Housing for Health Incubator
TF.A is an Industry Partner on the Housing for Health Incubator, a multi-disciplinary research incubator which seeks to revitalise Indigenous health and housing policy. The incubator is based at the University of Sydney and is supported by the Henry Halloran Trust.
Indigenous housing policy in Australia is complex. Safe drinking water, sanitation and houses that enable healthy living should be standard, but they are not. Climate change, the impact of extraction activities on water quality, population growth and the physical impairments that come with premature aging, chronic disease and trauma loads are just some of the issues this Incubator will be exploring.
Through dedicated research and a comparative analysis of international policy, the Incubator aims to develop practical tools that people can use on the ground to secure healthy living environments.
Like many issues in Indigenous Australia, the challenge of decent housing and infrastructure remains ‘unfinished business’. It is both constantly in the news and yet, in terms of interdisciplinary research, largely ignored. It is a social policy issue in inertia and the danger is that knowledge about what works and what doesn’t will soon be lost; neglect disguised by a plethora of reviews and reports.
This research incubator aims to turn that around. So far our work has been in the research towards a new National Indigenous Housing Guide, as well as participation in seminars and workshops on infrastructure inequality, with a focus on water in marginalised communities.
Find out more about this important work here: