Collaborative housing for women over 55 living on their own
LONDON: A retirement village operator is behind a new housing project targeting over 55 year old women living alone.
A new Illawarra project will seek to meet the needs of the growing number of women over 55 who are concerned about where they are going to live as they age.
A model for collaborative housing designed for women over 55 living on their own is being piloted by Illawarra-based retirement village operator and aged care provider IRT Group.
‘Jasmine Grove’ will be a collaborative housing neighbourhood set within the new retirement village Henry Brooks Estate at IRT Kanahooka, which is currently under construction.
Partially funded by the federal government through the Building Better Regions Fund, Jasmine Grove will seek to provide long-term, affordable housing for a small group of women aged over 55.
According to IRT, Jasmine Grove aims to offer independence without isolation, featuring eight one-bedroom self-contained villas surrounding a shared communal kitchen and garden.
The villas will be pet-friendly and include a kitchen, dining area, lounge room, laundry, outdoor storage and parking space.
The shared spaces will include a full kitchen, dining table for eight residents, a lounge area with TV, an outdoor barbecue area, additional outdoor storage and shared vegetable garden and green spaces.
The project will be purposefully designed to encourage the sharing of resources and spaces.
Residents will also receive 50 hours of integrated IRT Home Care services within the first 12 months of residency.
IRT is seeking expressions of interest from women over 55 to live at Jasmine Grove, and collaborate with the organisation in defining how the co-housing community will function.
This will range from building a resident charter, to principles for governing shared spaces, to selecting furnishings for the shared spaces and designing the decorative and vegetable gardens.
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Pricing will start from an upfront contribution of $199,000 plus instalments.
Construction is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2021.
IRT Group CEO Patrick Reid said they were seeing a growing number of women over 55 who have real concerns about where they are going to live as they age.
“Women are retiring with 47 per cent less superannuation than men, yet their time in retirement is longer, with women living an average of five years longer,” he said.
“More options are needed for retired women living on their own that fits within their financial means while promoting friendship and social connection.
“Our vision is for Jasmine Grove to be a place where women share resources, grow friendships, community connections and support one another in living their best lives as they age.
“We hope future residents will enjoy cooking and sharing meals together in the communal kitchen made from fresh veggies they have grown in their own garden.”
More details: www.irt.org.au/jasminegrove.
IRT Group is a community-owned, not-for-profit organisation.
