Wunan Wins IAS Funding
11 June 2015
The Federal Government describes its Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) as being focused on three priority areas – getting children to school, moving adults off welfare into work, and building safe communities. These priorities also form part of Wunan’s core mission.
In the recent funding round under IAS, Wunan was successful in gaining funding for a range of new and existing Wunan programs under the Australian Government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) initial grants round, announced earlier this year.
One of the new programs funded is Pathway to Home Ownership, which will form part of Wunan’s overarching housing strategy, including the Transitional Housing and Money Mentor programs. This program will target Aboriginal people with the capacity, willingness and desire to buy or build their own home. It will support them to prepare and understand a financial plan, including budgeting, and provide assistance to complete a home loan application and liaise with financial institutions.
The Indigenous Governance Program is an innovative program designed to address issues of poor governance, inadequate performance and financial instability found in many Indigenous organisations. Wunan recognises that these issues represent a significant impediment to Indigenous self-determination and that reform in this critical area is essential . We will be engaging with government, business leaders and Indigenous organisations and communities to ensure that this project addresses the major issues hampering governance in Indigenous organisations.
Also funded was a School to Work Transition Program, which will form part of a broader school attendance and engagement strategy targeting Aboriginal girls between the ages of 12 and 15 years. The program aims to re-engage students back into school, training or employment pathways and will operate in partnership with the school-based flexible education and learning program.
Several existing Wunan programs also received funding under the IAS, including the Dural Education Excellence Program, Ningkuwum-Mgamayuwu Children and Family Centre in Halls Creek, and Intensive support to Indigenous parents (Parent and Community Engagement) PaCE.