A new social housing development in Woy Woy will make it easier for older women at risk of homelessness to access secure housing.
The social and affordable housing project at 1 Waratah Ave will offer women who are 55 and over, and their families, to rent one of the units.
The $1.6M development, which was funded through the NSW Government’s Community Housing Innovation Fund, will be delivered by local housing provider Pacific Link Housing and is expected to be complete before Christmas.
Tenants have already been lined up for three of the units.
CEO of Pacific Link Housing, Ian Lynch, said the development would help create safe and secure properties for the cohort of vulnerable older women.
“Due to this funding from the NSW Government, we’re able to allocate six of the 12 units to house people who are eligible for social housing,” Lynch said.
“We will be achieving a mixed tenancy outcome with the remaining six units to be affordable and private housing.
“Those units will also be available to elderly couples, but our main focus is on women.”
Lynch said the project would assist the housing provider to better utilise its range of properties as part of a consistent effort to “maximise utilisation of limited social housing stock to its full potential”.
“In the first instance, Pacific Link Housing will be getting in touch with older single women who are living in existing Pacific Link Housing managed social housing, to offer them the units,” Lynch said.
“These are women who may be in one of our larger properties, but are now under-utilising the property, for example, due to their kids having now moved out.
“Our intent is to then offer them one of these brand new, safe and secure, one bed apartments, which will be easier to manage, allowing tenants to age in-place … we can then re-offer that three-bed home to a family on the waiting list, who would better utilise it.
“We are thrilled to have identified an older woman in social housing who now has the capacity to move into one of the private rentals.
“The portion of affordable and market-rate rentals will be managed by our social enterprise real estate agency Key2 Realty.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the project delivers a positive social and economic outcome for the community.
“This project is part of the pipeline of new homes being built across the Central Coast which will provide secure housing for those most in need,” Crouch said.
“It has also supported jobs for local tradies and construction workers, providing critical economic stimulus during the pandemic …80 per cent of the tradies here are locals.
“[We are] putting these facilities near the essential wrap around services that people need – whether it be the school down the road, the shops are five minutes away, public transport is just a few steps away.
“It’s a wonderful development.”
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Alister Henskens, said the ‘impressive’ development features nine single-bedroom units and three double-bedroom units.
“This is meeting an important need which is the accommodation needs of women who are older … it’s through a targeted fund to support social and affordable housing,” Henskens said.
“Women who are 55 and older are certainly in a demographic who have difficulty with housing options if they have had a family breakdown or other problems.
“So, there is an observed need for support for this vulnerable group.”
Any locals who may be interested in leasing any of the private units are asked to inquire through Key2Realty.
Maisy Rae