UnitingSA’s community housing project at Ferryden Park, 6.3km northwest of Adelaide’s CBD, has won a pair of Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) SA Awards for Excellence.
The village, which provides housing for South Australian women aged 55 years and over who are at risk of homelessness, comprises eight two-bedroom, open-plan houses with landscaped gardens and energy-saving features, surrounding a communal outdoor undercover area and shared gardens.
According to UnitingSA CEO Jenny Hall (pictured), the village, which won the 2022 UDIA SA Small Scale Development Award and Aged Care & Community Housing Award, is evidence of “good design meet(ing) meaningful outcomes”.
“We know older women are the fastest growing homeless population in the country and we were inspired to build the Ferryden Park Community Housing development to address this area of significant need,” she said.
"Not only does this development provide older women a stable home but it provides access to a range of wrap-around services to support their health and wellbeing."
The Ferryden Park Community Housing village, designed by City Collective and constructed by Cook Building, was made possible thanks to a $1 million grant from the SA Housing Authority and a gift of land by members of the local Gospel Mission.
“This is the prime example of what can be achieved when government and values-based organisations come together to address the needs of our community,” Jenny said.
“We hope this collaborative development can be used as a model for future housing responses in South Australia.”
UnitingSA recently announced that its closed Regency Green aged care home in Adelaide will be used to transition NDIS patients from hospital and to house refugees.
