Housing, Home and Health: Understanding Aboriginal social housing tenants’ experiences

Housing is an important social and cultural determinant of health. Aboriginal people thrive in good quality, stable housing that facilitates connection to Country, spirituality and culture, and is close to family, community, and culturally safe services. However, decreasing social housing stock and a complex housing provider system mean these priorities are not always met - impacting tenants’ wellbeing. In partnership with Dharawal and Bidjigal people connected to La Perouse in South-East Sydney, the Housing, Home and Health study sought to understand Aboriginal social housing tenants’ meanings of home, housing priorities and experiences living in mainstream (non-Aboriginal-community-controlled) social housing.

In this FACSIAR Lunch and Learn webinar, non-Aboriginal researcher Jacek Anderst from the Gunnu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program, The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW shared findings from the Housing, Home and Health study. Jacek shared the views of Aboriginal social housing tenants in South-East Sydney, outlining their housing priorities and highlighting areas where lived experiences diverge from their housing needs, and offered practical recommendations for change.

Following Jacek's presentation, a panel of experts shared their perspectives on the research as well as their personal experiences, and discussed practical ways to better support Aboriginal social housing tenants.

The webinar was chaired by Dr Jessica Stewart, Executive Director, FACSIAR, Department of Communities and Justice.

Note: Due to a technical issue, Dr. Jacek Anderst’s presentation was not recorded during the original webinar. Given the importance of this research, Dr. Anderst kindly agreed to re-record the presentation. In this recording, you will see Dr. Anderst’s presentation followed by the panel discussion, which was recorded on the original event date.

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