A new apartment block at Rockdale has been designed to address the shortage of disability accommodation in St George.
The residential apartments on Princes Highway were constructed by property company Piety THP, in partnership with non-profit organisation, Summer Housing.
Established in 2017, its mission is to expand the range and scale of diverse housing options for people with disability living in, or at risk of admission to, residential aged care, particularly younger people.
Together with the developer, it is hoped the project will provide more opportunities for new accommodation for young people living with a disability.
Each of the single level apartments in the award-winning block are custom designed and wheelchair friendly, with a focus on assistive technology and two-way communication with support workers.
The units meet high physical support design requirements under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). They also have structural provisions for ceiling hoists.
Chief executive of Summer Housing, Dan McLennan, says the aim is to increase the range and scale of housing for people with a disability.
“Our goal is to provide those in need with long-term housing that affords them independence while breaking down the major housing barriers that people with disability face,” he said.
Piety THP spokesman Nigel Napoli says young Australians with a disability often have limited choices, and have no option but to go to nursing homes.
“Over 6200 younger Australians with disability are forced to live with people in their seventies, eighties and older – this not an ideal situation for someone in their twenties or thirties,” he said.
“When Summer Housing approached us with this news, we were very keen to help do something about it, [and] accommodate such a fantastic organisation and integrate their designs.”
There will be 10 apartments available to eligible participants from April 2019.
