Tika Tirka Student Accommodation

Tika Tirka is an accommodation service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote and outer regional communities studying in Adelaide. Aboriginal Community Housing Ltd (ACHL) has been selected as service provider by the SA Housing Authority to deliver services at the Tika Tirka Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student accommodation in Adelaide’s CBD. Tika Tirka is built and operates on Kaurna land and means to “stay and learn” in Kaurna language. It provides young people from remote and outer regional communities with an affordable, safe and culturally appropriate “home away from home”, studying in Adelaide.

What is it like living at Tika Tirka?

The 20-bed style facility in the Adelaide CBD is set up to house up to 20 young people pursuing post-secondary studies in an innovative and supportive environment and features a mix of flexible common and private living areas. The SA Housing Authority has run Tika Tirka since it opened in October 2019 and ACHL has taken on the property and tenancy management and resident support from 1 January 2021.

Read the Tika Tirka Information brochure here.

Read our news release here.

Want to apply for Tika Tirka housing? Read our Tika Tirka FAQs.

Our strategic partnership with the City of Adelaide

ACHL has teamed up with The City of Adelaide through the Community Impact Strategic Partnership Program (CISPP), with Tika Tirka at the forefront of this partnership.

The CISPP will deliver a suite of activities that build on the City of Adelaide’s Reconciliation Action Plan and Kaurna/Elders cultural activities, giving Tika Tirka students the opportunity to learn more about the Kaurna culture.

The meaning behind the Tika Tirka logo art

‘Tika Tirka’ means to “sit, stay, and learn” and this meaning is closely represented in our logo emblem.

  1. Firstly, the shield represents stability, longevity, and the power of ancestors.
  2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are represented at the top and bottom of the shield to acknowledge both cultural groups.
  3. The shield is split into three sections: green (growth and land), blue (wisdom and the sea/water), and brown (health and earthiness).
  4. The horseshoe and linear shapes in the green and brown sections represent the men, women, and non-binary residents at Tika Tirka.
  5. The emu tracks in the brown section represents the nation moving forward/looking towards the future.
  6. The parallel lines represent spears, which are a symbol for bravery and courage.
  7. All other symbols represent meeting places, which wholeheartedly, represent the future of Tika Tirka and the opening of more accommodation facilities to hold more students.