SA begins work on new apartment complex for at-risk women and kids

A new apartment complex in the heart of a major capital city could serve as a model to help beat back the scourge of domestic violence.

Women and kids who have suffered abuse will be offered safe harbour through a new housing model that combines private charity with state-backed loans.

A new $15.7m apartment complex in the heart of Adelaide will provide 24 long-term rentals for women and their children who have been subject to domestic violence.

The project, developed by YWCA Australia, is backed by a $5m no-interest loan from the state government.

The 17 Hutt St complex will offer 1-3 bed units for women at below market rents.

Human Services Minister Nat Cook said the project would keep women and their families off the streets.

“These affordable rental homes will be a place for recovery from the trauma and abject fear that is part of the toxicity of domestic and family violence. Healing can begin when people know they are finally safe,” she said.

Along with the apartments, support services will be offered to the women at the complex.

Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Katrine Hildyard said the project could save lives.

Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Minister Katrine Hildyard (left), YWCA Australia general manager Community Housing Charlotte Dillon (centre) and Human Services Minister Nat Cook at the site of a new $16m affordable housing project prioritising women and families in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

“We don’t ever want women to have to choose between having somewhere to live and being safe,” she said.

“This development on Hutt Street is about ensuring they do not have to.”

YWCA Australia general manager for community housing Charlotte Dillon said the new units would offer some hope to women desperate to find safe housing in a tight market.

Adelaide’s rental vacancy rate sits at 0.6 per cent, according to SQM Research.

The project is booked for completion in 2025 and it follows a suite of initiatives to ease the state’s housing crisis.

The 2023-24 budget boasted a $474.7m package to encourage development and affordability, including the release of 25,000 new blocks of residential land across Adelaide’s northern and southern suburbs.

The government is also sketching out a vision for development beyond 2050 with the release of its Greater Adelaide Regional Plan for public consultation.

South Australia needs another 300,000 homes by mid century, the report states, and a rezoning program, diverse housing options and growth in satellite cities are all needed to meet demand.

Originally published as SA begins work on new apartment complex for at-risk women and kids