Seniors Housing & Healthcare Trends

NEW YORK: Nearly 20 homeless women will soon have a roof over their heads thanks to an innovative new “flat-pack” building project.

Housing project “My Home” will build 18 new prefabricated homes on a vacant lot in North Fremantle, largely funded by a $2.2 million Lotterywest grant.

Each unit – which includes a bed, living space, bathroom, and kitchen across a 31 square metre footprint – is built with flat-pack panels, meaning it can be assembled quickly and easily.

They will house women over the age of 55, the fastest-growing cohort experiencing homelessness in Australia.

It will be “life-changing” for some tenants, said architect and My Home chair Michelle Blakeley.

“These women will now have a fixed address,” she said.

“Without a fixed address, there’s a lot of things that are very difficult to access.

“For some of these women in the older cohort, it will be their forever-home. They can move in and know that they’re safe, that they’re not going to be evicted.”

WA is facing a growing housing crisis.

The social housing wait-list continues to grow — the overall number of applicants for public housing now sits at 17,320, representing 30,024 people.

There has been a 70 per cent jump in people waiting for “priority” public housing in less than 12 months, with the figure sitting at 6904.

The human cost of such figures was made clear in June, when Noongar woman and mother of six Alana Garlett died after being found in the Perth CBD.

The My Home team want to help prevent such tragedies.

“Everyone deserves a high quality, high performing home and homeless people are no different,” Ms Blakely said.

“Our idea is to just have sites all across Western Australia, it’s very adaptable and scaleable.”

Local 65-year-old woman Rosalee – who did not want her last name used – will be eligible for one of the houses.

The former security officer and volunteer ambulance officer has been couch surfing and living in St Patrick’s Community Support Centre accommodation for the past two years.

She said that securing a lease would give her “so much happiness”.

“To me it would feel like I won Lotto; to have somewhere to rest in peace, where you can plant a flower where it will stay there and you can watch it grow,” she said.

“Being with people around the same age, sharing the same stories and experiences, that would also bring benefits.’’

The homes will be built on vacant rail reserve land, leased on a peppercorn basis from the Public Transport Authority through the Department of Communities. The lease is slated to last for 15 years.

Additional funding for the project will be provided by the Minderoo Foundation and the Sisters of St John of God.

St Patrick’s will provide tenants with wraparound services, while Rotary WA will furnish the houses with around $100,000 of home and garden wares.

Community Services Minister Simone McGurk hinted that the government may assist scaling this project up in the future.

“It is an innovative idea and the State Government will be monitoring its progress and outcomes,” she said.

“I welcome this project’s focus on enabling vulnerable individuals to live safely and comfortably in the community with wraparound support services.”