Growth Readiness Assessment
The Growth Readiness Assessment (GRA) is the starting point of Community Housing Futures WA, and it is free. Delivered by experienced external and independent assessors, the GRA provides your organisation with a comprehensive, independent review of your current capability, identifying your strengths, uncovering gaps, and setting out a clear, practical roadmap for growth.
Key Information
- Status: Open
- Cost: Free
- Expressions of Interest (EOI): Open from April 2026, ongoing until March 2028
- Submit an Express of Interest Form: access the GRA EOI here
About The Stream
The assessment tool was shaped by the Tier 2 & Tier 3 Community Housing Toolkit a practical, evidence-based resource developed by Shelter WA and commissioned from BlueSalt Consulting, which identified the key growth foundations and strategies common to successful community housing organisations across Australia. Whether your organisation is emerging, consolidating, or ready to scale, the GRA meets you where you are.
Organisations that complete a Growth Readiness Assessment receive a tailored feedback report with targeted recommendations across key areas including governance, financial systems, operational readiness, and strategic planning. These recommendations then form the basis for your organisation’s participation in the Business Advisory and Training, Education and Tools streams, ensuring that every element of support you access through Community Housing Futures WA is directly connected to your organisation’s real priorities and growth potential.
How The Assessment Works
The Growth Readiness Assessment is structured around three interconnected stages:
- Understanding Your Organisation’s Landscape and Foundations
The assessment begins with a thorough review of your organisation’s operating context, the internal and external factors shaping how it functions, where it sits in the sector, and what conditions it is navigating. This stage establishes the foundation for everything that follows. - Assessing Your Key Growth Metrics
At the heart of the GRA is a structured diagnostic of your organisation’s growth foundations, covering governance, financial health, operational systems, asset management, and strategic readiness. This stage produces a clear picture of where the organisation stands against the key indicators of a capable, growth-ready community housing provider. - Choosing Your Strategic Direction
The final stage translates the diagnostic findings into a practical, prioritised roadmap. Organisations receive clear guidance on which actions will have the greatest impact, in what order, and through which streams of Community Housing Futures WA support those actions can be progressed.
Who the Growth Readiness Assessment Is For
Different organisations come to the GRA for different reasons, all of them valid:
Registered CHOs, Tier 2 & Tier 3
For registered organisations at Tier 2 and Tier 3, the Growth Readiness Assessment provides an independent, evidence-based diagnostic of current capability and growth potential. The assessment identifies specific areas, whether in governance, financial systems, asset management, or operational capacity, where targeted investment will have the greatest impact. Organisations receive a structured feedback report that builds a compelling, credible case for the resources and support needed to expand housing delivery, strengthen sector positioning, and access larger State and Commonwealth funding opportunities.
Registered CHOs, Tier 1
For larger, established organisations, the Growth Readiness Assessment offers an independent review of systems, governance maturity, and strategic readiness. The structured diagnostic provides an objective evidence base to inform board-level decision making, support organisational planning, and demonstrate to government and funding partners that the organisation is positioned for the next level of delivery and collaboration.
Unregistered and Emerging CHOs
For organisations providing housing services outside the formal registration framework, the Growth Readiness Assessment offers a clear-eyed analysis of current organisational capability and an honest appraisal of what registration readiness would require. While the assessment does not deliver registration, it provides the structured roadmap that enables organisations to make informed, well-timed decisions about pursuing registration, identifying priority actions and sequencing them in a way that is practical and achievable given the organisation’s current circumstances.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and ACHOs
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, the Growth Readiness Assessment is designed to respect and reflect the unique governance structures, community obligations, and operating environments of Aboriginal-led housing organisations. The assessment process is culturally informed and flexible, providing tailored recommendations that support organisational self-determination, long-term housing sustainability, and the ability to access funding and partnerships that strengthen the delivery of culturally appropriate housing for Aboriginal communities.
Key Features of the Assessment at a Glance
- Free to access for all eligible organisations
- Independent professional assessment of your organisation’s capability and readiness
- Informed by the Shelter WA Tier 2 & Tier 3 Community Housing Toolkit (BlueSalt Consulting, commissioned by Shelter WA)
- Tailored feedback report with practical, prioritised recommendations
- Covers governance, financial strength, systems, and operational readiness
- Supports informed, timely decisions around registration pathways for unregistered organisations
- Opens additional benefits to Business Advisory grants and Training, Education and Tools support
- Expressions of Interest opening in April and will be ongoing until March 2028.
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): all accepted organisations will enter into an MOU before assessment is commenced.
Community Housing Futures WA and Shelter WA acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country and their ongoing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and to the Elders past and present. We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and our recognition and acceptance of your invitation to walk with you towards a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
