Rideaway

Does anyone have experience of the 'On arrival public accommodation' in Adelaide (postive and negatives) ?
Was 6 weeks enough time for Housing SA to provide you with this accommodation ?
Or is it better to arrange your own rental ?

Rental prices are $140-300 per week and includes:

-beds/mattresses (cots for infants)
-wardrobe and chest of drawers
-dining table and chairs
-refrigerator
-crockery and cutlery
-vacuum cleaner (for properties with carpets)
-washing machine (or shared laundry facilities)
-toaster and kettle
-basic cooking equipment
-lounge suite
-cleaning equipment
-portable heating can be provided on request during the cooler months

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks

quoll

Blimey, SA are ahead of the game. I hadnt heard of that being offered - certainly not here where public housing is at a premium and certainly not if you are a WASP with money. You may get some support here if you were arriving on a humanitarian visa. Their website says "at least" 6 weeks.

In the olden days you would be offered space in a "hostel" I thought those days were long gone!

comet555

I know Dorothy (a poster on here) stayed at one when she arrived in Adelaide.

From what she said it was sort of a lottery system so not everyone gets a spot, and it actually sounded quite rare to get one. Also I remember her mentioning you needed to have your own bed linen and that sort of thing. That's all I remember, although if you do a search on her then you'll find more. Hopefully someone will be along to answer your questions.

calNgary

A friend used a service like this one, think they had a case worker helping them for the first few weeks . No frills but got him on his feet i would guess you would be paying about $700 dollars per week if you got your own furnished holiday rental (get sleeping bags when you arrive from local camping center). The only advise is make sure you dont leave important docs or cash in house, good luck on the move

Dorothy

Like Comet said, my family was fortunate enough to be granted OAA when we migrated. Bear in mind that there are thousands that apply and only a very few who are lucky enough to get a spot.

Our place was clean but very basic in an old neighbourhood about 40 minutes by bus to the city. All the units/houses are former HousingSA homes, so in areas where there are a lot of council homes. Our neighbours on both sides were in Housing SA homes, as were the people across the street and the house behind us. Saying that, they were very friendly and helpful.

Our house came with a double bed, a room with 2 singles and a room with 1 single. There were wardrobes in each room and a small single dresser in each. There was a kitchen with dishes for 4 and some basic pots/pans, a table and 4 chairs, a lounge with 1 chair and a couch and a bathroom with the usual sink, shower and bath. No phone, electric, gas or Foxtel were included, so we had to organise those when we moved in. On our first day there we had to buy towels and bed linens, since they don't come with the unit.

As I said earlier, lots of people apply for the program but very few actually get it. Your best bet is to also have a place like a caravan park lined up in case you are not one of the lucky few. Wendy (another poster) stayed in a lovely caravan park near Glenelg for a few weeks while they sorted their rental.