A $1 million home for people with disabilities has officially opened in Officer.
The Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers, Senator Carol Brown, said the project included two independent living apartments with a carer’s quarters.
“I know that many people with disability are desperate to live independently and that ageing carers worry about what will happen to their children who have a disability when they become sick or simply can no longer care for them,” she said.
“These two new units will ensure that people with disability can live independently and also receive the support they need.”
Ms Brown said the apartments featured automated heating, cooling, doors, lighting and blinds so residents could manage daily living more easily.
“The unique building design will allow the residents to live with as much independence as possible but also provide them with co-ordinated support services,” she said.
“The development of this specialist accommodation by EACH Housing was made possible by a contribution by EACH and a $743,730 grant from the Federal Government’s Supported Accommodation Innovation Fund.
“The fund was established in 2011 by the Labor Government and provided $60 million to build innovative, community-based supported accommodation places for people with disability.”
Ability Dignity Access Management (ADAM) will co-ordinate the on-site support.
Les Cope and son Adam – who inspired the organisation and its name – attended the opening.
The community-based organisation supports and works closely with people with disabilities to live independent lives.
Mr Cope said accommodation like the Officer apartments would provide an alternative to nursing homes.
Through ADAM, Mr Cope applied for a Supported Accommodation Innovation Fund grant to build a home for his son in Venus Bay, and joined with EACH.
“That didn’t eventuate because the shire couldn’t get its head around putting someone with a severe disability into a fire zone,” he said.
The funding was going to lapse so EACH bought a house in Venus Bay that Adam now rents, and turned the funding to Officer.
Kira Dixon will live in one of the supported homes.
“We actually negotiated with EACH to have the housing brought back into that area because we knew Kira needed housing,” Mr Cope said.
“I was just totally stoked in terms of seeing that my friend Kira has got some potential now to be supported for the rest of her life.
“Her mother can now actually live her life and not have to worry about Kira.
“With Adam, we can now enjoy our retirement without doing all of that carer stuff we’ve been doing for 45 years.
“None of this happened easily.
“We all have a much brighter future now.”
