The Client
Unison Community Housing (formerly Yarra Community Housing) is one of the largest community housing organisations in Victoria with a portfolio of over 50 sites spread across inner Melbourne and the outer suburbs including Broadmeadows, Thomastown and Geelong. Unison provides and maintains affordable housing for over 2000 tenants including families and the elderly.
The Challenge
With a vast portfolio of sites and a diverse array of tenants, the constant maintenance and management of both aspects via a mechanical keying system was proving to be extremely costly and near on impossible to manage. Lost or unreturned keys were a constant issue which always resulted in a locksmith call out, the re-setting of locks and re-issuing of new keys. This exercise was continually exhausting the annual budget and was extremely labour intensive to manage and co-ordinate. Maintenance teams were forced to carry a large number of keys just to gain access. A further challenge was the security of residents who were continually at risk or feeling compromised via unauthorised access. Unison desperately needed better control and security across its network of assets.
The Solution
Omega Security Solutions presented the Salto Access Control system to Unison and demonstrated how we could easily improve the security and ongoing management of all sites via a networked approach which eliminated the requirement for tenants to use keys. With the use of the electronic handle sets and our anti lockout modification, Omega Security Solutions firstly demonstrated that the Salto system could eradicate the major issue of tenants accidently locking themselves out. Secondly we addressed the issue of lost or stolen keys and further eliminated the requirement for a locksmith to attend site. By implementing a Salto SVN Hotspot door at each site, we then demonstrated how Unison management could remotely control the access into each building and keep track of all user movements from head office. Furthermore, various common area doors such as laundries, storerooms and amenities could also be installed with the electronic handle sets to restrict access at various times of the day or for different user groups – ie. Families.
Our solution has seen Unison move to a predominantly key free environment. This solution has allowed them to regain control of their assets, reduce the annual expenditure on maintenance, and provide a secure environment for their tenants well into the future. Omega Security Solutions has been involved the with design and installation across a multitude of new construction projects and we’ve also undertaken the retro-fitting of Salto into the existing buildings. We’ve worked closely with architects, consultants and builders who’ve all been impressed with the clever technology and capabilities that Salto provides. We thank Unison for their assistance and continued support. To learn more about the Salto Access Control System and how it can be applied to your organisation or project, please visit our Access Control Page
