The SA Housing Trust (the Trust) is committed to ensuring all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander South Australians have equitable access to safe, secure, and affordable housing, achieved through shared decision-making and culturally informed services that maintain their personal and cultural wellbeing.
Aboriginal people and communities are at the centre of the Trust’s South Australian Aboriginal Housing Strategy 2021-2031 (AHS). Under the strategy, the Trust’s Aboriginal Engagement, Partnerships and Strategy (AEPS) Division has responsibility for delivering Aboriginal housing support programs and policies, as well as the Trust’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The AEPS Division works in partnership with First Nations communities, governments, and other relevant organisations to deliver housing and support services that reflect the individual and cultural needs, aspirations, and interests of all Aboriginal South Australians. The strategy also commits the SA Housing Trust to increase the supply of homes for Aboriginal communities, and aligns to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement) priority reforms – to achieve better outcomes and reduce problematic overcrowding, achieve better access to housing, and address homelessness by creating more safe places to stay when an where they are needed.
The Trust’s Reconciliation Action Plan ensures staff and services are culturally aware, with the Plan designed to build strong relationships with Aboriginal communities across South Australia.
Self-determination
Aboriginal peoples and communities understand their own needs and have the ability to develop their own solutions
Place-based
Aboriginal communities in South Australia are diverse and there is no 'one size fits all' solution - a place-based approach to decision-making and planning is required for success.
Participation
Government and Aboriginal communities will work in partnership to ensure they have the necessary capacity, structures, and information to participate effectively at the levels they choose.
Co-design
Government and Aboriginal communities as housing service providers will deliver culturally safe and flexible spaces - based on design agreements and plans - that work for each individual community
Inclusivity and Transparency
Government will communicate and share information so Aboriginal communities are informed and can participate to the degree they wish. Participation may involve the use of interpreters or translated materials. Aboriginal communities will ensure that governance structures are able to fully represent the opinions and values of all community members
Transitional Accommodation Centres (TACs)
The SA Housing Trust operates 24/7 Transitional Accommodation Centres in Port Augusta and Ceduna providing short-term, culturally supportive, safe, and secure accommodation for Aboriginal people travelling from remote communities to regional and metropolitan locations for a range of reasons including accessing health and other services, visiting family and friends, and cultural obligations. The Lakeview TAC in Port Augusta offers 13 units of varying size and styles, and the Wangka Wilurrara TAC in Ceduna offers 8 units, with both accommodating 45 residents in a secure environment. These facilities support Aboriginal people from various nation groups that require short-term accommodation or assistance due to mobility, transience, or in some cases homelessness or medical treatment.
Wali Wiru
The Wali Wiru (Good Homes) Program helps to sustain metropolitan public housing tenancies for customers from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands and other remote communities where the majority of the residents speak an indigenous language. The program educates, informs, and supports Aboriginal customers from remote communities so they can access and sustain SA Housing Trust tenancies in Adelaide and Port Augusta through intensive tenancy management which focusses on early intervention and capacity building. Wali Wiru supports 67 customers in Adelaide and 17 in Port Augusta.
The Wali Wiru program uses a placed-based approach to tenancy management and support to ensure a local context is applied and consideration is given to community, governance, and culture. While currently focussed on Adelaide and Port Augusta, the program can be adjusted to provide an intense level of support in other remote and regional centres such as Whyalla and Ceduna.
Tika Tirka
Tika Tirka is the SA Housing Trust’s accommodation service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote and regional communities who are studying in Adelaide. A 20-bed apartment-style facility in the Adelaide CBD – on Kaurna Land – provides accommodation for post-secondary students who are engaged in further education and training.