Mission Australia will today unveil plans to build a brand new residential service for aged homeless people in Sydney, after being awarded a $16 million capital grant by the federal government. Residents will have permanent accommodation in the new service.

The announcement will take place opposite the proposed site at 47 Redfern Street, (corner of Elizabeth Street), Redfern at 1pm on Thursday 9 July.

Mission Australia NSW Director, Leonie Green, will explain the plans for the new development and Federal Minister for Housing, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, will outline how the initiative will contribute to the government’s commitment to reducing homelessness in line with its White Paper, The Road Home - A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness.

The announcement also coincides with the release today of an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Counting the Homeless, showing that the number of homeless people aged 55 and over increased by more than 30 percent nationally between 2001 and 2006 and more than 33 percent in NSW. The report, which is based on 2006 Census data, is widely regarded as the most accurate count of homelessness in the country.

People are considered to be part of the mainstream aged population if they are 65 or over. However, due to the health consequences and premature aging associated with homelessness, homeless people aged 55 and over (45 for Indigenous people) are considered elderly.

“The number of elderly homeless is ballooning and we’ve been ill-equipped to provide the specialised services they need to live a safe, secure and dignified life,” said Leonie Green, Mission Australia NSW Director.

“By investing in this new service, we’ve taken a leap forward in our efforts to reduce the number of homeless older people.

“When the new service comes on line it will more than double Mission Australia’s permanent accommodation places for elderly homeless people in NSW. Women will benefit particularly because we’re the only organisation in the heart of Sydney that has aged care places for elderly homeless women and there will be more places available thanks to this new development.”

According to Ms Green, elderly homeless people have very different needs from those accessing mainstream aged care or homeless services and so the new building has been designed with this in mind.

“The designs draw on the best practice, research, and evidence in both aged care and in homeless services, including our own multi-award winning aged homeless service, Charles Chambers Court.

“The accommodation is provided in ‘pods’ to help create small communities within the larger group and each pod of twelve rooms will have a dining area and lounge. There is also a roof-top garden and social spaces in the design.

“We know from our existing services that most elderly homeless people have no contact with their family and limited social networks and so building a sense of community is incredibly important to their wellbeing and mental health.

“Suicide is sadly one of the top causes of death amongst older homeless people so the importance of looking after the mental health of our clients can’t be underestimated.

“Unlike most aged care facilities, many of our clients will have a mental illness or acquired brain injury when they are referred to us, and they are far more likely to arrive having experienced much higher levels of illness because of a lack of adequate shelter, unsanitary living conditions, and malnutrition.

“We’ve taken all of this into account in our plans. This development will not only provide a roof over their head, it we’ll provide the full range of support mechanisms.

“A registered nurse will be onsite seven days a week and through our existing partnerships residents will be able to access doctors, pharmacists, and psycho geriatricians to name just a few. This will allow us to care for people over a long period of time even if their already serious health issues get progressively worse – in other words what is referred to in the industry as ‘aging in place’.”

Mission Australia unveils plans for new $16M Aged Homelessness Service

Where: Redfern Park
Opposite Mission Australia building
47 Redfern Street (Corner of Elizabeth) Redfern.
If weather is inclement, event will be moved to the Community Room
Redfern Oval, Redfern Street.
When: 1 - 1.30pm, Thursday 9 July
Who: Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing
Leonie Green, Mission Australia NSW State Director
Jill Bicknell, Service Manager, Charles Chambers Court
(Mission Australia Award Wining Aged-Homeless Service)

Other media opportunities:

Artist’s impressions of the proposed development and plans of the development
Filming opportunity in Charles Chambers Court of existing aged homeless care service 11 Hunt Street, Surry Hills
Interview with current resident of Charles Chambers Court

Media Contact: Patrick Flynn, Mission Australia 02 9641 5031, 0407 411 256

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Architect's impressions of the finished facility:
















Clockwise from top left: front view, aerial view, rear entrance, front entrance.