First Nations Homes at Swift Walk, Kensington

Each morning, before the sun is fully up, Duane* steps onto his balcony at Swift Walk in Kensington with a cup of tea. He sits with the cacti and pot plants he's set up on the balcony and watches Kensington wake up. It's the first balcony he's ever had, and it's already the best part of his day.

Duane and his neighbour Wesley* are two of the first residents to move in through Assemble's partnership with Aboriginal Housing Victoria, which exists to make sure more homes are accessible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians.

For Duane and Wesley, a secure home built around community and connection has meant finding not just stability, but a place to thrive.

Duane: “This is a family home now”

For Duane, security has been a long time coming. He's experienced real housing insecurity — moving between inner-city apartments as rents crept up around him, and working hard to continue to find a stable home.

“There's nothing worse than not having a roof over your head,” he says. “It doesn't matter how small, what type — as long as there's a roof and you're secure within those walls.”

Late last year, rent on the small bedsit he'd found in Hawthorn jumped from $220 to $305 a week. Not long after, he lost his job. Then, out of the blue, through Aboriginal Housing Victoria, came an offer of a two-bedroom home at Swift Walk.

“I was rapt,” Duane says. “I've been trying to do the right thing for the last five years, and it felt like the universe was finally giving something back.”

Duane’s 28-year-old son has moved in and his 20-year-old daughter, who used to only see him for dinner, now stays over on weekends. The extra space has brought his family back together in ways he didn't expect.

“We hadn't lived together for ten years,” he says. “It's nice to have someone there and now, with the extra room, my kids are coming back into my life.”

Wesley: “A place to flourish”

Wesley moved to Swift Walk after leaving an unsafe living situation. Three in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing homelessness are living in severely overcrowded homes, and finding the right fit — safe, appropriately sized, and close to family — can take time.

Wesley’s brother applied to move into Swift Walk and his application was also approved. The two brothers now live in the same building, a few floors apart. He's settled in now, cats and all, in a home that's entirely his own.

Asked what home means to him, Wesley doesn't hesitate: "Security, safety, and a place to flourish."

Building something that lasts

Ask Duane and Wesley what home means to them, and the answers land in almost the same place: security, safety, family. For two people who've spent years chasing housing stability, it's no small thing to finally have it.

It's also the clearest measure of what Assemble's partnership with Aboriginal Housing Victoria is designed to do — not just provide housing, but set the foundations on which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents can build their lives.

Find out more about Assemble's partnership with Aboriginal Housing Victoria and Assemble’s Reconciliation Action Plan, or explore homes available now at Swift Walk, Kensington.

*The resident’s name has been changed to protect their privacy. All quotes are shared with permission

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experiencing homelessness, 2021 Census data (ABS, 2022), https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples-experiencing-homelessness