Work to begin

LFE CEO Sally Hofman they were thrilled they were finally about to start building on the Miro Street site.

The project, which kicks off in the next couple of weeks, will eventually see 12 units built for LFE clients and include a garden and labyrinth.

It’s been a hard slog for the group to make it this far, having to come up with all the cash itself. 

“The government didn’t come up with the funds,” Sally said. 

“We saved up enough ourselves and got a loan.” 

She said it was disappointing the government hadn’t come through with funding, especially considering the drastic shortage of housing for the disabled nationally. 

The project will take place in stages with four units slated to be built and housing residents by the end of the year.

“We’re incredibly excited, it’s been a long process,” Sally said. 

The project will add to LFE units already on Miro Street which have been part of the community for 30 years.

The new units will be part of the “ageing in place” program, providing permanent accommodation for tenants.

Sally said the units will fill a gap for clients who are ready to leave the transition housing already on Miro Street but still want that extra bit of support. 

“[Some of our clients’] parents are ageing and often concerned about what will happen to their children,” she said. 

Sally said they collaborated with the community to decide on the final design - which was created with assistance of University of NSW. 

“We started planning back in 2007… there was a big lapse in between when we were trying to raise funds,” she said. 

“There were 16 designs and all the current residents came to have a look at the designs and chose the right one.

“It was a very collaborative process.”

Sally said she was in the process of finding more avenues for funding which will help complete the rest of the project.