House with No Steps and The Tipping Foundation (now Aruma) officially unite

House with No Steps and The Tipping Foundation (now Aruma) are officially a united organisation, with around 5,000 customers.

The two organisations have today officially become one united organisation.

“It’s a huge milestone for both organisations. We’ve joined forces to support more people with a disability in more places in new and better ways. We’re now one united, for-purpose organisation, committed to the human rights and wellbeing of all people with a disability,” said Andrew Richardson, CEO of the merged organisation.

This merger has been around 20 months in the making. It was first announced in late November 2017 and received approval from members before Christmas. The merged organisation has a new board and an executive leadership team led by CEO Andrew Richardson. Its 5000 employees support around 5000 customers.

Each organisation will continue to operate under its own name for the foreseeable future. The same staff will continue to support the same customers in the same way.

Mr Richardson said the merged organisation would leverage its diverse expertise and reach to help more people with a disability in more places.

“We have strong presence throughout eastern Australia, and love being part of the many local communities in which we operate. We are passionate about the human rights and wellbeing of people with a disability, and will continue to focus all our energy and effort on helping people with a disability live great lives.”

Mr Richardson said: “With our combined experience, we’ll help our customers flourish under the NDIS. We’ll do that by providing consistent, high-quality services throughout eastern Australia; by investing in our workforce so we attract, develop and retain great staff; and by implementing new technologies that make us easier to engage with and the NDIS easier to navigate.”

“We’ll keep striving to improve our services, in partnership with our customers, their families and carers. Any changes will be well-considered – there will not be change for change’s sake,” said Mr Richardson.

One change Mr Richardson flagged as particularly exciting was the new Chief Customer Officer role.

“We’re excited about our new Chief Customer Officer role – it really solidifies our commitment to keeping our customers at the heart of all we do” he said.

Scott Sheppard is stepping into this new, customer-focused leadership role. He’ll be responsible for leading customer experience and overseeing improvements for customers and their families. Scott has more than 20 years’ experience in the disability sector, serving on the NDS State Committee and National Board, and the Victorian Government NDIS Implementation Taskforce.

Find out more about our merger with our FAQs.

If you have any questions, email merger@arumacom.au or call our Customer Service team on 1300 LETS GO (1300 538 746).