TFA interviews Kapitbahayan Co-operative Limited’s Ruben and Cen Amores

Perhaps unknown to many of us in the Filipino Australian community, Ruben and Cen Amores, husband and wife, have been providing community housing services for many years now as volunteer managers for Kapitbahayan Co-operative Limited (KCL).

This Saturday, December 10, they will open to the public another KCL community housing site. According to their media release, the land on which the new KCL site sits was purchased from the co-operative’s “surplus”, an unusual occurrence these days considering that a number of community-based organisations are either in the red or are surviving on a “hand-to-mouth” existence. The new site is located in Canley Vale, a suburb southwest of Sydney in the Fairfield district.

Ruben and Cen Amores

Ruben and Cen Amores together with other KCL board members are volunteer managers of the co-operative since 1995. The co-operative is a recipient of a number of awards for its role in community housing. Among others, KCL was awarded “Excellence in Assets Management” by the Association of Resource Co-op Housing and “Award for Excellence (Innovation in Service Delivery)” by the NSW Awards for Excellence in Community Housing Steering Committee in 2002, and 2004, respectively.

Ruben and Cen were both born and bred in the UN world heritage village of Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, northern Philippines. They migrated to Australia in 1991. Both Ruben and Cen are into education and public administration, Ruben with a masters in Public Administration and Cen with a doctorate in educational administration. Both have taught in colleges in the Philippines and Australia. Both are active in the Filipino Australian community. Cen, a lead consultant to an NGO, is currently the president of the Alliance of Philippine Community Organisations. Ruben is a licensed interpreter. They have three grown-up sons, Raphael, Brillo and Karlo.

Following a recent visit of a group of Japanese observers to a Kapitbahayan site in Merrylands, The Filipino Australian Editor Romy Cayabyab called Ruben and Cen to arrange an interview and know more about the operations of KCL.

Japanese observers group visiting a Kapitbahayan site with KCL officers and friends. From right: Ruben Amores (extreme right) and Cen Amores (sixth from right). [ click to zoom in ]

Below is a record of the interview:

1. There was a group of Japanese observers who recently visited a Kapitbahayan site in Merrylands. How did they get to know about the KCL home site?

We presented the Auburn Small Community Organisations Network (ASCON) at the NSW Community Relations Commission’s Annual Symposium two month ago. Two years before we also presented Kapitbahayan Coop that symposium of NSW community leaders. The Japanese reps in Sydney were there as observers and they expressed their desire to learn more about multiculturalism in Auburn as the Japanese government would like to address this new phenomenon in their country. Japan used to be a monocultural society but more and more people from other cultures are migrating or getting married to Japanese. They mentioned that ASCON is an outstanding community volunteer program. The Alliance of Philippine Community Organisations (APCO) and Kapitbahayan Co-operative Ltd (KCL) are active members of ASCON.

2. During the Japanese study tour in the KCL site, what was the observers’ main point of interests?

Based on the visiting Japanese local government officials’ questions they were interested to know how the coops are maintained and grew when we are doing this voluntarily, how tenants are selected, the coops management and how we become viable inspite of the low rentals, the main source of money for maintenance?

3. How many housing cooperative sites or units does KCL manage? Have all these been initiated by KCL? Or, have these just been taken over by KCL from other agencies or organisations?

There are five sites being managed by KCL: Auburn, Berala, Wentworthville, Merrylands and Canley Vale. These houses were built by government then turned over to us to manage for free. We were offered to manage a problematic coop in Bankstown and another site but KCL declined because we were to keep also the current problematic tenants. We helped organise the Sedgwick (Leumeah) Coop and Karen Burmese Coop and gave initial training and info to Turkish, Southern Sudan and Somali community groups.

4. When and how did KCL start? Who are its directors?

When we registered as a coop in 1995, community housing had been practiced in Australia for about 10 years. As newly arrived migrants and members of Lidcombe Filipino Family Support Group, we attended an info meeting re government services in Auburn. ARCH convinced us to organise a housing coop and Ruben was elected coordinator who attended more meetings, more trainings, did most of the paper works, project proposals, liaisoning and negotiations. Founding members are Maring and Cris Uru, Willie Plan, Rey and Brilla Quinoy, Joe and Della Caballero, Sally Clark, Dodong Capulong, Carlos Aloda and the late Jimmy Abraham.

5. Is KCL the first of its kind or are there similar cooperatives operating in New South Wales? Under which legislation is it operating?

A Kapitbahayan Co-operative community housing site

Community housing coops and collectives of mostly Caucasian migrants and Aussies were already about ten years in existence under the Dept of Housing when we got registered initially as Kapit-bahayan Filipino Housing Coop Ltd. We later changed the name to Kapitbahayan Co-operative Ltd to convey that we are not exclusively housing only Filipinos.

6. You mentioned in one of your media releases that another KCL site, Canley Vale, was purchased from surplus funds of KCL. How exactly does KCL fund its operations? Does KCL receive funding from the government? What proportion of the cost of a site project is funded by the government? By KCL or other sources?

The Canley Vale Affordable Housing Project is another innovation by KCL to increase its rental properties. KCL is the first NSW housing coop to use its sweat equity to expand! The land acquisition and initial development planning activities like the design concepts architectural plans, council development approval, financing and National Rental Affordability Scheme, a joint NSW and Federal government funding that is part of the Economic Stimulus (NRAS) application were directly participated in by the coop with assistance of ARCH. We also formed a consortium with Van Lang Vietnamese coop because we need a bigger project to be able to qualify for NRAS funding. Common Equity NSW that took over the role of ARCH project-managed these two projects.

There are currently about 40 housing coops in NSW that manage rental properties by volunteer tenants who judiciously use the low/subsidised rents collected (based on actual family income) to do property repairs, improvements and other management costs. KCL utilised its surplus or savings from its operating costs and interests on investments – all collectively called “tenants sweat equity” because these moneys are products of good project, organisational and financial management by the coop board and membership – to fund the pioneering Canley Vale Affordable Housing Project.

7. How does KCL select who qualifies for a KCL home unit? What proportion of the home unit is funded by the “qualified tenant”?

Tenants applicants are chosen by a panel of current tenants, screened through their application papers and interviews and assessed according to a list of standard criteria for social housing including factors of family size, incomes, degree of homelessness, ability to help manage the coop and to relate with other tenants. An applicant should be at least a permanent resident and does not own a residential accommodation in NSW. Some sites may have particular requirements and conditions in addition such as age, disability and gender, non-smoker, no pets, etc.

Tenants have no direct financial contributions to the operation of the coop. Unique to KCL, we don’t even require a security bond and water, external lighting, council, sewerage and waste collection rates, property, association and personnel public liability insurances, common facilities like gates, driveways, common gardens, fire alarm and other safety, security and health aids are all paid for by the coop including the usual facilities that is part of the rental accommodations ie oven, blinds, carpet, hot water system, ventilations, etc..

8. Will “qualified tenants” get the opportunity to own the unit? If yes, at what point in the tenancy will ownership of the unit be transferred from KCL?

Tenants will never own the units but the coop gives members of their nuclear family priority should the original tenants pass away, allows transfer of residence within the coop or other coops for better economic use or convenience but discourages close relatives to occupy more than one unit so as to spread the coop benefits to more people.

9. Are there other “tenants” who are not of Philippine origin?

KCL is a multicultural coop. There are now three families that are of non-Filipino origin or of mixed marriages. We poster greater social integration and inclusion and lead other coops in coop practices and innovations.

10. How do you differentiate KCL’s operational philosophy from Gawad Kalinga’s which is basically “building homes for the homeless”?

The NSW housing coops are government-funded for organised tenants to mutually manage and maintain their accommodations. Not from public and corporate donations like in GK and not for the very poor and destitute homeless from the urban areas but a mix of low and medium income families (65% low and 35% medium incomes) and individuals who are experiencing rental stress (when more than 30% of family incomes are paid for rent) and organised to collectively help each other particularly in having affordable, comfortable and long-term accommodations.

However, KCL shares in common many ideals and philosophies with GK. GK’s beneficiaries are organised into “kapitbahayan” that delivers services like childcare, health care, information sharing, small repairs, mutual benefits or bereavement assistance etc. KCL members form working committees to help the Board in project implementation, decision-making, planning and evaluation. Our concept of kapit-bahayan (the practice of traditional Philippine villages’ socio-cultural relationships and dynamics characterised by tulungan, generous sharing, informal organisations, extended family relationship, abundance of mutual love and respect, etc) was made operational right from the foundation of the KCL in 1995, many years before GK was conceived, hence the coop’s name!

Ruben and Cen Amores, also producers of Radio Mabuhay, are shown with other Filipino Australian community radio program producers, broadcasters, announcers and supporters. L-R (front row): Romy Cayabyab, Raquel Pellero, Violi Calvert, Cen Amores, Nilda Carpo, and Josie Musa. Second row: Jhun Salazar, Mars Cavestany, Tom Baena, Joseph Orbase. Third row: Gerry Musa, Bless Salonga, Oliver Gadista, Mon Carpo, Jimmy Pimentel and Ruben Amores. //Photo: Violi Calvert

11. Where do you see KCL positioned in community housing or business in the next 5 years? 10 years?

KCL is committed to continue advocating for low and affordable housing for more people. We shall use our very successful track record to negotiate for more housing especially for the elderly, low incomes, single women, single parents, newly arrived migrants and other vulnerable groups. We may also establish other coop services like a credit union or consumer coop or even a community-run nursing homes and community development-orientated enterprises so that more people may benefit from our organisations. We hope to train and develop more volunteers and leaders to continue and expand our community work. If still needed, KCL may continue and strengthen its advocacy and leadership role in the coop housing sector to be able to effectively help and support other coops and communities too.

12. Is there a special message that you would like to relay to our kababayans especially those who would like to start a community initiative like that of Kapit-bahayan?

If ordinary people like us in the KCL are able to succeed and even excel over other community groups, other Filipino groups can do it! You have nothing to lose in doing the best you can to help other people especially those in need. Serve the community honestly and sincerely (not for greed, ego or profit) and you will be rewarded with priceless love, respect, peace and spiritual satisfaction.

We too committed mistakes, got bad tenants, received criticisms from those who were envious of our accomplishments, but we persevered and continued to help more people in getting decent accommodations so that they can do other things to better themselves and help others too!

The coop is a good vehicle to practice, promote and strengthen good citizenship, grass root democracy, co-operation and our humanity and other traits as Filipinos. If you are interested to apply for tenancy, to know more or even to organise a housing coop, you are most welcome to communicate with us. You may also write your comments and ask questions regarding the KCL. We are very transparent in our operations while respecting the privacy and confidential information of our members.

Thank you for your candor and openness in sharing KCL information with our emanila and The Filipino Australian members and readers. We wish you more success in the years to come.

Maraming salamat po.

Related Posts (by topic or by writer):

• Community leadership awards to Ruben and Cen Amores
• Cen Amores is People of Australia ambassador
• New year present for six Filipino families

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