Healthy Homes

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development has established the Healthy Homes program to provide a systems approach to improving health outcomes associated with poor housing conditions.

The program is underpinned by the evidence based nine healthy living practices, which recognise the importance of a house’s physical equipment, also known as health hardware, in promoting hygienic living.

This equipment generally relates to a:

• house water supply
• sanitation
• food preparation functions.

Research has shown that improving essential health hardware will lead to improvements in health and reduce the risk of disease and injury.

The healthy living practices are:

1. washing people, especially children
2. washing clothes and bedding
3. removing wastewater safely
4. improving nutrition
5. reducing the impact of crowding
6. reducing the impact of animals, insects, and vermin
7. reducing the impact of dust
8. improved temperature control
9. reducing hazards that cause trauma.

Healthy living practices have already been integrated into Our Community. Our Future. Our Homes, HomeBuild programs.

Program overview

The Healthy Homes program includes the following elements:

Housing for Health - the department is working with Healthabitat to deliver the Housing for Health ‘survey fix’ repairs and maintenance program in approximately two to three remote communities per annum from 2021- 27. For more information on the Housing for Health model, go to the Housing for Health - the guide website.

Remote property and tenancy management (PTM) - the department is integrating healthy living practices into the delivery of remote PTM services across all 73 leased remote communities and Alice Springs town camps to deliver an enhanced approach to repairs and maintenance.

Healthy Homes will promote preventative repairs and maintenance models that focus on ensuring that houses’ health hardware (such as fixtures or fittings used for cooking, food storage washing and sanitation) is functioning to support the healthy living practices.

Capacity building and community education - the department is working with Aboriginal organisations and the environmental health workforce to build communities’ understanding of healthy living practices and to roll out community-based programs around housing and hygiene.

Monitoring and evaluation - the department is working with the Remote Housing Joint Steering Committee and its stakeholders to assess the health and social impacts of Healthy Homes and to inform changes to service delivery models through the repairs and maintenance project control group.

Progress

As of June 2026, the department is currently working with Healthabitat to deliver the Housing for Health program to:

• Gunyangara - 26 houses completed in March 2026
• Yirrkala - 108 houses completed in March 2026
• Ramingining - 135 houses in progress, completion expected in March 2027
• Millingimbi - 118 houses in progress, completion expected in June 2027.