“Our vision is to create a sustainable housing system that provides secure homes for all.”

Shelter NSW is an independent, non-profit, member-driven organisation that has been advocating for better housing outcomes since 1975. We represent the broad interests of a diverse network of members, partners and aligned industry stakeholders who share our vision of a secure home for all NSW residents. We are especially concerned with housing insecurity, increasingly experienced by people on low and very low incomes. We pursue our vision of an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable housing system through critical engagement with policy and collaborative leadership initiatives with government, community and the private sector.

Staff Members

John Engeler

CEO

John joined Shelter NSW as CEO in early 2020, having been involved in the formation, development and operation of Social, Affordable & Specialist housing for most of his professional life. He has a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and has undertaken post-graduate legal studies. Having spent a number of years in the private, public and community sectors, he especially enjoys the opportunity to contribute to innovative housing responses, delivering solutions to those for whom the market falls short.

Stacey Miers

Principal Project Officer

Stacey has worked at the interface between town planning, social, environmental, and cultural impacts over many decades. Her work has often revolved around broad-based interdisciplinary projects that explore complex societal issues through planning frameworks. Stacey has undertaken research and written numerous publications on the NSW Planning system, housing supply policies, social impact assessment, and NSW Aboriginal Land Councils. Combined with her research and policy work, Stacey has devised various short films including one called ‘Habitat to Home’, which aims to take the viewer on a visual journey exploring the concept of home and homelessness.

Thomas Chailloux

Senior Policy Officer

Thomas is a social justice advocate and public policy professional. He has experience working with people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity, peak bodies, community legal centres and community organisations. Having previously worked on tenancy legislation reform campaigns, value capture mechanisms and legal issues faced by people experiencing homelessness, amongst other housing related topics, Thomas is acutely conscious of the challenges we face working towards a fair and sustainable housing system for all. He holds a Master’s degree in Urban Public Policy from Sciences Po Paris.

Matilda Sutherland

Program Coordinator

Matilda joined Shelter NSW in March 2024 with a passion for social justice and equity. Matilda has a Bachelor of Information Technology, a Masters of Information Management and experience in the corporate sector. She is excited for this change of focus and to make a positive difference with Shelter NSW.

Board Members

Simone Parsons

Chairperson

Simone has an extensive career in housing and homelessness and holds a firm belief in housing first, and housing as a human right. Simone has worked across all tiers of Government and in the NFP sector, with an early career in community development. Simone understands the value of including the voices of people with lived experience in policy and decision making. She was Chair of the Social Housing Tenancy Advisory Committee (SHTAC) for Housing NSW, was Deputy CEO of Women’s Community Shelters where she was focused on shifting the organisation to a longer-term housing capability, innovating in areas such as meanwhile use. In her current role as Chief Operating Officer at Bridge Housing, a Tier 1 Community Housing Provider, Simone is responsible for the delivery of social and affordable housing to over 5000 tenants. Simone is Chair of the Community Housing Industry Association, Domestic and Family Violence Community of Practice.

Bill Steenson

Deputy Chairperson and Public Officer

Bill joined the Shelter Board in November 2020 and is now the Chair of the Finance Committee. He is passionate about fairness, access, and addressing disadvantage and sees the work of Shelter NSW as playing a key part in that. Bill currently works for the Fair Work Commission as a Principal Lawyer, specialising in compliance and whistleblower disclosures. He has had considerable involvement with member-based organisations, their governance and financial management (both as a regulator and as a committee/board member). Bill holds a Masters in Law and a Master of Public Administration and is an accredited mediator. He also serves on the board of WEA Sydney.

Verity Froud

Treasurer

Verity has decades of experience in financial services, predominately in banking and securitisation funding roles for various businesses. This has often included considering alternate ways to fund houses and housing projects. Currently she is consulting in the securitisation industry. Previous roles include working with AMAL Trustees holding various roles across the Trust Management and Trustee businesses, being a founding member of Xinja, leading to the successful launch of a neobank, as well as holding roles at Macquarie Bank and Bluestone Mortgages. Having begun at AMP in actuarial services, she has always had a keen interest in data, modelling and risk analysis.

Janet Chappell

Secretary

Janet has worked in urban strategy and planning for a number of years in State government and private consulting. This has included housing-related research, policy formulation, housing policy management at Landcom (current role), setting housing affordability and diversity targets and initiatives to better understand local housing need. Previous roles included city strategy at the Greater Sydney Commission, NSW Department of Planning preparing metropolitan and regional strategies, working at the Urban Design Advisory Service, Urbis, Six Degrees and Allen Jack + Cottier Architects. She is a graduate of the Foundations of Directorship at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Master of Urban Design and Bachelor of Architecture (Hons).

Paul Coe

Paul is a Wiradjuri man, born and raised in Sydney amid the black power movement and schooled by key Sydney Aboriginal leaders in the fight for Aboriginal land rights and progression to Aboriginal self-determination. He was a leading child protection expert on the needs of Aboriginal children, pursuing systemic change to improve the alarming over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care before pivoting and focusing on Aboriginal housing outcomes. Paul is now leading Birribee Housing as it supports Aboriginal families across Sydney and regional NSW. Growing Birribee Housing into a vessel that can deliver on the vision of the parent entity, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, and deliver self-determination for Aboriginal people through Aboriginal led control of housing outcomes.

Kirsten Steedman

With extensive experience in corporate social sustainability, public advocacy, communications and skilled workplace volunteering, Kirsten has a proven career history of creating and implementing innovative strategies that deliver impactful, measurable outcomes. In April 2022, Kirsten joined the team at Stockland in the role of Social Sustainability Manager – Affordability and Inclusion to play a lead role in building Stockland’s positioning, strategy and capability around affordability and housing, accessibility, and economic inclusion. Previously she headed Lendlease’s shared-value initiative, FutureSteps, which was aimed at addressing homelessness and rising levels of housing stress in Australia. In addition to her extensive experience within the property industry, Kirsten has delivered a number of social sustainability projects throughout Australia including the establishment of training, education and employment opportunities for individuals facing economic hardship.

Murray Mayes

Murray is a public housing tenant and community leader with Better Renting and Sydney Alliance. He believes effective community solutions must combine lived experience with policy expertise. A Dean's Scholar graduate from UOW, he studied social policy while working in youth homelessness through street outreach and refuge services. As a policy officer for Mental Health Association NSW, Murray focused on the housing challenges created by psychiatric institutionalisation. Believing in the power of a well-organised civil society, he formed a cross-sector policy committee to coordinate mental health and housing policy. Currently, he galvanises community involvement and engages government on tenancy and household energy reforms. Murray sees broad alliances as key to turning Shelter’s strengths into community wins and is eager to help deepen these relationships.

Stephanie Oatley

Stephanie currently holds the position of CEO at Platform Youth Service. Stephanie has made an extraordinary impact on the Youth Homelessness Sector and the Specialist Homeless Service system through her commitment, dedication and passion to ensure that there is a viable and sustainable service system for young people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Shelter NSW Member Organisations

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