Dear Friends,
As many of you know, we at the Aboriginal Housing Company have been working on the Pemulwuy Project for some time now.
Pemulwuy will breathe new life into the Block, and restore a strong and healthy Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to Redfern with an emphasis on cultural values, spirituality, housing and employment.
We wanted to take this opportunity to update you about where the project is up to, and to clear up some of the misconceptions that have been put forward.
First and foremost, we want to emphasise to you that the Block will remain in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hands.
We knew that without a viable plan for the future, the Block was in danger of being taken out of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hands.
That’s why we’ve worked so hard to develop Pemulwuy – so that it can become a vibrant community that includes affordable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing, as well as businesses and community facilities.
The Aboriginal Housing Company is the developer for the project and we have engaged a construction company to undertake the work. In other words, we have people working for us, and retain control and ownership of the land.
The first stage of the project will include development of student housing, commercial and retail space and a childcare centre. The second stage will be the development of 62 affordable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing.
The project needs to be delivered in these two stages to ensure that it is financially viable and that the long term goal of AHC continuing to provide housing is able to be achieved.
So far, we have secured private funding for the first stage of the project and we are committed to sourcing funding for the second stage of the project and want your support as we continue to approach governments and the private sector. As we all know, we are stronger together.
These pictures will give you an idea of what Pemulwuy will look like when it’s completed.
We will provide you with regular updates about the project, and you can also find out more on our website, or call past and have a chat with us.
