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About Us

Homelessness NSW Team

Amy Hains, A/CEO

Amy is an inclusive and strategic leader with a strong track record of facilitating strategic change and uniting diverse groups around a common purpose. Amy comes to us from the NSW public health system, where she has led strategy, planning, analytics and service development portfolios over a 20-year career. When asked why she wants to work for Homelessness NSW, Amy says, “I have decided to make the leap to Homelessness NSW because I'm really excited by the organisation's vision and its use of systems and collective impact thinking to influence major system change.”

Joshua Greenwood, Partnerships & Governance

Experienced senior executive with a demonstrated history of complex large scale transformation and reform projects within the public and community sector. Joshua has previously worked on projects including leading the implementation for the NSW Government’s economic response to the COVID-19 crisis - initially within the Treasury Taskforce and now the newly established Strategy & Delivery Unit, and designing and implementing Outcome Budgeting in the NSW Government, helping NSW lead the world in public financial management.

Dr Sonya Pearce, Aunty in Residence

Aunty in Residence Dr. Sonya Pearce (Gooreng Gooreng/Kabi Kabi/ASSI) Dip. Adult Ed (Aboriginal), B.Ed. (Adults), M.Ed. (Adults), PhD (Mgmt.) (UTS), CIV TAE (TAFE NSW) Expertise – Education, training, research, and community development Cultural Awareness through knowledge and skill development across organisation and sector. Aunty Sonya works at Homelessness NSW as she has a passion to work towards social justice and self-determination for her people in the community. Auntry Sonya has over 40 years of experience with direct engagement in community development with individuals, families, and communities, through education, training, research and employment in this space.

Sarah Luff, Senior Project Officer: Service Standards

Sarah has worked within the homelessness sector in regional NSW for over 10 years, having most recently held an Operations Manager role with a youth organisation in the Central West of NSW. At Homelessness NSW Sarah provides support to organisations working towards ASES accreditation. Sarah is committed to the homelessness sector, continuously improving support and services, working towards more positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Sime Knezevic, Grants Coordinator

Sime Knezevic brings a wealth of experience to Homelessness NSW as their dedicated Grants Manager. With a proven track record in strategic funding allocation, Sime's commitment to addressing homelessness drives his meticulous approach in allocating vital resources for impactful initiatives.

Rennie Holland, Membership Engagement & Events Coordinator

Rennie, a dynamic professional, spearheads Homelessness NSW's membership engagement and events with zeal. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for fostering community connections, Rennie ensures that members are actively involved in the organisation's mission to address homelessness in NSW. Her innovative event coordination and collaborative spirit contribute to creating impactful and meaningful experiences for both members and partners alike.

Jessie Robinson, Aboriginal Project Officer

Proud Gamillaroi woman who grew up on Darkinjung land and holds a Diploma in Social Services. Prior to joining us at Homelessness NSW Jessie was an Aboriginal casework specialist within the Specialist Homelessness Services sector. At HNSW Jessie will be overseeing multiple projects including the Aboriginal Community of Practice, cultural trainings and support with ASES accreditation. Jessie has a strong sense of social justice and finds purpose in working towards a better future for her people.

Naomi Lewis, Senior Project Officer: Together Home

Naomi has a background in psychology and social work and has a wide range of experience in the social sector, in case work, community development and project management. Naomi has worked in AOD, HIV and for the last number of years in homelessness directly. She has a deep knowledge of the Together Home program – she comes to us from the Salvation Army where she has been a senior case manager for Together Home!

George Economidis, Project Support: Together Home

George Economidis has extensive experience coordinating and evaluating projects in the child protection sector, particularly programs that have been implemented in New South Wales, Australia, and funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. George is also in the final stages of completing a PhD at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) investigating the effects of family-based therapy interventions on reducing child abuse and neglect in high-risk families.

Dr Kate Davies, Policy & Research Manager

Kate is passionate about bringing together research, lived-experience, practice and policy to challenge issues of social injustice. Most of her career has been in research and community development roles, having worked throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She is currently a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle. Kate is active in social justice issues in her local community, including as a Board member for Nova for Women and Children and Hunter Homeless Connect. Kate strongly believes that homelessness can be solved. She describes herself as equal parts optimistic and fierce about the fight for everyone to have a home.

Fiona Cameron, EA to CEO

Fiona has over 25 years administrative experience as an EA supporting senior executives in a variety in industries. Prior to joining Homelessness NSW Fiona was Regional Travel Manager for the global engineering firm, Arup. Fiona's role is to support our CEO and to keep her day free-flowing as possible. She is the link between the CEO and our stakeholders. She also pitches-in whenever and wherever needed. Fiona truly believes Homelessness NSW can make a difference to resolving homelessness and is proud her skills can contribute to the bigger picture.

Dean Hart, Industry Capacity Manager

Dean is a non-profit and public sector management professional with a passion for social justice. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in the non-profit, housing / homelessness, local government and criminal justice sectors, including 7 years’ experience in senior management Dean has significant expertise and experience in managing partnerships and collaboration with other NGOs and corporates. He is highly creative and results driven.

Caroline Caceres, Learning & Development Manager

I support Homelessness NSW in delivering exceptional employee and customer experiences. I am passionate about creating change on a personal and organisational level through innovative, simple and effective solutions to engage, motivate and connect. My focus is to deliver superior customer value by addressing organisational goals and the needs of individuals to achieve peak performance.

Cara Cross, Office Manager

Cara has a wealth of administration experience, predominantly in the ophthalmology industry, covering HR, finance and operations. Cara covers all the essential office and organisational responsibilities and provides solid administrative support to the team.

Michael Morrison, Industry Development Lead

Michael has worked across a range of government and non government roles in homelessness policy, strategy, sector development, service delivery and commissioning. He has also worked in non government frontline mental health, supported accommodation and spent a year working with the Red Cross in the Phillipines on their ‘Typhoon Haiyan Shelter Program’.

Tess McGregor, Senior Project Officer – Learning & Development

Tess brings extensive experience in delivering large learning and HR projects in the legal and tech sector. Tess holds a BA in Politics and International Studies and Media and Communication, showcasing her dedication to social change and making a positive impact on society. At Homelessness NSW, Tess is responsible for the design, delivery and evaluation of learning and development opportunities to build capability within our sector. The many issues that impact Homelessness are close to my heart and it is a privilege to work for an organisation that is trying to make a positive change that can impact a person’s quality of life and future.

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