Abbeyfield House residents who live with disabilities fear being kicked out of their home as Marion Council seeks to sell it

They’ve lived together as a family for 15 years, finding their freedom. Now a council wants to sell their forever home from under them.

Abbeyfield Home residents Cara Williams, Sarah Byrne, Jacob Milbank, Brendan Stone, Philip Humphries and Stuart Lee. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

A “family” of young people living with disabilities fear they will be kicked out of their forever home and split up as a council seeks to sell their house to resolve a tenancy dispute.

For 15 years, Abbeyfield Marion House has been a sanctuary for Eddie Jenkinson, Jake Milbank – a cherished Adelaide Crows water boy – and their six housemates.

The Edwardstown property has become “the core” of the residents’ happiness and stability as they grew into a close-knit family.

Now owner Marion Council wants to sell the land, believing that will fix an ongoing dispute between the residents’ families and disability housing provider Abbeyfield Australia, which leases and manages the property.

Eddie’s mother Jan McConchie said a sale would leave the residents unprotected, with no guarantee of long-term stability – a decision that has left them feeling “very distressed” and “frightened to lose their home”.

“If it’s sold, it just goes to the private sector then anything could happen then,” she said.

“Down the track they could go, ‘we’ve got a change in direction’ (or) we’re going to liquidate our assets”.

Ms McConchie said the parents had brought the residents together and helped them create a supportive environment to learn to live independently.

The NDIS later relieved families from daily domestic duties and cut costs.

The residents at their Edwardstown home, where they’ve lived for more than 15 years. Picture Naomi Jellicoe

In 2020, a merger with Abbeyfield Australia allowed the families to work with the provider to run the home but tensions arose over management styles and a proposed “unsustainable” rent spike.

Ms McConchie said a legal challenge found they were unprotected because of a gap in the law.

“We knew that it was an economically stable place with the way it was running, so we questioned the fee increase,” Ms McConchie said.

Sarah Byrne and Eddie Jenkinson with Mr Jenkinson’s mother, Jan McConchie. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The council couldn’t intervene because it had no contractual control over the home’s management and couldn’t terminate the lease without a serious breach by the lessees.

Because it also did not provide disability services, it opted to sell the property.

Marion Mayor Kris Hanna said residents would be “best cared for if the property was transferred to a disability housing provider”.

“We have been clear that any sale of the property would need to prioritise the accommodation needs of the existing residents,” Mr Hanna said.

“Our primary focus is on ensuring the best outcome for the residents. Their parents have been informed of that directly.

“The state government is involved every step of the way – they can block the sale and they even have a right to purchase the property.”

The families are want the sale halted, a long-term lease extension and legislative changes to bring the home under the Residential Tenancies Act,

“There’s not going to be another place that all eight of them can be together because that’s not what’s out there in the marketplace,” Ms McConchie said.

“They’re each other’s significant others, they’re each other’s family. Having a home of their own is one thing, but being together is the other thing.”

Abbeyfield Australia said it was “assessing all available options” to support the residents and ensure their “long-term residential security” at the property, despite the lease ending next year.