NOT for profit organisation, Housing All Australians (HAA) and a host of others have joined forces with the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) to establish a transitional housing facility for women at risk of homelessness in Hobart.
The initiative, named Amelie House, will see the former Bethlehem House in Warwick Street provide accommodation for up to 43 women and will be jointly managed by Vinnies and Hobart City Mission.
The project received a significant boost through a major furniture donation from Somerset on the Pier hotel, valued at approximately $500,000. This includes beds, kitchen equipment, furniture for communal areas, and office furnishings, resulting in substantial cost savings for the project.
Further support has come from Dulux, which is contributing paint for the facility; the MONA team, providing project management expertise through HAA’s Tasmanian State Management Committee, and the Neill Family’s Select Foundation, which is funding 18 self-contained accommodation pods and building upgrades
Amelie House is being supported by $1.2 million of operational funding from the Tasmanian government.
“This collaborative approach between government, business, and social services represents a cost-effective solution to address housing insecurity while preventing the cycle of homelessness,” said HAA CEO Dan McKenna.
“We know the scale of the housing crisis is too big for government to solve alone.
“Through engaging the private sector, we can deliver innovative solutions to Tasmania’s housing crisis. We believe it’s in Tasmania’s long-term economic interest to house all its people, rich or poor.”
Anthea Dimitrakopoulos, general manager brand and ESG, The Ascott Limited, Australia – Somerset’s owner and a “compassionate capitalist” – said, “we believe that it benefits us all to ensure that the most vulnerable among us can thrive. And we know that without secure housing for all, we cannot achieve gender equity.
“In providing nearly 50,000 nights of supported accommodation over the next three years, this initiative will be instrumental in creating better outcomes for vulnerable women in Tasmania.”
A report commissioned by the Tasmanian government, in partnership with Shelter Tasmania and Hobart Women’s Shelter, recently showed an average of 27 women are turned away from emergency accommodation in Tasmania each day – more than six times the national rate. A majority of those have children in their care. A report by Homelessness Australia in 2022 found just 3% of the tens of thousands of women and children fleeing family and domestic violence nationally who came to homelessness services received long-term housing assistance.
The Tasmanian government report estimates approximately 604 women in the state become homeless each year after leaving a violent partner. Another 333 women return to one.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data in 2021 showed that women as a proportion of all people experiencing homelessness surged from 33% to 44.1% over just five years.
More than 50,000 Australians needing crisis or longer-term accommodation were unable to receive that help from homelessness services because of the current housing emergency, a new Productivity Commission report shows.
St Vincent de Paul state president Corey McGrath said the partnership “helps at-risk Tasmanian women access safe and comfortable transitional housing, providing an environment to work towards a more positive future while demonstrating the business sector’s commitment to social responsibility”.
Parliamentary Secretary for Housing and Planning, Simon Behrakis, said, “our government is tackling housing challenges head on, and we’ll continue to do all we can to support vulnerable Tasmanians.
“To respond to our housing challenges, we need to think outside the box, and we want to look at the options that might be available for the temporary use of vacant facilities that can still provide appropriate accommodation in the short-term.”
“Identifying and using underutilised sites such as former Bethlehem House is one way in which we can tackle our housing challenges, and this program is a great example of collaboration within the sector.”
Robert Pradolin, co-founder and director of HAA, recently told Australian Property Journal, “There’s so many empty buildings out there that could be used for short-term transitional housing across the country. They’ve already been built. There’s no cost issue.
“Let’s use our existing infrastructure as a pressure relief valve to put a downward pressure on pricing so that vulnerable people can have a place to sleep.”
Yesterday he told Australian Property Journal that HAA now has similar partnerships and projects in Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and is about to start in NSW this year.
HAA has previously identified empty buildings and used them as short-term shelter with the goodwill of the property sector, partnering with Henley Homes, Metricon, Mirvac, Hansen Yuncken and Better Living Group.
