Work is underway on five new one-bedroom villas at Toukley which will be specialist disability accommodation (SDA) for residents with high physical support needs.
The project, named Sanctuary, is being developed by Whitestone Group and will be managed by disability and community housing provider Home in Place, with Catholic Care Broken Bay available to provide supported independent living services for those who do not already have a provider.
There will be two on-site overnight assistance rooms as well as a communal vegetable garden and electric vehicle charging station on the 700sqm block.
Whitestone Director, Julian Carlo-Stella, joined Home in Place Executive Manager Specialist Services, Larissa Bridge, and Catholic Care Broken Bay Executive Director, Tim Curran, earlier this month to see completion of the framing and construction is expected to be complete by October.
Carlo-Stella said the project was one of four SDA projects Whitestone had in its pipeline in partnership with Home in Place.
The others are at Kariong, Charlestown and Penrith.
“There is an under-supply of high-quality SDA housing on the Central Coast that is tailored to the needs of individuals,” Carlo-Stella said.
“We like to build high-end housing in nice neighbourhoods that looks and feels great.
“At Sanctuary we are using more expensive artificial turf, rather than grass, because it will make the yard spaces more accessible and usable for residents in wheelchairs.”
Carlo-Stella said he would be actively involved in the management of the property for years to come and that Whitestone approached Home in Place as a partner because of its experience in SDA and community housing.
“I’d heard lots of good things about Home in Place in the industry and I like their focus on helping their residents and tenants,” he said.
Larissa Bridge from Home in Place said they were working to provide people with a range of specialist disability housing that met their needs, in line with the important NDIS principle of choice and control for participants.
She said Sanctuary was nestled between the beach and lake and within walking distance of shops, medical facilities, public transport and recreational facilities.
“It is important for housing for people with a disability to be close to services and amenities, not in isolated fringes of towns and cities,” Bridge said.
Expressions of interest are now open for people with high physical support needs looking for a forever home on the Central Coast.
The Home in Place website – www.homeinplace.org/sda-vacancies – has details for this property and other housing options.
“To live in an SDA home people need SDA under Capital Supports in their NDIS plan,” Bridge said.
“That can take some time, so we encourage people to talk to their support workers about starting the process.”
SDA homes give people the opportunity to live more independently in a highly supported way. They are built to special regulated standards and must be registered with the NDIS.
Tim Curran from Catholic Care Broken Bay said the role of an independent living services provider was to give residents support and supervision around the typical activities of daily living including personal care, medication support and cleaning.
“We give residents enough support to allow them to look after themselves and access all the other things they want to do as they get out and about in their new community,” he said.
Source:
Media release, Mar 27
Whitestone Group