Transforming Alice
The Alice Springs Transformation Plan has made ground breaking progress over the last twelve months thanks to the collaborative efforts by locals, service providers and government agencies.
The Australian and Northern Territory Governments have invested over $150 million in an effort to make fundamental and lasting improvement to the lives and opportunities for the residents of Alice Springs, particularly town camps.
On 7 December 2009, much needed work started across the Alice Springs town camps. It started with a clean-up and included the removal of old cars.
Then the construction of the first house began on 22 February 2010 at Larapinta Valley and was handed over to the new tenant on 14 May 2010.
Since then seven more houses have been completed and another ten are under way. This paves the way for a total 85 new houses to be built across town camps.
Thirty tenants and their families are now in new, refurbished or rebuilt houses.
Territory Housing staff visit tenants regularly to give them advice about living in safe, healthy houses, being good neighbours and managing visitors, as well as answering any questions they may have. Territory Housing are working with other services to support tenants and help them maintain successful tenancies.
All 200 existing houses in the town camps will be rebuilt or refurbished as part of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) and a previously funded housing upgrade program managed by Tangentyere Council.
Thirty-two Indigenous people are employed and working to deliver the housing improvements in the town camps. Local businesses and tradesmen are also encouraged to tender for works and over forty businesses have been engaged so far.