience in both participating in, and leading, the governance of not-for-profit boards, committees and working groups including having been on the Board of YFoundations on two separate occasions (2001- 2003 and 2015-2019).
Di has been for 21 years the CEO of Yes Unlimited (lead agency for the Southern Murrumbidgee Homelessness Alliance).
Jenny Hargreaves joined the Board in October 2021 and is currently Acting Senior Manager- Safety and Prevention Western NSW for Barnardos Australia. Jenny has extensive rural/remote experience in managing service delivery in this space and so will bring a strong rural/remote/regional perspective to the Homelessness NSW Board.
Jenny believes the Homelessness NSW peak is critically important for the sector at this time, as homelessness and risk of homelessness is an ongoing growing issue of concern in or communities, as well as the lack of affordable long-term housing for people in regional and remote communities in NSW is reaching a critical point. The role of a peak body such as Homelessness NSW is critical for advocating and influencing social policy and sector development.
Jenny has worked for both government and the Non-Government organisations in this sector for over the past 30 years, including aged care, disability and child protection. Jenny holds a Bachelor of Social Science – Social Welfare.
Jenny brings extensive experience and knowledge about the barriers and challenges that marginalised and vulnerable people in rural remote areas face in trying to secure long term affordable housing. Jenny is keen to contribute to this space of advocacy that influences, informs and enable government in policy for vulnerable children and families in the community.
Beverley joined HNSW Board in 2022. Beverley’s current role is Contract Manager & Service Improvement. She has worked at Mission Australia in many different roles from Front Line Worker, Team Leader, Service Manager and Specialist Homelessness Service Worker. She has managed services other than homelessness and worked with many different funding requirements. She has had experience in working in many partnerships and collaboration with a range of not for profit and government services.
Her passion is to support those who are homelessness to be connected to a place that they can call home. She has worked in the youth arena the majority of her life and has a strong dedication to support youth early in their lives. Beverley is committed to being on the HNSW board and looks forward to contributing towards, change, contributing her knowledge, participating and learning.
Rob Seaton joined the Board in September 2019. Rob is operations manager for Wesley Mission’s specialist homelessness services, with activities throughout Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Mid North Coast.
She is the Manager of the Linking Hearts Multicultural Family Violence and Homelessness Service at Muslim Women Australia. Muslim Women Australia is proposing my nomination to be accepted and supported as a board member of Homelessness NSW.
Muslim Women Australia has been serving culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women and their families, for 40 years in relation to settlement services, domestic violence and homelessness support and community development initiatives.
MWA is both a Community Housing Provider (Tier 3) and operates a Specialist Homelessness Service with a strong practice and policy presence across Sydney and South-West Sydney, with sound knowledge of the needs and vision for the Greater Sydney region.
She wishes to ensure a considered and nuanced perspective of the overt and covert homelessness challenges and needs experienced by multicultural families and advocate for improved practice and structural reforms. She hopes to support effective homelessness responses inclusive of workforce participation outcomes, particularly across its intersections with DFV, older women and supporting women with children with disabilities in their care.
MWA provides domestic violence and homelessness support to women and families from CALD backgrounds with safe and supported crisis and transitional accommodation, delivering holistic support options focusing on prevention, early intervention, rapid rehousing and intensive support for clients with complex needs. Our existing best practice model provides well integrated case management support and pathways to PlacePlan programs, inclusive of the Opportunity Pathways, Brighter Futures and the Housing Pathway etc.
She can add value to great work Homelessness NSW already does and support an informed navigation of upcoming opportunities and challenges in a post COVID, inflation world
Her role is to manage the delivery of the Linking Hearts service in line with SHS Outcomes Framework and ensure our work is aligned with the NSW Governments vision and policy settings inclusive of the NSW Future Directions for Social Housing Policy and its’ initiatives; the NSW Housing Strategy 2041, the NSW Homelessness Strategy 2018 -2023 as well as the NSW Premiers priority to break the cycle of disadvantage, specific to reducing street homelessness.
She also works directly with the CEO and senior management team at MWA, as part of succession planning and continuous improvement strategies, while working collaboratively across the sector, predominantly at a State level. She is a 32 years of age and a humbly proud Australian Muslim woman, of Lebanese heritage. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Criminology and Social Policy) from University of New South Wales, She is passionate about social justice, social inclusion, diversity, policy, housing and homelessness and women’s issues. She has governance experience and worked previously at local councils and the criminal justice system. She hopes to contribute to policy reform that enhances culturally, linguistically and religiously appropriate service provision to facilitate women’s agency and greater accessibility of support to multicultural families, by sharing the 40 years of expertise MWA has; and by learning from leaders across this sector.
