Focus Group Questions for Draft
Waterloo South People and Place Plan
REDWatch Meeting 2nd
May 2024
Welcome,
and thank you for participating in this important discussion. Today, we are
gathering your insights and feedback on the Draft People and Place Plan
proposed by Homes NSW for the Waterloo South redevelopment.
You
can find the Draft
People and Place Plan and the consultant’s reports on Connecting to Country
and a Place Framework on LAHC’s
Waterloo website
This
plan deals with the people and place aspects of the redevelopment, the impacts
on the existing public housing community,
those being relocated and those living in the redeveloped area and the
shifting balance between public housing supported by Homes NSW and CHP tenants
supported by the CHPs over time.
Your
perspectives are invaluable in ensuring that the plan adequately addresses the
needs and aspirations of the public housing community.
Introduction
Questions:
Can
you briefly share what you value most about the current Waterloo community?
What
are the biggest challenges we are likely to face as a community?
Understanding
the Plan:
Do you
find the plan and its actions easy to understand including who is responsible
for delivering the actions?
From
what you know or have heard, what aspects of the plan do you think will most
positively impact the community?
Do you
think it is a good enough start to support the entire community deal with the
people impacts of the redevelopment (before, during and afterwards)?
Identifying
Gaps and Missing Elements:
Can
you find where your concerns are covered in the plan? Are there any critical
issues or community needs you expected to see that the plan does not address?
We
want you to look and comment on three parts of the plan:
1) Working with Social Housing residents
(page 20) – The plan aims to work closely with tenants, agencies, and the
Aboriginal community. Are the collaboration and inclusion strategies outlined
sufficient? Are any groups or needs being overlooked? Do they reflect
undertakings already provided.
2) Supporting Health and Wellbeing
(Page 26) – Do you feel the plan’s approach to health and wellbeing sufficiently
covers issues such as mental health support and resources and other services to
improve health and wellbeing? (The report uses Waterloo wide 2021 Census data but
the public housing area data is very different – eg people with a mental health
condition in Waterloo South was 18.6% not the 9% Waterloo and City of Sydney
average in the draft plan.)
3) Feeling Safe and Welcoming (Page
32)– Will the actions proposed foster a more welcoming environment for all
community members? The draft refers to a recent survey finding only 41% of
Waterloo tenants felt safe walking around their neighbourhood at night while
78% felt safe to very safe in their homes.
Practical
Application and Implementation:
What
are your biggest concerns regarding the implementation of this plan?
How do
you believe the community should be involved in monitoring and evaluating the
plan’s progress?
Final Thoughts and Suggestions:
If you
could add one action or revision to the plan, what would it be and why?
How
hopeful are you about the positive impact of this plan on the Waterloo
redevelopment and its residents?
Your
input today will help REDWatch and our Groundswell partners better understand
community perspectives on the Draft People and Place Plan and advocate for a
final plan that meets the needs and aspirations of Waterloo’s public housing
community. Thank you for your valuable contribution.