Hall & Wilcox helps Aboriginal housing provider to finance village development

Hall & Wilcox has helped Aboriginal Community Housing Limited (ACHL) to obtain funding for the $12.17m development of a 40-unit Indigenous elders village in Bedford Park, Adelaide.

This development is to be situated on land owned by the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation and is intended for tenancy by elders of the Kaurna Yerta community. It is part of a series of projects being developed by ACHL across Australia in order to bolster the provision of future housing to Indigenous Australians.

State and federal government bodies like the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, Housing Australia and the South Australian Housing Trust came together to finance this project.

“This is a tremendous achievement for the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, ACHL and us. We have worked collaboratively at all government levels to secure the funding for this significant investment in much needed housing for the Kaurna Yerta community. It also demonstrates the ability of state and federal bodies to collaborate on funding for important projects such as this”, Hall & Wilcox partner Shaun Whittaker said.

Units developed under this project will have culturally inclusive features, enabling Indigenous elders from the Kaurna Yerta community to remain within their community as they age. Additionally, the project sets a foundation for the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation to own and run the village in the long term to the benefit of its community.

With the assistance of senior associate Lauri Reid, Whittaker assisted in structuring the deal and securing funding from the stakeholders, facilitating ACHL’s development of the project. The Hall & Wilcox team also helped to negotiate the development and operational documentation.

ACHL is a Tier 1 Aboriginal housing provider.