First tenants move into brand-new modular homes in City of Kingston
Published on 09 August 2023
AccessCare is excited to welcome the first tenants into its block of six brand-new modular homes in Oakleigh South, which were commissioned to help support homeless people in the Kingston Council area.
Modular homes – which are buildings that are constructed off-site and then transported to a new location – help to address short to medium term homelessness by providing safe and secure accommodation in a short time frame.
These types of portable homes can be rapidly constructed and placed on vacant and underutilised land. As such, they can quickly and easily provide temporary accommodation for Victorians experiencing homelessness, and thereby reduce the reliance on emergency accommodation and transient housing.
AccessCare’s Community Connection Program (CCP), which supports people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, was delighted to be a part of this project and work collaboratively with several government and non-government organisations.
“This has been a very rewarding project to be a part of, as you can see immediately the very real impact these homes can have on the wellbeing of our most vulnerable community members,” says Mardi Beaumont, one of AccessCare’s CCP case managers.
The tenancies are managed by Launch Housing, which is the entry point for homelessness services in the Kingston region, and an organisation with which AccessCare has a strong long-standing relationship. AccessCare’s CCP team is working closely with Launch Housing to ensure the residents of these new units are well supported.
The first tenants to move into the new block are vulnerable older people who were previously homeless, including a woman in her 80s and a man in his 70s.
This project was part of the Victorian Government’s ongoing commitment to addressing housing and homelessness in the City of Kingston. The site selected for these self-contained units was identified due to the size of the block, its proximity to local amenities and transport, and its accessibility to community and health services.
The success of this project is the result of a strong team effort from AccessCare, Launch Housing, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and the City of Kingston.