Aged care home for homeless in Sydney
A specialist aged care home for people who are homeless should be operational in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in 2017 if plans are approved.
Plans for a five-story aged care home for the homeless will be presented to Sydney council this month.
Health and aged care charity HammondCare will build the home with a development application going before City of Sydney Council this month.
The plan includes a five-storey building to accommodate 50 people.
HammondCare chief executive Dr Stephen Judd says the project would fill a major need in service provision in the area.
“This is a significant development in an area that has the highest concentration of older people who are homeless in NSW.
“The aged homeless and those at risk of homelessness are increasing in numbers and sadly, often fall through the cracks of existing service provision,“ Dr Judd says.
“This project aims to alleviate this demand in inner-Sydney and also provide a unique care model for this group – long term, specialist care for people with complex needs.”
Dr Judd said most care homes for homeless people in the Darlinghurst area provided short-term shelter or long term accommodation but without higher levels of care.
“We want to deliver a distinctive service for both older men and women, who may have complex needs and require long term care.”
HammondCare plans to build the home adjacent to St John’s Church and lease the site from the church, which also runs the Rough Edges cafe, catering for the homeless population in the area.
Rector of St John’s Anglican Church in Darlinghurst, Rev Edward Vaughan, says the church believes the project will make a significant contribution to the lives of people who are currently homeless, or who are at risk of ending up on the streets.
“St John's has been serving homeless people for almost 30 years through Rough Edges, as well as other ministries like our Legal Centre, Education Program and provision of social work services.
“We welcome HammondCare’s plans to provide quality accommodation and aged care for people who are doing it tough. We are keen to continue to make a positive contribution to our community, and be a blessing for the people of Kings Cross and Darlinghurst,” Rev Vaughan says.
HammondCare is involved in discussions with health and community providers in the area, including St Vincent’s Hospital, about possible referrals for the home.
