Aboriginal people needing short stay accommodation in Broome for personal, medical or business purposes now have access to a safe, secure accommodation option.
An opening ceremony celebration was recently held to mark the official opening of our new Broome Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation (BASSA) complex. More than 50 guests attended the event, including Housing Minister Hon. Peter Tinley, Communities’ Director General Michelle Andrews and Nyamba Buru Yawuru traditional owners.
Built by Communities on land owned by the Nyamba Buru Yawuru traditional owners, BASSA is managed by MercyCare in collaboration with local organisations Centacare
Kimberley, Nirrumbuk and Nyamba Buru Yawuru.
BASSA caters for Aboriginal people visiting Broome for a short period of time, for business, medical, cultural, judicial or family reasons. The BASSA service is a short stay (maximum of 28 days) facility and has 44 units available with single, double and family beds as well as laundry facilities, a barbecue area and children’s playground.
For Aboriginal people visiting Broome from surrounding communities, the short stay has been a life-line. As with the Department’s two other Aboriginal short stay facilities, BASSA is drug and alcohol free and provides ancillary support services for Aboriginal people from remote communities who might otherwise be sleeping rough in public places or staying in overcrowded social housing tenancies.
BASSA manager Kuzi Sakupwanya has lived and worked in the Kimberley for over five years. He believes he is witnessing an important change in Broome now that the short stay complex has opened.
“After three months of operations I am slowly seeing the differences that BASSA is making for the Broome community,” said Kuzi. “I think people who need to visit Broome who now know they have access to safe and secure, are enormously grateful and relieved.”
