Not-for-profit in plan to convert aged care into unit block
LONDON: The trend to recycle residential aged care housing into alternative living uses is starting to accelerate.
Peter is desperate to find somewhere to live, but there’s one significant problem standing in his way — there are no rentals available on the NSW Far South Coast.
“I’d give anything to have a place to reside where I could once again have my children come to visit,” he said.
It is a predicament Black Summer bushfire victim Ursula relates to — she has been living in a caravan park south of Eden since her home was destroyed.
“[Rentals] are as rare as hen’s teeth and too expensive,” she said.
“Yet there are houses in Eden that stand empty.”
One of those empty buildings is the former Roy Wotton Gardens aged care home.
Its closure last year forced 24 residents to relocate, but now the building is up for sale and there is hope it could be converted into affordable rentals to help address the region’s worsening housing crisis.
Not-for-profit organisation Anglicare is attempting to raise enough money to buy the building, which it plans to convert into 16 affordable units for people in need.
The proposal could help house the region’s most vulnerable, like Peter, who has been living on the brink of homelessness and struggling with severe mental health problems for years.
“It would be an absolute godsend to see this project come about,” he said.
“I’ve felt very alone and very empty not knowing where [I’m] going to be next.”
Anglicare general manager for seniors living John Vilskersts is behind the proposal in Eden, which he hopes can provide affordable accommodation for people like Peter, seniors and those living with a disability.
“We would divide the whole place up so each tenant would have their own unit and space as well as communal facilities,” he said.
“We’re estimating it’s going to cost $100,000 per unit, which is about a third or a quarter of what it would be to build something new.”
Housing affordability is an issue being felt by Australians right across the country and Mr Vilskersts believes if the model is successful in Eden it could be applied elsewhere.
He said there were many regional and rural areas going through “similar issues” with the closure of smaller hospitals and aged care facilities, which could also be converted to address the housing crisis.
“The national picture is definitely very complex,” Mr Vilskersts said.
Eden community volunteer Viv de Lacy Peek is helping to house Peter while he looks for work and alternative accommodation.
She backs the proposal but believes more work needs to be done at all levels of government to properly address the housing issue.
“Irrespective of what party is in power, they have a responsibility towards the people who vote for them,” Ms de Lacy Peek said.
“That includes the people who slip through the cracks, the people who are living on their own and the people living in tents.”
As Ursula waits for her own home to be rebuilt, she hopes initiatives like Anglicare’s will take off.
“An added benefit of this project is that it will be set up to cater for residents as they grow older and need more care,” she said.
