Community partnership supports the homeless
A public-private project is addressing the accommodation crisis among women aged 55 and over.
An estate that will soon house 18 women aged over 55 south of Perth is being touted as a model solution to the nation’s homelessness crisis.
The My Home project, which features inexpensive but stylish homes built on government land, was built under a public-private partnership and will be administered by a church-run charity, St Patrick’s Community Support Centre, in North Fremantle.
The houses were designed by architect Michelle Blakeley through her My Home Housing initiative, which is keen to extend the project throughout Western Australia.
The solar-powered homes, which will operate under the Passiv Haus ultra-low-energy concept, were prefabricated by Offsite Contructions, a company that specialises in creating affordable and sustainable flatpack buildings.
The project was made possible by the donation of money, materials and labour, and the participation of charities and community organisations including Rotary, the Soroptomists, Catholic Women’s League, Corporate Australia, Minderoo, Sisters of St John of God, and LotteryWest.
The West Australian reports that the tenants – who, as women over 55, are members of the fastest-growing group of homeless people in the country – will pay a quarter of their Newstart allowances in rent for their own 30sqm single-bedroom home with a 10sqm balcony.
“It is less than what they would pay in a share house, and there is probably not a lot of dignity in living in a share house when you get older anyway,” Ms Blakeley told the newspaper.
When they move into the fully furnished homes, the women will receive care packs that include vouchers to spend at local shops.
While it’s a significant contribution to homelessness, this initiative represents a small, local response to a growing crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people believed to be without permanent accommodation.
Dr Michael Fotheringham from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute says similar projects are underway in other states, including New South Wales and Victoria.
He told the ABC, “The states and territories are playing a really active role but what we're increasingly seeing is a real interest from the private sector in contribution to solutions to this problem.
“There's actually a good business case for this, but of course increasingly the private sector is interested in … environmental, social and governance results, not just strict finance, and the social impact of building more social and affordable housing is very apparent.”
The good news in the West is that the Fremantle project won’t be the last, with land for five other developments already donated by the state government and churches.
On its website, My Home Housing says, “As long as the Government or other landowners provide us with land, we will continue to build houses across Western Australia.”
Under its Better Housing Campaign, National Seniors Australia recommends a range of initiatives to help older people, including building rental housing for seniors and supporting the construction of accessible housing to give people more choice and delay entry into aged care.
Related reading: ABC, The West Australian, My Home Housing
