A new home in Ocean Grove for people living with disability was unveiled this week and the keys handed over to eager residents.
The purpose-built home was made possible by genU and Lions Club of Ocean Grove Barwon Heads and at the official opening on Tuesday August 27, residents were excited to step inside for the first time.
Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Member for Corangamite Libby Coker joined residents, family, Lions C and genU staff to celebrate the opening and take a tour.
Seachange Quilters generously handmade and donated quilts to all new residents.
genU Director of Residential Services Jason Fleming said residents would gain many benefits from the new premises.
“A purpose-built disability home like this empowers its residents to live with independence in their local community, allowing support, tailored according to their needs, to be delivered in their own home,” he said.
Mr Fleming said residents provided input during the design phase, which has been built to meet Class Three High Physical Support standards. The home boasts four separate bedrooms, all with ensuites, common area living areas, kitchen, laundry and storage, with an additional second living area to cater for family visits. Another important feature is the overnight onsite accommodation and office for a support worker, which allows 24/7 supported independent living for the residents.
Andrew Brideson has called Ocean Grove home for 15 years and was excited to move into his new house.
During construction, he was keeping more of an ear than an eye on the works, describing the “loud noise” of the jack hammering as telling him the builders were busy. He liked what he saw, giving the home a thumbs up and it looked “new and nice”. Andrew is also happy that he will still be within walking distance of one of his favourite local spots, the Olive Pit, where he strolls most days for a cappuccino or hot chocolate.
Lions Club of Ocean Grove Barwon Heads president Bob Marmion said the club, which has a 30-plus year history of ensuring affordable accommodation is available in the community, was delighted to be involved in the project. Dr Marmion said the Lions Club welcomed the opportunity to partner with genU, which had a strong commitment to investing back into the same communities in which their services are delivered.
“Our financial contribution to the project would not have been possible without the support of the Corless Family who donated land that we used to build on,” he said.
“This in turn allowed the Barwon Grove Foundation, led by Lions Bill Willocks, Howard Deane and John Brady to raise the funds for community housing. When we saw the success of genU’s Tara’s Dream project, we decided that genU was the best vehicle to see our plans come to fruition.”
In 1991 the Lions Club initiated the development of community housing in Barwon Heads, in a Victorian Department of Housing partnership to construct eight units for low-cost accommodation for those in need. Through the donation of a block of land in Kingston Estate by the estate’s developer in 2011, the club built two units to sell to raise funds. The project was a financial success, but identified the need for charity-taxation status to ensure future activities were sustainable.
“The Barwon Grove Foundation was established and set about continuing its work, purchasing a block of land in Kingston Estate to build two more homes, from which the $600,000 in sale proceeds went towards this latest project,” Dr Marmion said.
