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73
Consideration of cultural needs in housing design
That the provision of housing and infrastructure to Aboriginal people in remote and discrete communities, including the design and location of houses, take account of their cultural perceptions of the use of living space, and that budgetary allocations include provision for appropriate architectural and town planning advice to, and consultation with, the serviced community.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria is not just a housing provider; we are the custodian of housing assets for the Aboriginal community… This transfer of title ensures that Aboriginal Housing Victoria is in the best place to align our housing assets to the needs of the Victorian Aboriginal community in the long-term.
Aboriginal Justice Caucus Assessment
Recommendation 73 intended for Aboriginal perspectives to be incorporated into housing policies and design, as well as budget for provision of architectural and planning advice to, and consultation with, the Community.
While the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) has implemented several initiatives to enhance housing options for Aboriginal people in Victoria, gaps remain in fully aligning with this recommendation's intent. Programs like the Big Housing Build and the Social Housing Growth Fund have increased access to social and affordable housing and encouraged Aboriginal organisations to participate in housing provision. Additionally, the Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort framework facilitates engagement with Aboriginal communities to inform decisions on housing locations and types (e.g., one- to three-bedroom properties).
There is evidence of broad community engagement and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) led housing developments. This includes projects like elders' villages in Ballarat and Robinvale, Village 21 in various regions, and initiatives ensuring children remain with extended families through Kids Undercover. These demonstrate positive outcomes in meeting community needs.
However, there are notable gaps. The absence of specific guidelines for engaging Aboriginal communities in the design of housing limits the cultural appropriateness of these initiatives. Current efforts do not fully account for cultural requirements like fire pits, adaptable floorplans for kinship care, or spaces to accommodate visiting family members accessing services in urban areas. While support for ACCOs to become registered housing providers exists, only two (Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV) and Rumbalara) were registered at the time, indicating limited representation in decision-making over housing design.
We've got the issue across the board with houses not built for suitability. Houses are not built for people that have children with neurological disabilities. Here in the West, they built brand new houses, however it wasn't to the standard that should have been required by government. In one case, the heater wasn't working, there were slippery floors in the bathroom, and the oven was too close to the wall. Technically, under the VCAT laws the house is condemned, but an Elder is still living in it. It was like a Lego home. (Kooramyee Cooper, former Chairperson, Western Metropolitan RAJAC)
Recommendation 73 remains highly relevant as there continue to be significant issues with homelessness and housing access among Aboriginal communities in Victoria. While there are some positive examples of housing projects that reflect Aboriginal community engagement, these are limited in scale and do not cover all regions. The lack of comprehensive and consistent implementation across the state indicates that further efforts are needed to ensure culturally appropriate housing options. This recommendation remains a high priority for further work, especially to expand these initiatives to more areas and improve housing outcomes and self-determination for Aboriginal communities.
Priority for Further Work:
High
Relevance and potential impact | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Low (0-2) | Moderate (3-4) | High (5-6) | |||
Extent of action taken and evidence of outcomes | High (5-6) | ||||
Moderate (3-4) | |||||
Low (0-2) | |||||
Potential Actions for Further Work
Expanding housing initiatives statewide
Broaden the reach of existing successful projects (e.g. Elders’ villages, Village 21) to cover both regional and metropolitan areas, ensuring consistent access to culturally appropriate housing for Aboriginal communities across Victoria.
Enhancing community engagement
Develop specific guidelines for engaging Aboriginal communities in the design of housing to better reflect cultural needs, including flexible living spaces to accommodate kinship care and community visitors, and culturally significant features like fire pits.
Increasing support for ACCOs to become registered housing providers
Provide more support for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to become registered housing providers, enabling them to access State and Commonwealth funding. This would strengthen their role in designing and delivering housing solutions tailored to community needs.
Reviewing sustainability and long-term outcomes
Conduct reviews of existing housing projects to assess their long-term sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact, ensuring they continue to meet community needs effectively.
Advocating for broader definitions of remote communities
Engage with the Commonwealth to revisit definitions of ‘remote’ to include isolated regional areas in Victoria, allowing these communities to access additional housing and infrastructure support currently limited to more traditionally remote regions.
Background
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) emphasised the need for flexible and culturally inclusive housing policies that respect and reflect Aboriginal ways of living. The Commission highlighted that Aboriginal perspectives on housing differed significantly from Western models, particularly in how living spaces were used and valued. It found that housing policies based on Western notions of private, nuclear-family dwellings often conflicted with Aboriginal cultural practices, such as strong kinship ties, different privacy norms, spending substantial time outdoors, and customs like abandoning houses after a death.
The RCIADIC highlighted the need for policies that respect and integrate the diverse cultural perspectives of Aboriginal communities, emphasising flexibility and inclusivity in housing design and accommodation approaches.
Actions Taken Since Last Review
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
The department noted several programs and funding initiatives related to the provision of housing and infrastructure. Initiatives with information relating to Aboriginal community engagement on location and design of housing are:
The Big Housing Build
Ten percent net of the Victorian Big Housing Build is allocated to housing for Aboriginal people to increase access to social and affordable housing options. The delivery approach is being guided by Aboriginal self-determination principles.
Social Housing Growth Fund
The Homes for Aboriginal Victorians grant round in combination with the Mental Health Supported Housing round and regional round aim to deliver 420 new homes for Aboriginal people in Victoria. Through this fund, Aboriginal organisations are eligible to apply either in partnership with a housing agency or become a registered housing agency under the Housing Act 1983 (Vic).
Community Housing Pathways Initiative
Provides a co-ordinated housing response for people exiting Victorian correctional facilities.
Establishment of two positions within ACCOs to deliver culturally safe, tailored responses for Aboriginal people exiting correctional facilities.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria, Aboriginal Justice Housing Solutions Plan
The plan discusses the lack of culturally appropriate housing, and names various cultural factors (i.e. having family and cultural obligations) that make available housing ill-suited to meet the needs of Aboriginal tenants. It does not provide further detail on issues with how housing is planned, funded and designed by government agencies, but recognises that despite the government handing $500 million worth of existing housing stock over to Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV) to manage, it is insufficient to meet Aboriginal community needs or ensure that it is culturally appropriate.
Impact
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Homes Victoria) reported several key initiatives supporting Aboriginal housing. This includes allocating 10 per cent of the Big Housing Build to Aboriginal communities, guided by self-determination principles, and delivering 420 new homes through the Social Housing Growth Fund.
The Community Housing Pathways Initiative provides housing support for individuals exiting prisons, with two ACCO positions focused on culturally safe transitions. Additionally, the Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort framework aims for long-term housing outcomes, emphasising community-led decision-making and strategic planning over the next 20 years.
Outcomes
Homes Victoria within DFFH provided data from The Big Housing Build indicating that to March 2024, 314 Aboriginal households had been housed, with 60 of them managed by AHV.
DFFH noted that implementation efforts related to the framework are monitored through the VAHHF Annual Report Card, a collaborative effort between the Victorian Aboriginal community, led by AHV and the State Government.
Community Views
Aboriginal Housing Victoria
Members of the Looking Back, Moving Forward project and Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV) teams met in July 2024 to discuss implementation of this recommendation. AHV noted the:
- Absence of remote housing in Victoria, but difficulties in providing sufficient regional and rural housing to meet the needs of Aboriginal families and individuals.
- Broad engagement with Aboriginal communities and perspectives that occurs under Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort to inform decisions around location of housing and type of accommodation required (one, two, three-bedroom properties etc.).
- Absence of specific guidelines/approaches for engaging Aboriginal communities in the design of housing to ensure homes reflect cultural perceptions of the use of living space and enable cultural obligations to be met (i.e. fire pits, sufficient rooms to support kinship care obligations to be met, or flexible floorplans so that family/community members can stay when visiting regional or metropolitan centres to access Aboriginal support services).
- Support for ACCOs to become registered housing providers so that they can access State and Commonwealth funding for housing and have a greater say in the design and development of housing proposals. At the time of discussion AHV and Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative were the only two registered Aboriginal Housing Providers.
- Examples of ACCO-led housing projects that reflected broader community needs are the elders villages in Ballarat (Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative) and Robinvale (Murray Valley Aboriginal Cooperative), Village 21 developments in Frankston (Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency), Gippsland (Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative) and Shepparton (Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative) and Kids Undercover developments that ensured Aboriginal children and young people were able to live on properties with their extended family.