Caption: Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation facilities in Broome.
Geraldton one step closer to Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation facility
A purpose-built, short-stay accommodation facility for Aboriginal visitors to Geraldton has reached a key milestone, with a request for tender advertised seeking an architect to design the project.
The State Government allocated $18 million under the Western Australian Recovery Plan to build the Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation facility to provide safe, affordable and culturally considered accommodation for Aboriginal people travelling into Geraldton from regional and remote communities.
The Geraldton Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation facility - the fourth facility of its kind in Western Australia, is a response to meet the needs of Aboriginal visitors from remote communities across the Midwest Gascoyne region who travel to Geraldton to access a range of services or are visiting for cultural reasons.
The Department of Communities has worked closely with local stakeholders to identify a preferred site for the facility in the Geraldton suburb of Utakarra.
The completed facility is expected to comprise of a range of safe and secure single and family units including universal access rooms, ablution and laundry facilities, dining and recreation spaces, an administration and reception centre and manager's quarters, all set in landscaped gardens.
The Department of Communities will manage the design of the facility, including community consultation, public tender and construction, in consultation with local stakeholders.
The project will create an estimated 96 construction jobs and is expected to inject more than $37 million into the Mid-West economy.
This follows other WA Aboriginal short-stay facilities operating in Kalgoorlie, Derby and Broome.
Details of the tender can be found at Tenders WA(link is external).