Services join forces in home
A sod-turning ceremony was held last week to officially mark the start of work on a new purposebuilt accessible home for people with disability in Benalla.
BeyondHousing and Yooralla have partnered to construct the new home at Wattletree Grove, which will be one of the first of its kind in the Ovens Murray region.
BeyondHousing will build the home and Yooralla will provide disability supports to the residents.
The home will be built to meet the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Specialist Disability Accommodation standards, designed to provide people with disability greater independence.
The ceremony was attended by Benalla Councillor and Yooralla Board member Barbara Alexander, Acting Benalla Mayor Peter Davis and Gwen Turner, board member of the former Central Access Limited (CAL).
They were joined by Yooralla and BeyondHousing management and staff, as well as future residents and their families.
BeyondHousing chief executive officer Celia Adams said she was delighted about the partnership with Yooralla and the opportunity to provide housing for people with disability in Benalla.
‘‘BeyondHousing believes that housing is a fundamental human right and that all people should have access to safe, secure, affordable and appropriate housing,’’ Ms Adams said.
‘‘This project delivers on these values and we are pleased to partner with Yooralla who have been committed to upholding human rights and equality for 100 years.’’
BeyondHousing is the largest community housing organisation within the Goulburn and Ovens Murray regions of Victoria, providing homelessness, housing, support and advocacy services to more than 5000 people annually.
The organisation’s vision is for all people to have safe, secure, affordable and appropriate housing and its purpose is to end homelessness.
Yooralla chief executive officer Sherene Devanesen said Yooralla wanted customers to be involved in the decision making process from the beginning, as it would be their home.
‘‘The future residents provided input on design, layout, colour scheme and amenities to design a home for their future,’’ Dr Devanesen said.
‘‘The new home will be constructed specifically for the six customers who currently live at a Yooralla residential site in Garden St in Benalla.
‘‘I would like to acknowledge that this important project for the region was initiated and supported by CAL.’’
CAL was a community based organisation that provided accommodation, employment and community activities for people with disability. It merged with Yooralla in 2011.
‘‘The Central Access Limited Board made the decision to gift Yooralla the land at Wattletree Grove to build the home,’’ Dr Devanesen said.
‘‘I would also like to recognise the capital funds that CAL donated to make this vision a reality.’’
Yooralla has supported people with disability since 1918 and is a large disability service provider in Victoria.
In Benalla, Yooralla has a Community Hub that provides day services; a Business Enterprise, which provides supported employment; respite and permanent accommodation and an opportunity shop.
The development will be completed in autumn next year.