Whitsundays Housing Company to build four units to homeless women

The Whitsundays Housing Company will build new, self-contained units in a regional town to help provide single women over 55 with affordable and safe housing.

Four new homes are coming to a Whitsunday community to provide affordable housing for single women over 55 experiencing homelessness.

The plot at 34 Gardenia St in Proserpine has been divided into four smaller subdivisions for development by the Whitsunday Housing Company with the aim of building four units or ‘mini-homes’.

Chaired by Whitsunday regional councillor Jan Clifford, the Whitsunday Housing Company is a not-for-profit company that works to bring emergency, transitional and social housing to the Whitsundays.

Whitsunday councillor and Whitsunday Housing Company chair Jan Clifford said they have had many offers of assistance from the community in raising money and beginning the development.

“Homelessness in women over 55 is the fastest growing demographic in Australia,” Ms Clifford said.

“They may well be down on their lucky or screwed over in a divorce and find themselves in a really bad situation.

“That’s very close to my heart.”

Each unit will be fully furnished and rent will be ‘modest’.

Each unit will be fully furnished, have 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom, laundry area, kitchen, living area, private carport and a 6.5 sqm balcony space.

The units will not have private back or front yards, however each home will open onto a communal space which takes up roughly 30 per cent of the 1,761 sqm lot.

The land was donated by the Whitsunday regional council who consider the development of affordable housing a desirable outcome for the plot.

Each unit will cost approximately $150,000 to build and will be furnished using donated items and Whitsunday Housing Company funds.

The houses will each open onto a common space and are located close to the heart of Proserpine.

“There will be no tenure on them,” Mrs Clifford said.

“Rent will be very modest and we will do all the major maintenance.

“All the tenants will have to do is keep the place clean and tidy.”

The Gardenia St location is within walking distance to Proserpine Hospital and other services, as well as close to the Community Centre.

Ms Clifford is planning to build similar models in Bowen following the completion of this project to try and help ease the shortage of social and affordable housing n the Whitsundays.

“We have a great team who put our fundraisers together and I’d like to thank everyone for their support,” Ms Clifford said.