Housing for Health Program

The Hunter New England Environmental Health program participates in the NSW Health Housing for Health Program as opportunities arise. Housing for Health projects commenced in NSW in 1997 and are currently developed under the Aboriginal Communities Development Program and the Fixing Houses for Better Health Program. Housing for Health is a method for improving living conditions in Aboriginal communities and focuses on environmental changes leading to improved health gain, particularly for children aged 0-5 years. Research has shown that improving essential health hardware can improve health status and reduce the risk of disease and injury. The program aims to assess, repair or replace health hardware so that occupants can carry out the nine Healthy Living Practices listed below.

All works carried out in the Housing for Health program are prioritised in terms of health benefit. The priorities are:

Safety - Immediate life threatening dangers, particularly electrical, gas, fire, sewage and structural safety issues are addressed as the highest priority.
Healthy Living Practices - After safety issues have been addressed, the prioritised list below of Healthy Living Practices from 1 (most important) to 9 provides a focus for prioritising repair and maintenance:
1. Washing people - ensuring there is adequate hot and cold water and that the shower and bath are functional.
2. Washing clothes and bedding - ensuring the laundry is functional with space and a safe power point for a washing machine, separate taps and wastewater outlets for the washing machine and tub.
3. Removing waste safely - ensuring drains aren't blocked and that the toilets are working.
4. Improving nutrition - assessing the ability to prepare and store food, making sure the stove works and improving the functionality of the kitchen.
5. Reducing overcrowding - ensuring health hardware (particularly hot water systems and septic systems) can cope with the actual number of people living in a house at any time.
6. Reducing the impact of animals, vermin or insects - on the health of people, for example, ensuring adequate insect screening.
7. Reducing dust - to reduce the risk of respiratory illness.
8. Controlling temperature - looking at the use of insulation and passive design to reduce the health risks, particularly to small children, the sick and the elderly, of being too hot or too cold.
9. Reducing trauma - being non-life-threatening issues. Reducing injury risks from things such as sharp corners, slippery floors, hot water, stoves and glass.

The Housing for Health project consists of six stages: community consultation, feasibility study, first survey and fix (including training), capital upgrade, second survey and fix, and finally reporting and closure.

Although projects have a NSW Health project manager for co-ordination, the Environmental Health Unit is involved in community planning, survey/fix teams, training and follow-up of work being carried out. Environmental Health is also responsible for working with the community towards a sustainable housing for health program known as maintaining houses for better health.

Communities at work in the Hunter New England area

Installing towel racks picture.
Installing towel racks

Measuring water temperature picture.
Measuring water temperature

Installing a toilet roll holder

In working with communities, Environmental Health also conduct community environmental infrastructure assessments and explore collaboratively with the community other specific public health issues that may be important for the community, such as child health, diarrhoea reduction campaigns, hygiene education, water testing training, pest control and dust suppression.

Further Information and Resources

For detailed information on Aboriginal Environmental Health and the Housing for Health Program:

Aboriginal Environmental Health
Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs - National Indigenous Housing Guide (3rd Edition)
Pholeros, Paul; Rianow, Stephan; Torzillo, Paul. (1993). Housing for Health: Towards a Healthier Living Environment for Aboriginal Australia. Healthabitat: Newport Beach, NSW.