The development, integration and impact of Yuwaya Ngarrali’s housing project has been a particular highlight over 2022-2023. While housing shortage and quality has been a long-term concern for the Dharriwaa Elders Group and others in Walgett, the level and severity of unmet housing need during COVID brought fresh attention and momentum to this area. A COVID-related underspend allowed Yuwaya Ngarrali to engage Wiradjuri housing researcher and Masters of Architecture student Samantha Rich to progress the development of models of housing that could respond to community priorities and the local context including accommodation to support the diversion of young people from the justice system, crisis accommodation and Elders housing. Sam’s Elders housing project has received multiple awards, and the innovative youth diversion accommodation that has been designed to be a core element of the new Youth Wellbeing Service is groundbreaking as a model to address the social determinants of justice for Aboriginal young people in Walgett and elsewhere.
Samantha Rich was also asked to work with DEG on plans for emergency accommodation options, and supported accommodation for children and young people. The need for both forms of accommodation have long been recognised by DEG, and written up in a Yuwaya Ngarrali briefing paper
- Housing in Walgett by Samantha Rich in March 2022. We have a long way to go to attract the capital investment we need to build and then manage these initiatives - but we are getting there - stay tuned!