
The State Government has awarded six Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisations (ACCOs) a share of $10.44 million in funding to provide new or refurbished housing.
The Aboriginal Employee Housing grants program supports the valuable work of ACCOs across the State’s North-West by providing secure and stable housing for employees and their families.
The grants, which are funded by the $200 million North-West Aboriginal Housing Fund, will enable ACCOs to purchase existing homes, refurbish disused properties, or construct new homes on ACCO-owned vacant lots.
The grant application period opened on 1 July 2024 and closed on 30 August 2024. Communities received a strong response from applicants across the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.
There were seven successful submissions from six ACCOs:
- Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC: New Build
- Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (x2): New Build
- WUNAN Foundation Inc.: New Build
- Djarindjin Aboriginal Corporation: New Build
- Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre: Refurbishment
- Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation: Spot Purchase
The evaluation panel included senior staff from across Communities and had a minimum 50 per cent Aboriginal representation, including place-based representation from the Kimberley and Pilbara.
The ACCO Aboriginal Employee Housing Grants program will be managed by the Capital Grants Program team in Housing Delivery and Asset Maintenance.
The program was designed in collaboration with ACCOs to ensure it is place-based and meets local needs and will help build the capacity of the ACCO sector by cultivating a more stable local workforce.
One of the key aims is to support financial capability, employment, wellbeing, and overall career development of ACCO employees through the provision of affordable and stable housing.
The successful applicants could demonstrate the need and aspiration to provide housing for their Aboriginal employees to support the continuation or expansion of services that provide benefits to Aboriginal people and communities.
They were also able to demonstrate how training and career development will be provided to Aboriginal employees living in homes funded under the program.
A targeted survey of ACCOs across the North-West indicated that:
- Over 90 per cent of ACCO respondents had a need for additional housing for their employees, noting that the main barriers continue be lack of housing availability and costs.
- On average over 40 per cent of ACCO employees were living in public housing with a further 30 per cent living with family or friends.
- Over 85 per cent of respondents stated the current lack of housing limits local Aboriginal employment opportunities in the areas in which they operate.