Centring Consumers at the Health and Homelessness Intersection in the Northern Territory – A Roadmap for Integrated, Culturally Safe Service Delivery
Funders:
- National Health and Medical Research Council
Collaborators:
- Aboriginal Housing NT
- Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation
- Kalano Community Association
- Ingkerreke Services Aboriginal Corporation
- Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition
- NT Shelter
Why this research matters:
This research centres Aboriginal self-determination and lived experience to inform health, housing, and homelessness policy and programming in the Northern Territory. We focus on: mental health, housing maintenance, and a vulnerable group within the Aboriginal homeless population (LGBTIQ+ Sistagirls and Brotherboys). Centring Aboriginal leadership and lived experience aims to ensure that changes in health and housing service delivery are both culturally appropriate and benefit Aboriginal people.
What this project aims to achieve:
The proposed research program aims to position ‘consumers’ – Aboriginal people who are rough sleeping or experiencing housing instability – at the centre of policy making, program design and evaluation, and service delivery. It will investigate the health impacts of overcrowding, housing instability, and rough sleeping, with an emphasis on mental health and distress. Working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), peak bodies, community researchers, and consumers, homelessness will be examined across urban social housing, town camps, informal camps, remote communities, and homelands, demonstrating the breadth of service jurisdictions within the Northern Territory (NT), and individuals’ support needs along the housing continuum.
What we are doing:
The Participatory Action Research program involves an overarching focus on centring lived experience as the most effective way to improve health outcomes and to support Aboriginal self-determination over health, housing and homelessness. The sub-projects involve: developing best practice outreach guidelines for engaging with individuals who are sleeping rough; remote community led planning for diverse accommodation needs to increase physical and mental safety; and resident-centred evaluation of housing maintenance programs. A co-design approach will ensure the lived experience of Aboriginal consumers and communities is combined with evidence-based research to produce practical interventions desired by ACCOs, consumers, and communities. Collectively, the research program aims to build research collaboration and capacity in the NT to confront the links between housing, homelessness, and poor health outcomes.
Chief Investigator
Contact: Liam.grealy@menzies.edu.au
Project team members:
Chief Investigators:
- Alan Cass, Menzies School of Health Research
- Nathan Evans, Aboriginal Housing NT
- Tess Lea, Macquarie University
- Nikita Simpson, SOAS University of London
- Kieran Bush, Menzies School of Health Research
- Sophie Pascoe, Menzies School of Health Research
- Josie Povey, Menzies School of Health Research
- Beau Cubillo, Menzies School of Health Research
Associate Investigators:
- Alan Mole, Kalano Community Association
- Jozan Collins, Ingkerreke Services Aboriginal Corporation
- Aaron Motlop, Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation
- Geoff Radford, Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition
- Annie Taylor, NT Shelter
- David Thomas, Menzies School of Health Research
Key dates
January 2027 – December 2029