In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Unity Housing has once again decided to close its offices to the public, from Monday 25 July 2022 until further notice.

For our tenants, I would like to reassure you that Unity Housing staff will continue to support you in your tenancy:

• Your Housing Officer and maintenance staff remain contactable by phone and email using the same contact details as usual.
• Meetings will continue as usual by phone or by email but not in the office in person.
• If you need additional tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

In order to make the best decisions for tenants, staff and contractors, Unity Housing will continue to take our advice from SA Health and ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety remain paramount.

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit sahealth.sa.gov/covid-19.

Keep safe and well.

Matthew Woodward
Chief Executive Officer
Unity Housing Company

From Monday 16 May all Unity Housing offices reopen to the public.

If attending a Unity Housing office, please wear a face mask or ask our front Reception staff for one.

Please do not attend any Unity Housing office if you are feeling unwell; please seek medical advice.

We strongly recommend you follow SA Health advice and get vaccinated for COVID-19, including getting a third dose (commonly referred to as a booster dose).

For more information, including how to access COVID vaccinations, please visit SA Health’s website or go to www.sahealth.sa.gov.au or call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787.

Thank you,
Unity Housing

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Unity Housing has closed its offices to the public, until further notice.

For our tenants, I would like to reassure you that Unity Housing staff will always seek to be available by phone or email and will continue to support you in your tenancy:

• Your Housing Officer and maintenance staff remain contactable by phone and email using the same contact details as usual.
• Meetings will continue as usual by phone or by email but not in the office in person.
• If you need additional tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

In order to make the best decisions for tenants, staff and contractors, we will continue to take our advice from SA Health and ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety are absolutely paramount.

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVID2019.

Keep safe and well.

Matthew Woodward
Chief Executive Officer
Unity Housing Company

Introduction of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all Unity Housing employees, volunteers, work placement students and contractors.

At Unity Housing our priority is to ensure people feel safe and secure in their homes and in the workplace. Under Work, Health and Safety legislation, employers have a duty of care to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of workers at work and those affected by their work. This requires Unity Housing to manage the risk of COVID-19 for staff, contractors and others in the work environment, including tenants. Current evidence supports that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to protect people and their families; that vaccinated people are less infectious and significantly less likely to become seriously ill.

To this end, the Unity Housing Board of Directors has mandated that all Unity Housing staff, volunteers, work placement students and contractors must be double vaccinated against COVID-19 by Friday 3 December 2021, as per Unity Housing’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

This policy is intended to protect all workers and tenants by minimising the risks of COVID-19 transmission and infection.

If you have any questions, please contact Unity Housing’s Pandemic Manager, Warrick Dillon, at w.dillon@unityhousing.org.au.

Thank you,
Unity Housing

From Monday 18 October 2021, Unity Housing offices reopened to the public.

Please do not attend any Unity Housing office if you are feeling unwell. Please seek medical advice.

Face masks must be worn when attending Unity Housing offices.

Unity Housing continues to take our advice from SA Health and will ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety are absolutely paramount.

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit  sahealth.sa.gov.au/

Thank you,
Unity Housing

From Monday 16 August 2021, Unity Housing offices are open to the public by appointment only until further notice (other than our boarding house office which remains open).

Please do not attend any Unity Housing office if you are feeling unwell. Please seek medical advice.

Face masks must be worn when attending Unity Housing offices.

For Tenants: our staff will maintain contact with you. If you need to make an appointment or need tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

Unity Housing continues to take our advice from SA Health and will ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety are absolutely paramount.

From Monday 16 August, all South Australians aged 16 and over are eligible to book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccines.

• The Pfizer vaccine is available for everyone 16 to 59 years of age.
• The AstraZeneca vaccine is available for people aged 18 to 59 years. To get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, people will need to make an informed decision by speaking with the vaccination provider at their appointment.
• People aged 60 years and over will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Bookings are essential at all SA Health vaccination clinics. Appointments are in high demand and more will be added as more vaccine becomes available. Bookings are available at sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDvaccine.

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit  sahealth.sa.gov.au/

Stay safe and well,
Unity Housing

In line with the SA COVID-19 lockdown, Unity Housing has closed our offices (other than our Boarding House Program), effective from 6pm Tuesday 20 July 2021, until further notice.

For the next seven days, we must at stay home. We can only leave home for five reasons: 

1. Care and compassionate reasons, such as taking care of a loved one
2. Essential work, if you are an authorised essential worker
3. Purchasing of essential goods such as food, medical supplies and petrol
4. Medical reasons including COVID testing and vaccination
5. Exercise with people from your household within 2.5km of your home for up to 90 minutes per day

If we leave home for any of these reasons, masks must be worn in public places.

For our tenants, Unity Housing staff will always seek to be available by phone or email and will continue to support you in your tenancy:

• Your Housing Officer and Maintenance staff remain contactable by phone and email using the same contact details as usual.
• Meetings will continue as usual by phone or by email but not in the office in person.

Our staff will maintain contact with tenants during this difficult period. If you need additional tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

In order to make the best decisions for our tenants, staff and contractors, we will continue to take our advice from SA Health and ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety are absolutely paramount.

Please get tested if you develop any of the symptoms of COVID-19.

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit  sahealth.sa.gov.au

Stay safe and well,
Unity Housing

Unity Housing supports the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

The COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out in phases across South Australia to ensure priority groups can access the vaccine. Vulnerable persons and adults over 50 years of age are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

​​​​​​​To find out which phase of the rollout you will be in, and if you can book a COVID-19 vaccination yet, visit the Australian Government’s Vaccine Eligibility Checker (at https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility) or call the National COVID-19 Vaccine Information Line on 1800 020 080.

Unity Housing gives serious regard for our employees’ and tenants’ health and safety, and the health and safety of other persons entering our workplaces.

As far as is reasonably possible we have taken measures to reduce the risk of employees, tenants and visitors being exposed to COVID-19. This includes:

• Minimising face to face meetings; continuing to use other platforms e.g. online (Zoom/Skype) or via telephone (voice/Facetime).
• Maintaining physical distancing – remaining a minimum of 1.5 metres apart and capping the number of persons in each work area within our offices to comply with the 1 person per 2 square metre standard.
• Providing hand sanitiser and antibacterial surface wipes in all communal areas of our offices.
• Regular professional cleaning of all offices.
• Posting COVID-19 related signage around offices, as issued by SA Health.
• Adhering to policies and procedures that support Unity Housing’s management of the Pandemic eg COVID-19 Office Safety Protocols.
• Complying with all pandemic directives as issued by SA Health, SA Police and the SA Government.
• Reinforcing that if persons are feeling unwell they are not to attend Unity Housing’s sites but seek medical advice.

Vaccination rollout

South Australia is still in the first stage of the vaccine rollout, which is limited to frontline health care, medi-hotel and airport workers, as well as residents and staff of residential aged care and disability facilities.

The second phase of the rollout will begin next month with doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine targeting the APY Lands, remaining healthcare settings and other essential services personnel.

That phase will also deliver the vaccine to older people over 60 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people more generally and adults under 60 with underlying medical conditions.

The final phase will be the broad rollout of the Novavax vaccine from September 2021, subject to successful trials and approvals.

Happy New Year. All Unity Housing offices reopened to the public on Monday 4 January 2021.

Tenants please note – for tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer. Thank you.

Please click here to read the latest update on South Australia’s six-day lockdown.

In response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak (Parafield cluster) Unity Housing has closed its offices to the public, effective from 5pm on Monday 16 November 2020 until further notice.

For our tenants, I would like to reassure you that Unity Housing staff will always seek to be available by phone or email and will continue to support you in your tenancy:

• Your Housing Officer and Maintenance staff remain contactable by phone and email using the same contact details as usual.
• Meetings will continue as usual by phone or by email but not in the office in person.

Our staff will maintain contact with tenants during this difficult period. If you need additional tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

In order to make the best decisions for our tenants, staff and contractors, we will continue to take our advice from SA Health and ensure we follow their guidelines. Your health and safety are absolutely paramount.

People experiencing any of the following symptoms should be tested for COVID-19:

• Fever or chills (in the absence of an alternative illness that explains these symptoms)
• An acute respiratory infection e.g. symptoms of cough, sore throat, runny nose, or shortness of breath
• Loss of smell or alteration in the sense of taste

For more information, please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 or visit sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVID2019.

Keep safe and well.

Matthew Woodward
Chief Executive Officer
Unity Housing Company

With the government easing COVID-19 restrictions, Unity Housing is transitioning back to ‘normal’ operating procedures.

All our offices will re-open to the public on Monday, 21 September 2020.

As we re-open our offices, strict social distancing and other precautionary measures (including sneeze guards at our reception desks and hand sanitiser stations) will remain in place to ensure we keep everyone safe.

Visitors and staff with obvious symptoms of illness will not be permitted to enter our offices. If you are unwell, please see your doctor.

If you are unable to come into the office and need tenancy support, please contact your Housing Officer by phone or email.

Urgent and emergency maintenance work will continue to be delivered under the same arrangements as have been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As we have directed our staff, please continue to:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
• Avoid touching your mouth and face.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth with your flexed elbow or tissue – dispose of the tissue immediately and wash your hands.
• Avoid close contact with others, especially people who are coughing or sneezing.
• Maintain 1.5 metre distance from other people wherever possible.

For more information about COVID-19 go to:

• Government of South Australia website
• Australian Government Department of Health website

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary circumstances.

Keep safe and well.

Matthew Woodward
Chief Executive Officer
Unity Housing Company

In response to the escalating impact of COVID-19, Unity Housing has enacted our Pandemic Response Action Plan and Business Continuity Plan that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of our staff, tenants, partners and local community.

Unity Housing will continue to actively monitor available information and escalate our response accordingly, based on known key factors in containing COVID-19 relating to:

– Minimising non-essential human contact
– Maintaining appropriate distances from others (social distancing)
– Maintaining good personal hygiene practices

Unity Housing is therefore continuing to put in place work practices and precautionary measures based on these factors which will assist in reducing the impact of COVID-19 and mitigating the risks to staff and tenants.

The challenges presented by COVID-19 are likely to extend over at least the next several months, and Unity Housing is seeking to implement a long-term, sustainable approach. This approach will also continue to be balanced wherever possible to ensure the ongoing provision of our services.

To date, we have taken the following measures to ensure business continuity and availability for our tenants, partners and staff:

– Suspended non-critical business travel for all employees
– Extended work-from-home policies for employees to fulfil their usual roles safely
– Increased use of technology to conduct and participate in meetings remotely for all meetings with external parties
– Closed our offices to external visitors
– Strengthened our existing Business Continuity Plan confirming support for work-from-home and remote support scenarios.

Unity Housing is monitoring the Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak and will act according to their direction/advice.

Matthew Woodward
Chief Executive Officer
Unity Housing Company

Click here to read the letter sent to our tenants. The letter is for all Unity Housing tenants other than those living in our Boarding Houses and The Globe Apartments for which separate letters, specific to the location, have been issued.