Sector Support

Connecting Communities

The ‘Walk’ and ‘The Talk’ and ‘The Support’ through …….

The Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) is committed to working with the Aboriginal community housing sector to achieve sustainability and has initiated a number of support strategies to assist housing providers. 

Frontline regional support provides Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) with information on what AHO regional offices are doing in the region to assist with the day-to-day challenges faced by many of the organisations. Click on a region to see details:  More.... 

Regional support is available to ACHPs from their local AHO office who can provide advice and assistance in all areas of Aboriginal housing management including AHO Registration  and funding arrangements.

Registration

The NSW Aboriginal Housing Act, 1998 states than an organisation eligible for registration is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander corporation, an Aboriginal Land Council or a body corporate which the AHO is satisfied is controlled directly or indirectly by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Act provides for the AHO to determine the form and manner of application by an organisation, and in connection with the application, the organisation must provide whatever information that the AHO requires.  The Act states that the AHO ‘may’ include in the registration ‘the applicant’s ability to comply with particular standards and targets relating to the delivery of housing or housing related services’.

Since its establishment, the AHO has managed a system of registration of ACHPs. This is a pre-requisite for receipt of government funding distributed by the AHO for the purposes of housing acquisition and construction, and housing repairs and maintenance. However the AHO must not provide funding to a registered organisation without a Funding Agreement being in place.

AHO maintains a register of Aboriginal housing organisations and supports the sector through the annual AHO Registration process by providing workshops in each region.  These workshops cover a range of management tools such as rent setting, policies and procedures and the AHO registration process.

The NSW Standards for Governance and Management of Aboriginal Housing was developed to guide organisations in good practice in governance, service delivery to tenants and communities and effective management.

Housing Hints are easy to follow housing management factsheets which provide current information for Aboriginal Community Housing Providers.

Housing Our Mob Everywhere (H.O.M.E.) is the unique Aboriginal social housing training program customised specifically for Aboriginal people to complete the TAFE accredited training package “Certificate IV Community Services (Social Housing)”.

Through the provision of repairs and maintenance to Aboriginal community houses, and the purchase and construction of dwellings for management by eligible Aboriginal community housing providers for Aboriginal people, the AHO continues to work towards a sustainable future for the Aboriginal community housing sector.