Beecroft House: over 55s women’s shelter opens for transitional housing
Beecroft House went from a vacant building to a home for dozens of women in need in 40 days.
Hornsby
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A PLEA for more accommodation by the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter has been answered — with an aged care provider transforming a vacant facility into transitional housing.
Beecroft House will provide affordable housing for a total of 20 women over the age of 55 facing financial hardship or homelessness.
The facility, which is currently being shown to potential tenants for the first time this week, comes after following a campaign by the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter, Women’s Community Shelters, Link Housing and provider, Twilight Aged Care.
Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women’s Shelter president Sallianne McClelland said Twilight Aged Care approached Women’s Community Shelters about using their facility in Beecroft one year ago. “This has been an incredible journey,” Ms McClelland said. “40 days ago we took possession of the site and transformed it from a vacant building into a home for women in need.
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“This project is so different from our others, because it is affordable housing we can talk about it, share the address and celebrate this incredible space with the community that helped build it.”
Ms McClelland said the transformation wouldn’t have been possible without the support of community groups and businesses.
“The day we gained approval and started talks with Link Housing, I received a call from Carmen Lee Tlatt from The Generous and Grateful who had just secured furniture from a Sydney hotel — which meant we could furnish the space,” she said.
“We called on the community to sponsor bedrooms and were overwhelmed with the response.”
Women’s Community Shelters chief operating officer Simone Parsons said the project was “an incredible opportunity to develop more accommodation for women in our community who need stable housing and support.”
Berowra federal Liberal MP, Julian Leeser recently visited Beecroft House to donate some goods and see the project’s progress.
“It’s incredible to see how the community has rallied around this project, with businesses, organisations and schools enabling the project to succeed,” Mr Lesser said.