Seniors Housing & Healthcare Trends

LOS ANGELES: The fastest growing housing trend is the need to service women who become homeless post 60.

A pocket of North Fremantle land will play a crucial role in alleviating Perth’s affordable housing crisis.

On June 12, architect Michelle Blakeley and local MP Simone McGurk formally unveiled 18 homes assembled from IKEA-style flat-packs as part of the highly anticipated My Home project.

The entire process for the properties — located in Condon Street and made available specifically to older women facing homelessness — was completed in a nine months, but the most remarkable aspect is that each house takes just four hours to go up.

A pocket of North Fremantle land will play a crucial role in alleviating Perth’s affordable housing crisis.

On June 12, architect Michelle Blakeley and local MP Simone McGurk formally unveiled 18 homes assembled from IKEA-style flat-packs as part of the highly anticipated My Home project.

The entire process for the properties — located in Condon Street and made available specifically to older women facing homelessness — was completed in a nine months, but the most remarkable aspect is that each house takes just four hours to go up.

“This means we can fast-track the construction with tradies moving in to do their work as soon as each house is erected,” founder and architect Ms Blakely said.

For 67-year-old Kathy — one of North Fremantle’s newest residents — these properties are the difference between a home and spending the night on the streets.

A pocket of North Fremantle land will play a crucial role in alleviating Perth’s affordable housing crisis.

On June 12, architect Michelle Blakeley and local MP Simone McGurk formally unveiled 18 homes assembled from IKEA-style flat-packs as part of the highly anticipated My Home project.

The entire process for the properties — located in Condon Street and made available specifically to older women facing homelessness — was completed in a nine months, but the most remarkable aspect is that each house takes just four hours to go up.

“This means we can fast-track the construction with tradies moving in to do their work as soon as each house is erected,” founder and architect Ms Blakely said.

For 67-year-old Kathy — one of North Fremantle’s newest residents — these properties are the difference between a home and spending the night on the streets.

After her landlord refused a lease extension, Kathy was rejected by countless rental agents.

She said backpacker hostels turned into safe night shelters.

“I could see it in people’s faces, when I’d show up, they’d just look at me and dismiss me straight away; I felt invisible,” she said.

Ms Blakeley said the project aimed to provide cost-efficient homes to people currently, or at risk of becoming, homeless.

She said the innovative and energy-efficient homes were a remarkable achievement given the supply troubles and labour woes faced by the building sector.

“When residents move in, they will find a fully furnished and equipped home, complete with a pantry full of groceries,” she said.

Australia’s homeless population has aged rapidly, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Their statistics revealed the cohort of older women facing homelessness grew by about 30 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

The My Home project operates on a peppercorn lease, utilising land owned by the Public Transport Authority.

St Patrick’s Community Support Centre chief executive Michael Piu said the project was an opportunity for the public, private and community sectors to work together to combat homelessness.

“We’re facing a perfect storm of a lack of social housing, the lowest rental vacancy rates on record and increasing cost-of-living pressures,” he said. “More and more people like Kathy are turning to us for help, but there’s a limit to what we can do with the resources we have.”

The project was jointly funded between Lotterywest, the Minderoo Foundation and the Sisters of St John of God.

While only in its early stages, the project is planned for multiple suburbs across Perth including Dianella, Mandurah, East Victoria Park, Armadale and Mundijong.