The first sod has been turned at a site in Bletchington Street where Housing Plus will build supported disability accommodation.
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The $1.6 million project will include four units, a counselling room and carers accommodation, that will allow four people with a disability to live independently, while having a carer on site.
The federal government has contributed $836,000 towards the project, from the government’s $10 million Specialist Disability Accommodation Initiative under the National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS.
On Wednesday, Social Services and Disability Services Assistant Minister Jane Prentice, Housing Plus chief executive David Fisher and member for Calare Andrew Gee announced that construction is ready to start.
Mr Fisher said the first residents should be able to move in by June and the units have been designed to cater for clients who require a high level of physical support.
He said the NDIS will give people a choice to live independently so Housing Plus is building the units and is also planning similar projects in Dubbo and Bathurst.
Mrs Prentice said the long-term housing would provide opportunities for people with a disability who are living in inappropriate accommodation.
She said across Australia about 6000 young people with a disability live in aged care homes and others live with aging parents, who themselves may need to go into care.
“The building’s innovative design elements will help residents in practical ways, such as home automation technology through tablets and smartphones that allows tenants with limited mobility to close doors and alert staff when needing assistance,” she said.
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
