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The Aboriginal Community Housing Industry Association NSW Limited (ACHIA NSW) is the peak body for Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) in NSW. We advocate for all not-for-profit, Aboriginal community-controlled ACHPs, including Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) and other organisations constituted under law, to provide housing opportunities to Aboriginal families and communities.

 

The ACHIA NSW Story… so far!

2016
ACHPs come together in Adelaide and agree that Aboriginal community housing peak bodies need to be formed at state and national levels. Representations are made to the government and the Aboriginal Housing Office in NSW. In November, the Minister for Family and Community Services and the Minister for Social Housing announced support for establishing an Aboriginal housing peak body. A Management Committee comprising CEO and Board representatives of NSW-based Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) is formed, formally auspiced by Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) NSW.

2019
Following extensive consultation between 2016 – 2019, the Management Committee finalises an initial AHO Baseline Funding Contract (2019 – 2022), a Constitution and the 2019 – 2022 Strategic Plan.

November 2020
Led by an all-Aboriginal Board, ACHIA NSW Limited is incorporated with 11 initial Members. Representation of ACHIA NSW as an ACCO-led NSW housing peak begins across a range of stakeholder networks. ACHIA begins relationship-building with ACHPs to understand sector and organisation strengths, challenges and ambitions.

November 2021
ACHIA NSW develops an Incubator-Accelerator service model which the AHO approves.

December 2021
The initial Program of Activities is released on 7 December 2021 at the 2021 Aboriginal Housing Caucus.

February 2022
 The ACHIA NSW Board christens its Incubator-Accelerator service model ‘The Coolamon Project’.

May 2022
ACHIA NSW held its inaugural Annual General Meeting, and a revised Program of Activities was released at the 2022 ACHIA NSW Aboriginal Housing Caucus.

November 2022
 ACHIA NSW runs its initial Membership Drive.

June 2024
 ACHIA NSW has 58 Members. 32 Members are registered under the National Regulatory Scheme for Community Housing (NRSCH), and 26 Members are Owning Providers that operate their housing portfolios under various service arrangements.

There’s a lot of challenges that we face, but, I think that, through genuine commitment from government leaders… I think we are able to make real change, and our sector is ready to assist and deliver more homes for Aboriginal communities and it has to be driven by Aboriginal providers

– Charlie Trindall, Chairperson ACHIA NSW

What We Do

Our Mission

ACHIA NSW’s Mission is to relieve the poverty, suffering and disadvantage of Aboriginal people in NSW, and to advance their welfare, by supporting NSW Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) to provide decent, affordable and safe housing for their tenants.

We work in service of our Mission by, among other things:

  • providing information, training and research to build and maintain the capacity of NSW Aboriginal Community Housing Providers;
  • sharing information amongst, and facilitating communication between, Aboriginal Community Housing Providers to support and promote best practice;
  • raising awareness of the need of NSW Aboriginal Community Housing Providers within the general community, other community housing providers and governments;
  • contributing to the development of law and policy on community housing for Aboriginal people in NSW;
  • representing the interests of NSW Aboriginal Community Housing Providers in the community and with governments; and
  • collaborating with stakeholders, including tenants, community housing providers and their representative bodies, to collectively create more and better housing for Aboriginal families in NSW.

How We Work

​In line with the Objectives of our Constitution, we’ve developed and implemented culturally informed strategies that underpin how we work. We:

  • collaborate with the Aboriginal Community Housing Provider (ACHP) sector to collectively evolve its capabilities, strengths and opportunities in line with emergent needs identified with and by local communities;
  • advocate for culturally sound, evidence-based policy, strategy and practice frameworks;
  • lobby for the delivery of more housing (across the housing continuum) and related goods and services through effective partnerships between ACHPs, government and private industry;
  • provide information and support to the ACHP sector through regular forums, conferences, seminars, workshops, guidance documents and alerts;
  • grow ACHP expertise through facilitated relationships with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who are apprised of sector context, latent opportunities for growth and barriers that need to be overcome by ACHPs through the application of expert intervention, advice and support;
  • probe sector and related stakeholder perspectives on recurrent and emerging gaps and challenges;
  • develop innovative program solutions that meet the needs of Aboriginal tenants and their families that factor in urban, regional and remote operating contexts;
  • deliver consistent, high-level support to ACHPs as they move through the NRSCH process and associated registration requirements; and
  • tell the story of Aboriginal housing – its history and value – using a broad-based media strategy.

Find Out More

Learn more about ACHIA NSW and the work we do!

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Acknowledgement of Country

ACHIA NSW acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land we live, work and play on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, for they hold the memories, traditions, culture, and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders across this beautiful nation. These lands were never ceded; it always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands.