Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Helping people manage their tenancy in the Alice Springs town camps

Joint Media Release with:

  • Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Indigenous Health Member for Lingiari
    Karl Hampton MLA, Northern Territory Minister for Central Australia

Residents in the Alice Springs town camps will have greater access to support services to help manage their new homes and tenancies, with an extra $1.4 million to expand a tenancy support program over the next three years.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments have announced the funding as part of the $150 million Alice Springs Transformation Plan.

The Federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, said tenancy support was an important part of transforming the Alice Springs town camps and the lives of residents and visitors.

“As part of the Alice Springs Transformation Plan, 63 new houses have been built in the town camps and 122 refurbished. The tenancy support funding will help people moving into those houses to develop the skills they need to sustain their tenancies successfully,” Ms Macklin said.

“The program works with tenants to support them in four key areas; managing money and resources, managing visitors and overcrowding, household functionality and maintaining a safe, healthy and hygienic home.”

The Minister for Central Australia, Karl Hampton said the Tenancy Sustainability Program will target families in the Alice Springs town camps as well as people identified as needing assistance in urban housing.

“This funding will enable expansion of the Tenancy Sustainability Program which has been operating since 2006 within the NT Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services, and ensure residents have the best chance of successfully managing their tenancy,” Mr Hampton said.

“The program is a partnership between the Northern Territory Government, Mission Australia, Anglicare NT and the Tangentyere Council.

The Federal Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, said the program broadened the range of tenancy support services for residents funded under the Alice Springs Transformation Plan, including the $1.2 million Intensive Support program run by Mission Australia which was announced earlier this year.

“Mission Australia’s program provides intensive case management and tenancy support to 30 households who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless,” Mr Snowdon said.

“It recognises that some people need greater support to secure and maintain a public housing tenancy and works with them to achieve that goal.”

The Alice Springs Transformation Plan is a joint initiative of the Australian and Northern Territory Governments to improve the lives of Aboriginal residents and visitors to Alice Springs.

The program is delivering unprecedented investments in new and refurbished housing, improved road and essential services infrastructure and social support services.

More than $25 million has been committed to improve social support services including alcohol rehabilitation, tenancy support and family support services.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments will continue to work with the Alice Springs community to improve the lives of residents and visitors of the Alice Springs Town Camps and deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal people in this central Australian community.