Somerville opens purpose-built care homes for people with disabilities

Two new homes will provide around-the-clock care for people with disabilities as Northern Territory care provider Somerville delivers first accommodation under multi-million-dollar commitment.

Northern Territory community services provider Somerville has opened two new specially-designed high physical support homes in Driver for people with disabilities.

Each home will accommodate three residents and provide 24-hour around-the-clock care.

Work on the homes began last October on a vacant government-owned block beside Palmerston golf-course on Dwyer Circuit.

M&J Builders is applying finishing touches to both homes before the residents move in later this year.

It is the first time Somerville has purpose-built its own residential accommodation.

The new Driver properties means the business now has 26 homes for people with disability across the Territory,

Laura Shellie and Fabian Bush attend the launch of new social housing built by Somerville in Driver. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Somerville chief executive Lawson Broad thanked the Northern Territory Government for making the land available.

Somerville committed $8m to build the two new Driver homes and five homes in Katherine, which will open next year.

“So much of our built environment is simply not designed for people with a physical disability,” Mr Broad said.

“It’s rarely thought of as a consideration from something as basic as having doorways and hallways that are wide enough to roll a wheelchair through, to having even surfaces that don’t cause an obstruction to wheelchair travel.

“Somerville has been providing support for people with disability in supported accommodation for 40 years.

“We’ve provided those services largely in homes provided by the NT Government through Territory Housing, but they’re now 40-year-old homes and were never constructed to any kind of disability standard and were modified over the years.

Lawson Broad is the chief executive officer of Somerville Community Services.

“The opportunities these homes create for residents to live in are truly outstanding.

“You’ll see automatic doors throughout the home, you’ll see kitchens with bench tops that raise and lower according to the person that’s using it at the time.

“You’ll see very large bathrooms that are comfortable safe places for people to wash and solar power and battery to ensure properties can continue to run when there’s a cyclone or blackout.”

Hoists will be installed to lift residents between bedrooms and bathrooms and into the hydrotherapy pool.

Each bedroom has a private courtyard.”

M&J Builders construction manager Zac Garrett said the company worked within the Special Disability Accommodation framework to ensure the homes were built to code and delivered value for money.

“This is a resume project for us,” he said.

“High-design, high-fit-out, really top quality.

“It showcases what we can do and we like to be at the forefront and doing the best we can.

“They’re absolutely beautiful houses.

“They’re NT houses and you couldn’t get much better than what we’ve got.

“Concrete floors, blockwork, they’re heavily insulated, solar battery back-up. They’re beautiful homes.”

Ngaree Ah Kit Mla and Fabian Bush check out the new social housing built by Somerville in Driver. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Somerville disability services director Annette Blunt said six men would occupy the new housing and they would relocate from their current accommodation in Rapid Creek.

“The looks on their faces when they came through the door this morning said it all,” Ms Blunt said.

“These gentlemen have all lived with us for quite a long time in two different houses in Rapid Creek but living together a lot of them so there will be not too much change for them.

“It will be a lot more opportunity to socialise and they’ll have their independence and personal space.”