General News
3 May, 2023
Long-awaited construction underway
A NEW state-of-the-art house is starting to look like a home for high-needs Cooinda participants as constructions ramps up.
A NEW state-of-the-art house is starting to look like a home for high-needs Cooinda participants as constructions ramps up.
The concept has been years in development after Cooinda identified the need for further specialised, purpose-built housing for people with a disability, in particular those with high physical support and behavioural needs.
Development of the Supported Disability Accommodation (SDA) facility at 51 Dow Street began in 2019, but the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic created delays in in getting surveyors and consultants.
“We had everything approved by 2020 but as COVID-19 hit we’ve had a lot of delays,” Cooinda chief executive officer Janice Harris said.
“We also had to get the lot subdivided, and as building supplies rose in cost we had to get requoted over the last few years.
“The plan was to finish construction in 2021 but we’re hopeful the facility is completed this year.”
The concrete slab and framing began going up in recent weeks, with the five-bedroom, purpose-built accommodation facility now beginning to take shape.
The facility will support four residents, and include an attached but separate two-bedroom facility with a robust design to care for a participant with behaviours of concern.
Both facilities will have sleepover support for staff, with the design centred around significantly enhancing the quality of life for residents.
“I’ve been here 15 years and this is the first big building-project we’ve taken on,” Ms Harris said.
“We built three villas between the 1970s and 1990s, so it’s been quite a while.
“As a not-for-profit, any funding we have goes back in to our maintenance or building costs, so we’ve been lucky over the number of bequests to put in to term deposits which has created opportunities for us to do works like this.”
Ms Harris said the facility would meet NDIS specialist disability accommodation codes, meeting the care needs of residents while respecting their right to feel at home.
“This accommodation will have high physical support needs and will have everything from sprinkler systems in the event of fire, to ceiling beams which support the installation of hoists and lifts,” she said.
“The benches in the kitchens can be lowered or lifted to support people in a wheelchair, and the two-bedroom facility attached will be reinforced to ensure clients with behaviours of concern can’t hurt themselves or break a window.”
Ms Harris said the facility would increase the quality of life for residents, creating more freedom and independence with more space and access.
“With technology, a lot of it can even be voice controlled or remote controlled,” she said.
“Building in this day is much more advanced than building 20 or 30 years ago, even with Wi-Fi to support people in being more independent.”
Ms Harris thanked those involved with helping to bring the dream of the SDA home to reality.
“We received donations from philanthropic trusts and hope to involve the community later on, which could be through something such as landscaping,” she said.
“We look forward to keeping people informed with how everything is going.”
