Yili Rreung Housing Aboriginal Corporation CEO Yvette Park on YiSSA Short term accommodation situation

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We've spoken extensively this week about the situation surrounding the
Yissa short-term accommodation, more specifically about the political stash between
the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth Government. But there's indeed
been some question marks around the state of that facility
and whether it's truly up to the quality that Ausco
are wanting the Northern Territory Government to purchase it at. Now,

(00:21):
joining us on the line to tell us a little
bit more about the work that they do and And
what this all means is the CEO of Yili Riang
Housing Aboriginal Corporation, Yvette Park. Good morning to you, Yvette.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Good morning, Katie. Thanks for having me on the show.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Anytime. Thank you so much for your time this morning. Now, Yvette,
tell me, I'm not expecting you to weigh into the
political stoush that's underway, and it's certainly not in, you know,
not in, you know, on something like this. But from
your point of view, Your team undertakes maintenance and repairs
and are currently undertaking the make-do process. Is that right?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
That's correct. So we maintain the dwelling. We've got a
property and tenancy management agreement with the Northern Territory Government
and we've managed the site for five years. So every day, week,
we engage in repairs and maintenance on the site and
it's in really good condition. We've maintained it to a

(01:22):
high standard so that we continue to meet our agreement.
And as you said, we're also now engaging in the
make good activities, which so far we're about halfway through
the site and finished, I think, 100, 120 rooms. And

(01:42):
that work has involved a deep clean, patching and painting,
replacing sliding doors to the bathroom if we need it,
and carpets. But otherwise, the accommodation is in really good condition.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yvette, tell me, how many years old are those dongas
or those demountables?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
So I think the site was constructed in about 2012
or 2013. And as far as I understand, these modular
dwellings have a useful life of about 20 years, 25 years.
So we're halfway through that period. All right.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
So from your perspective, you reckon they're still good to go?
Like they're still good to, you know, to continue to
house people for a number of years yet?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Absolutely, Katie. I understand the discussions with the Commonwealth and
the Northern Territory Government have talked about a timeframe between
two and five years. And I would be very comfortable
managing that site across that period and longer if needed.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Can you tell me when, like up until what year
do you guys have the contract to manage that facility?
Is it up until, you know, the end of this year?

Speaker 2 (02:57):
The funding agreement ended on the 30th of June this
year and we're just agreeing kind of the bridging arrangements
up until the closure of the site in six and
a half weeks.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Tell me, how are people who are currently at the
facility feeling with what's going on at the moment?

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Look, Katie, it's a really distressing time for the people
who are staying on site. Many of them have already
spoken to the media about their deep concerns and fears
for themselves and for their children. Many of the clients

(03:39):
are elderly. Some have significant medical conditions. And then, you know,
your audience and you, I think, are aware that we
have many children accommodated on site.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Can you give me an idea as to some of
the reasons people would be coming to stay at Yissa?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
So the people who we accommodate are experiencing homelessness. They're
amongst the most vulnerable people in our community. Some of
the clients have experienced domestic and family violence. Some experience
mental health challenges or alcohol and other drug dependencies. But

(04:24):
other clients have disability needs or complex health needs. So
we have clients on site who have been treated for
cancer or who require medication. ongoing dialysis treatment. So there's
a range of needs across the clients that stay at Yiffa.

(04:46):
But most importantly, they're homeless and they have nowhere else
to sleep safe at night or to put their medications
in the fridge or have a regular shower. And this
service meets all those needs. that people who are housed,

(05:08):
you know, take for granted every day.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yvette, can you tell me, I know we've had a
lot of people sort of saying, Katie, I thought this
accommodation was meant to be short-term accommodation, but it seems
like people are there for quite some time. Can you
talk us through the reasons why somebody might actually have
to stay there longer term?

Speaker 2 (05:28):
I think, Katie, your callers and listeners have also talked
about the housing system. So the solution to homelessness is housing.
But as many people across Darwin know, the public housing
system here is very constrained. There's eight to 10 years
waiting list. So people are staying at Yissa for an

(05:51):
extended period of time because they aren't able to be housed.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
Now tell me, have you got much guidance or communication
from the government about where people are going to be
transitioning to?

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I know, and we're working jointly with the Northern Territory
Government and I know the government is working hard to
house people and some people have been housed to date.
But as I said, the housing system is very constrained.
So the likelihood that the remaining 200 people or more

(06:28):
will be housed is very slim. Can I also say, Katie,
that a lot of people have left the site at
Issa because of the uncertainty and the anxiety that they
feel about their future on the site. So many have
already left and have either moved in with family, living

(06:53):
in Darwin, or moved in or returned to community. But,
you know, housing in remote communities is also... very constrained
with really, really high rates of overcrowding where you have
10 or 20 people living in a house. So that's
not a good housing outcome either.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
Yvette, do you have concerns that for some of these people,
for some of these families, particularly some of these kids,
that they may end up on the street?

Speaker 2 (07:27):
I think we're already seeing elements of that. We have
a 300-person wait list, which we've talked about publicly, and
that includes 90 children. So when the service closed on
the 27th of July, those people who are waiting to

(07:48):
access our service haven't been able to. So homelessness will
be impacting a range of people who would otherwise be
accessing the service and can't.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Yvette, has the government had discussions with you as to
Yili continuing to provide the service once or if a
new larger facility is sourced or decided upon?

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Yeah, we've been meeting weekly with the department to try
and work through the transition plan and we've been meeting
regularly with Minister Carl. I think both the minister and
the department recognise that Yili has delivered well. a really
strong service at ISSA and we're part of the ongoing

(08:35):
discussions for either the continuation of the service or an
alternative model. And, of course, we're committed to continuing to
work with the department and the NT government and the
minister to achieve a really good, to achieve an outcome here.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
I guess the tough thing is that if the government
does go down the path of a new facility, that's
good long term or longer term. But in the short term,
what I can foresee at the moment is that we're
in a situation where people don't really have somewhere to go.
And I know that the government has said that they're
working on that transition plan. And as I said, I
don't want to put you into a political debate. in

(09:19):
any way. But, you know, I can see that there
is a real need for right now. I mean, what
is Shelly's preferred choice sort of right now to stay
at that current facility and maintain status quo? Or do
you think we need to sort of look at that
longer term option or is it a bit of both?

Speaker 2 (09:40):
I think a longer term option is a really important
discussion because But a longer term option will take years
to plan, like to do it well, to plan, to
engage with the sector, the clients, to find the right site,
to design it, to fund it, to build it, to

(10:01):
operationalise it. So a future model is years away. We
have an immediate challenge now and... My concern is that
there are hundreds of people who rely on YISA as
a service and the time is getting very, very short

(10:24):
to stand up an alternative interim model, which I think
the government is also exploring. But the priority here is
to ensure that hundreds of vulnerable Territorians are... accommodated and
receive the services and the support that they need. YSA

(10:48):
is obviously a very immediate solution if terms can be
agreed between the Northern Territory Government and the Australian Government
and OSCO. An alternative model would need to be of
similar size to meet the significant demand in homelessness and

(11:12):
also it's not clear what the cost of standing up
a new model would be.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Well, Yvette Park, the CEO of Yili Riang Housing Aboriginal Corporation,
I really appreciate your time this morning. I think it
gives people that perspective that is absolutely needed. So thank
you very much for having a chat with us today.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
Thank you, Katie.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
Thank you.