Healthy Homes Program

Healthy Homes has a number of different programs to help address the particular issues faced by community members.

Healthy Homes Supervisor Moses Tipiloura has been leading the Yard Improvement program for over two years. The main responsibilities are managing and prioritising our lists of referrals that come through into jobs and leading teams of participants into community to complete them.

Yard improvement jobs include:

• rubbish removal
• grass cutting
• basic repairs to fences
• gates and repairs
• installing new clotheslines.

The Yard improvement team are very busy through the wet season with many of our referrals coming from community members coming to see us at the Healthy Homes resource centre.

In January 2021, Healthy Homes began its own Animal Management program called Healthy Pets & Healthy People in Wadeye. Every month the entire Healthy Homes team get together to roll out a community-wide anti-parasitic treatment for all domestic pets.

This treatment helps reduce the cases of worms, heart worms, ticks and mange. It increases the general wellbeing of the local pets and in turn, increases the health and wellbeing of our families. Healthy Homes participants also record the domestic pet population. Any serious health issues are then referred to the vets when they are in community. This program works closely with the Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) veterinary team from Darwin who come to Wadeye twice annually for week-long visits. Healthy Homes assists with the collection of pets for treatment and community education.

Home hygiene packs are put together by our participants and are distributed to homes in need. The packs include all basic cleaning equipment and products. Our local supervisors spend some time with tenants to talk about what products we’re providing and how to use them most effectively.

Supervisors also go over the importance of having access to clean and functioning bathrooms/toilets and laundry.

Healthy Homes supervisors conduct routine inspections of local properties to collect data. They identify repairs and maintenance requirements in the homes throughout the Thamarrurr region.

Healthy Homes participants carry out any basic repairs and maintenance issues such as:

• leaking taps
• blocked drains
• broken towel holders
• broken doors and door frames.

Any major maintenance issues are reported to Housing and Construction and NT Housing and Tenancy to assist with repairs.