West Australian Not For Profit aged care provider Juniper held a ceremonial soil-turning on 10 June to mark the start of works on an 11-home staff accommodation project in Fitzroy Crossing, a small town in the Kimberley, 2,500km northeast of Perth.
The project includes eight one-bedroom and three two-bedroom modular units, built alongside Juniper’s Guwardi Ngadu Residential Aged Care Home.
Partially funded by a Federal Government grant, with additional contributions from Juniper, the project is aimed at addressing housing shortages in the region, which in turn make it difficult to attract staff.
in the smoking ceremony
“Without secure, quality accommodation, it’s incredibly difficult to recruit and retain the aged care workers we need to support older people in this community,” said Juniper CEO Russell Bricknell.
“This project directly addresses the housing crisis and supports our ability to deliver consistent, culturally safe care on Country.”
during the smoking ceremony
The new modular homes will be constructed in Perth by Trigon Projects and transported to Fitzroy Crossing in mid-2025. Local tradespeople will handle site preparation and installation of essential services.
Bunuba Operations Aboriginal Corporation (BOAC), which owns the land, will provide cultural and environmental oversight of the project, which is expected to be completed in early 2026.