A CHANGE in funding will mean less jobs for another local organisation, this time the Moruya-based South Eastern Aboriginal Regional Management Services (SEARMS).
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SEARMS has managed Aboriginal housing from Nowra to Eden and out to Yass successfully for the past 10 years, but is being forced to cut back on staff due to changes in funding provisions.
The organisation formed in collaboration with local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal housing providers as a service specialised in housing.
SEARMS chief executive officer of 10 years Christine Lee said some in the indigenous community struggled with managing their own housing.
“What they did was set up a cooperative and then from that point it was actually specialising in looking after the housing to take away some of the issues they have,” Ms Lee said.
“We are 100 per cent Aboriginal housing, Aboriginal owned and managed and run all Aboriginal tenancies.”
Ms Lee said since the organisation began in 2003/4, it had only ever been able to offer 12 months employment to its staff because of funding uncertainty.
“The funding and the programs are always changing,” she said.
Initially SEARMS only covered the South Coast from Bodalla to Ulladulla but it has extended to Nowra, out to Young, Yass and Mittagong and down to Bega and Eden.
In 2013 the organisation managed 320 houses but due to state government policy changes, it handed some homes back to Land Councils and providers to manage themselves.
“Things have changed within the Aboriginal Housing Office and a different strategy has been developed,” Ms Lee said.
“Those organisations had expectations that they were either going to list those properties or manage them themselves.”
SEARMS employs seven staff, all indigenous, and is funded through the Aboriginal Housing Office.
Ms Lee said the SEARMS had positioned itself well enough to be able to ride out the reduced funding, but it meant “drastic action” for the organisation.
She said SEARMS would have to be more frugal with money and would lose “at least two staff”.
“If you aren’t managing 300 properties, like we were, you aren’t going to have the same amount of staff,” Ms Lee said.
“We are going to cut back on some staff.
“The board meets on Monday and we are up for a re-structure.
“We are going to have to consolidate before we can actually grow again as an organisation.”
Ms Lee said she wanted people to know and celebrate the success of SEARMS as an organisation.
“It is an Aboriginal organisation and there has been no misappropriation, no administrators appointed in the ten years we have been operating,” Ms Lee said.
“We are clean operating and clear audit.
“We are a local success story.”