Ayesha Beejadhur works with struggling families in Halls Creek but fears she'll have to leave.abc.net.au/news/halls-creek-housing-shortage-kimberley-support-services-affected/102840688A chronic housing shortage at Halls Creek in Western Australia is frustrating efforts to address entrenched social issues, including low school attendance and high rates of youth crime.
Ayesha Beejadhur works on the frontline for an Indigenous organisation in the outback town, helping improve the lives of disadvantaged families, but may soon have to pack her bags and leave the place she loves.Ms Beejadhur said she applied for social housing but was told the waiting list was more than five years.
"I love what I'm doing and I'm good at it. It's going to be heartbreaking if I have to leave because there's no accommodation."The chronic housing shortage has also been a headache for her boss, Jungarni-Jutiya Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Matt Harbisher. "We have a number of properties, as most agencies do. That's at capacity. There's no real estate here in Halls Creek," he said.The Shire of Halls Creek estimated about 80 per cent of people in the town lived in overcrowded conditions and Mr Harbisher said the issue severely impacted the families involved in the corporation's programs.
He met with the Halls Creek shire, which has put forward a proposal to build 35 culturally appropriate houses on the fringe of the town to ease demand.