New building, new possibilities

The Salvation Army recently built 23 new units in the inner city suburb of Narrabundah (ACT), for (public) Housing ACT tenants, who are ageing and who were renting houses that had become too large for them.

Territorial Consultant Homelessness and Social Support Programs, Rhonda Gregory says: “This has not only provided a number of older people with a secure and beautiful new home but also freed up the larger houses for families who were desperately in need of stable accommodation.”

The new apartments, which are located in the same street as The Salvation Army’s Karringal Court Aged Care Plus centre, feature a 6-star energy rating to help tenants keep living costs down. Staff are also able to link any tenants in need into the wider support and counselling services of The Salvation Army.

“Narrabundah is a quiet inner city suburb. The new building faces a park and on the other side is a community garden. It is very peaceful and the tenants I’ve met say they’re really happy to be there,” Rhonda says.

Funding for the building was supplied through the Federal Government’s Nation Building Stimulus Plan, (with some additional funding from bequests to complete the project). Built on existing Salvation Army land, The Salvation Army managed the construction.

Rhonda says: “It is important that we pool resources with other organisations to get good outcomes for more marginalised people in our community.

“The building will be a great addition to our plans to increase the availability of community housing across The Salvation Army’s Eastern Territory. This is a key strategy in our future plans to help homeless and disadvantaged Australians.”