Indigenous Accommodation Grants

Closing date for applications: 29 January 2018

Are you planning to be a full-time, on-campus student at UNE in 2018?

Experiencing housing stress? Is paying your rent a really big issue?  So big that you might have to stop studying full-time? This new grant might be able to help you!

If you have received this grant previously you are eligible to reapply.

Introduction

The Oorala Aboriginal Centre recognises that many students face financial hardship, particularly in the area of affordable rental accommodation.

In cooperation with the Aboriginal Housing Office (part of the NSW Department of Family and Community Services), Oorala and UNE have created Indigenous Accommodation Grants to assist Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students with a rent subsidy of up to $5350, to cover Trimesters 1 and 2 2018.

Objectives

The objectives of this grant scheme are:

• To overcome financial barriers to accommodation that may prevent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from applying to study at UNE.
• To increase the number of new Indigenous enrolments at UNE through the payment of accommodation grants.
• To improve the retention rate for existing Indigenous students who may be at risk of dropping out of university due to housing stress.

How it works

The grants are to be spent only on accommodation. The grant will be paid monthly. Payments can be made to a real estate agency, an owner of a rental property or to a college at UNE.

What kind of accommodation is covered by this grant?

The grants are available to cover rental accommodation in the Armidale region for full-time students enrolled at UNE. The kinds of accommodation covered include:

• Existing private rental accommodation used by a student;
• Accommodation negotiated between the student and HomesNorth once a grant has been allocated;
• A room in a UNE college.

If a student is successful in obtaining an Accommodation Grant, the staff at the Oorala Aboriginal Centre can put them in contact with HomesNorth or UNE Accommodation Services to obtain a suitable rental property or college room.

Details

• Value: Up to $5350
• Number to be awarded: 5
• Duration: Trimesters 1 and 2, 2018
• Applicant’s study mode: Full-time

Eligibility

The applicant must:

• Provide evidence of Aboriginality
• Be a full-time student enrolled at UNE
• The applicant is currently living independently from their family and can provide evidence of housing stress, i.e. be spending more than 40% of their weekly income on accommodation
• Provide a short statement outlining why they need a UNE Indigenous Accommodation Grant (no more than 500 words).

Please note: If you fail to provide all documentation required, your application will automatically be assessed as ineligible.

Specific Terms and Conditions
Confirmation of Aboriginality

1. Letter from a Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC)
2. Letter from a registered Aboriginal Organisation
3. If neither of the first two confirmation options is possible, a Statutory Declaration can be used but only in circumstances where an individual is unable to provide evidence from a Local Aboriginal Land Council or Aboriginal Corporation (please see Operational guidelines for more information and specific requirements).

Evidence relating to independent living

• A rental bond notice
• A letter from a landlord outline weekly rent payable
• A rental lease agreement or contract outlining weekly rent payable.

Evidence relating to housing stress

• A pay slip
• A bank account statement and
• Documented evidence of Centrelink payments (if applicable).

Selection process

The selection committee will consist of staff from the Oorala Aboriginal Centre and a representative from the funding body.

Apply now

Download the application form from the link, fill it out, attach appropriate documents and send to:

ooralamgt@une.edu.au

or deliver your application to the Oorala Aboriginal Centre, Booloominbah Drive, UNE, Armidale 2351. (Do not include original copies of important documents in the envelope.)

For assistance or advice on your application, please contact Oorala directly via phone on Freecall – 1800 622 384, or call Natasha Haines on (02) 6773 3034 or email nhaines5@une.edu.au and we will walk you through the process step by step.

Privacy

In applying for this award the recipient agrees to have information that is required to determine eligibility for this grant forwarded to the Selection Committee. Some members of the committee may not be UNE staff but all information gathered will be treated with discretion. The privacy of applicants’ information will be rigorously respected.

Conditions

In accepting this award, the recipient acknowledges that they are accepting the terms and conditions outlined above.