East Kimberley Development Program (EKDP) Transitional Housing

13 December 2012

We have a had a very exciting time over the past few months in Wunan Housing. The transitional housing program has been our main focus as we have seen 32 new homes tenanted with the remaining 8 not far away. The huge smiles and the pride of the tenants has been fabulous. Watching them fit out their new homes with furniture, pictures on the walls, swing sets and gardens is a credit to them. Many have never had a place of their own to call home and having a safe, secure place for themselves and their children has been a dream that has now come true. The mixture of tenants has been varied from 2 parent and single parent families, brother and sister combinations young and the more mature singles and some great couples.

The children are thriving in their home environments and we have seen school attendance increase with 50% of the kids with 100% attendance and the remaining at mid to high 80%. The schools are praising the program along with the very positive feedback from recent employer surveys.

Financial coaching with our Indigenous  Money mentor has been an integral part of the program ensuring tenants have budget skills and ongoing coaching to increase their money skills, thus improving each persons opportunity to move towards home ownership.  6 tenants have begun the journey to home lending with 1 couple already achieving home loan approval with IBA….. with the overall goal of the program being homeownership this is brilliant. Our dedicated housing support team have completed their first round of home visits completing personal participation plans and have already started to see success in increased confidence, better relationships, healthy kids and satisfied parents. We believe that the Transitional housing program will become an integral part of the housing tapestry of Kununurra.

CASE STUDY

Make up of family:
Single mother to a 3 year old girl

History of accommodation:
Recently resided with family- which was made up of my Mother, two sisters and brother in law. My daughter and I have lived on our own previously but due to personal and financial difficulties we could no longer stay in our private rental.

How TH assists them:
Transitional Housing has helped me gain back my independence and provide a healthy living situation for myself and my daughter. It has given me the opportunity to become a mother again and has empowered me to become a better parent and person. It has also given me a chance to build on my current relationship and make real plans for the future.

Plans for future:
I hope to purchase my own home with my partner and become more financially stable. I moved around a lot as a child and although I gained much life experience I would like to provide a stable home for my family. On a more personal level plans for my family include getting married, travelling and having more children (when the time is right).

Topic: Accommodation & Housing