Established in 2020, St Joseph Affordable Homes is an innovative Catholic building and construction social enterprise, its purpose is to improve life and employment outcomes for young Tasmanians. An initiative of the Archdiocese of Hobart, St Joseph Affordable Homes is delivering a training and employment program, including an in-house apprenticeship scheme for young people. The extensive social and affordable housing building programs of CatholicCare Tasmania and Centacare Evolve Housing are the building and construction projects for St Joseph Affordable Homes. In under three years of operation we have employed over 30 young people, across a range of trades.
Apprenticeships
Young people looking for opportunities in building and construction are given life-skills and work readiness training, coaching, work experience, and employment opportunities - specifically employment as trade apprentices with St Joseph Affordable Homes. We employ and support trade apprentices who, as well as skills training, will receive one-on-one coaching and access to a range of wellbeing supports. All St Joseph Affordable Homes apprentices participate in Centacare Evolve Housing's Build Up Tassie Program. St Joseph Affordable Homes engages young people from all backgrounds, beliefs and circumstances.
As of April 2023, St Joseph Affordable Homes had provided employment outcomes for 31 young males and females across 8 trades. We aim to have a regular intake of trade apprentices and trainees through our Build Up Tassie program. If you would like more information get in touch or follow this link.
St Joseph Affordable Homes launched our Supporting Women to Succeed in Construction Strategy in 2022 and proactively works to recruit and retain women in the building industry. Over 26% of staff at SJAH are female.
Volunteer Apprentice Mentors
The Volunteer Mentor Program is an initiative to give young people within the St Joseph Affordable Homes Apprenticeship program an increased avenue of personalised support to enhance and develop the opportunities provided through Build Up Tassie and St Joseph Affordable Homes. Every apprentice is allocated a personal mentor once their apprenticeship starts, who they have regular contact with. The mentor supports the young person throughout their engagement with St Joseph Affordable Homes. We understand that there will be times when volunteers have to move on or a role does not suit them and mentors can opt-out at any time, with notice. Contact between mentors and apprentices varies and is through a range of face-face and phone contacts.
If you are interested in the apprentice program or in becoming a volunteer mentor, please contact adrian.ceh@aohtas.org.au
StJoseph Affordable Homes stands in the long tradition of Catholic service to people in need. The principles that guide St Joseph Affordable Homes are inspired by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, guided by Catholic Social Teaching, and informed by the Archbishop' s Charter for CatholicCareTasmania. Key guiding principles include:
StJoseph Affordable Homes acknowledges and deeply respects the dignity of each individual human person, no matter what their circumstance. The work of St Joseph Affordable Homes considers ways in which we can support and affirm people from all backgrounds, beliefs and circumstances.
St Joseph Affordable Homes acknowledges that human work is regarded as an important component to human fulfilment. I t has a value in and of itself. In particular St Joseph Affordable Homes will look to provide opportunities for people who have faced barriers to work and employment, especially young people.
St Joseph Affordable Homes will seek to provide support and service to those in the community most in need, who are experiencing poverty and vulnerability and who have barriers to human flourishing.
St Joseph Affordable Homes will utilise the Social Impact Approach developed by AOH, CCT and CEH as a means to work holistically to support individual, family and community wellbeing. The social impact approach focuses on developing the full human person across 7 wellbeing domains: housing, education, safety, economics, spirituality, health and community engagement.
Our social enterprise is named after St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ.
“St Joseph was a carpenter, and we’re trying to develop carpenters. Jesus himself would have learned the trade of being a carpenter under his foster father, Joseph. Joseph and his young pregnant wife Mary went to Bethlehem to report for the census. When they arrived, all the accommodation was taken up and they had nowhere to stay. St Joseph is very appropriate to have his name associated with this work, but also to place it under his patronage.”
