Key Achievements and Challenges Key achievements include being ahead of our target in number of dwellings completed as well as number of tenancies established and number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families allocated a property. A key achievement of the program can be seen in the property substitution policy, which allows for properties to be substituted with equivalent Housing ACT stock. This ensures that dwellings can be made available in suburbs suitable for clients' needs, based on their existing connections with natural supports in the community. This policy may assist with meeting some clients' needs more fully, by acknowledging that current supports and connections within the community are valuable and should be maintained if possible. Being able to substitute properties used for the program helps to ensure that properties are available in different regions of the ACT, despite the limited release of land in particular areas. One of the main challenges of the ACT APTCH program has been meeting the target of housing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the program. Another challenge of this program is that the ACT has seen families with complex needs remain in the program for over the initial12 month period to ensure that these needs are met before transitioning to an independent tenancy. This has meant that additional funding has had to be sourced from within the program. Case Study The B family entered the APTCH program in July 2011 supported by the YWCA of Canberra. The B family consisted of 2 adults and 4 children. When the B family entered the program they were linked up with a child support worker for the four children. They were also provided with assistance in enrolling the children in school, and budgeting matters by being referred to Care Financial Services. Additionally, Mrs B attended a self-confidence building workshop. The family was linked into the community through the children's school and have become actively involved in that arena. Staff worked with the B family to establish short, medium and long term goals. Short term goals included paying off some of the debt the family had accumulated and enrolling the children in school. Medium term goals included acquiring budgeting skills, and long term goals included Mr B finding stable and gainful employment and stable accommodation.
Key Achievements and Challenges Key achievements include being ahead of our target in number of dwellings completed as well as number of tenancies established and number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families allocated a property. A key achievement of the program can be seen in the property substitution policy, which allows for properties to be substituted with equivalent Housing ACT stock. This ensures that dwellings can be made available in suburbs suitable for clients' needs, based on their existing connections with natural supports in the community. This policy may assist with meeting some clients' needs more fully, by acknowledging that current supports and connections within the community are valuable and should be maintained if possible. Being able to substitute properties used for the program helps to ensure that properties are available in different regions of the ACT, despite the limited release of land in particular areas. One of the main challenges of the ACT APTCH program has been meeting the target of housing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the program. Another challenge of this program is that the ACT has seen families with complex needs remain in the program for over the initial12 month period to ensure that these needs are met before transitioning to an independent tenancy. This has meant that additional funding has had to be sourced from within the program. Case Study The B family entered the APTCH program in July 2011 supported by the YWCA of Canberra. The B family consisted of 2 adults and 4 children. When the B family entered the program they were linked up with a child support worker for the four children. They were also provided with assistance in enrolling the children in school, and budgeting matters by being referred to Care Financial Services. Additionally, Mrs B attended a self-confidence building workshop. The family was linked into the community through the children's school and have become actively involved in that arena. Staff worked with the B family to establish short, medium and long term goals. Short term goals included paying off some of the debt the family had accumulated and enrolling the children in school. Medium term goals included acquiring budgeting skills, and long term goals included Mr B finding stable and gainful employment and stable accommodation.