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Impact

Increasing accessible housing in regional Australia through impact lending

Photo journal

Article

Nicole Chen

Accessible Homes Australia begins construction of its new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) project in Hervey Bay, with a Bank Australia commercial loan.

I recently had the privilege of attending the launch of Accessible Homes Australia’s (AHA) new SDA project, Urraween Village in Hervey Bay.

With the support of a commercial loan from Bank Australia, AHA is constructing 12 single-level, 2 bedroom SDA villas. These homes will allow NDIS participants to live with family or friends and contain accessible features such as a 24/7 onsite support, a hydro pool and rehabilitation gym.

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  The site of Urraween Village in Hervey Bay.

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This is AHA’s first SDA project in regional QLD and will deliver much-needed disability accommodation to the market, with Hervey Bay having double the state average of individuals with a severe disability.

The Impact Lending team at Bank Australia has supported AHA since its establishment, providing loans to help fund its 3 existing SDA apartment projects in the Gold Coast.

These dwellings currently house 18 people with a disability, including Jason Parker, a resident at AHA’s Hope Island property. Before Jason moved into his custom-built apartment, he spent 12 years staying between hospitals and his parent’s house.

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 Jason Parker - Accessible homes Australia tenant - Photo Credit: Stephen Tayler

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Jason recently spoke to the Hervey Bay Advertiser about his experience moving into an AHA home:

“I had lost the concept of having more than one room to call my own and often felt like a guest in someone else’s home.
As a double amputee, your greatest fear is falling, but I know in my AHA apartment everything has a place, it allows me to move around freely, and its where I’m safest.
I feel like part of a family and I know I have reliable people to call on 24/7 whenever there is a need.”

We look forward to funding Urraween Village through to completion and to AHA delivering more life-changing, best practice accessible housing to areas in need.

Learn more about our impact lending and how it’s helping create a world where people and the planet thrive.

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