Yawuru families take up subsidised homes

Five Broome families were given the keys to their new subsidised rental accommodation last week as part of a Yawuru Aboriginal Corporation program to relieve the high cost of private rentals in the town.

Yawuru Native Title Corporation chairman Pat Dodson personally presented the keys to five Yawuru families in a ceremony to commence Yawuru’s Rental Relief Housing Program – the corporation’s first housing initiative as part of Yawuru Housing Strategy.

The strategy was developed to address the housing crisis experienced by many families in Broome.

Yawuru’s program will provide up to four years’ rental subsidy to assist the group’s families into more sustainable long-term housing solutions, including homeownership.

Expressions of interest were called following wide community consultation and eligible candidates were selected from a Foundation Housing-run ballot.

Mr Dodson said the program and soon-to-commence Yawuru Shared Equity Housing Program was an important start and more houses would be made available as the programs were rolled out.

“We have more work to do to find ways to assist those families who haven’t been able to get access to our current programs,” he said.