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Impact

Increasing accessible housing in regional Australia through impact lending

Photo journal

Accessible Homes Australia begins construction of its new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) project in Hervey Bay, with a Bank Australia commercial loan.

I recently had the privilege of attending the launch of Accessible Homes Australia’s (AHA) new SDA project, Urraween Village in Hervey Bay.

With the support of a commercial loan from Bank Australia, AHA is constructing 12 single-level, 2 bedroom SDA villas. These homes will allow NDIS participants to live with family or friends and contain accessible features such as a 24/7 onsite support, a hydro pool and rehabilitation gym.

  The site of Urraween Village in Hervey Bay.

This is AHA’s first SDA project in regional QLD and will deliver much-needed disability accommodation to the market, with Hervey Bay having double the state average of individuals with a severe disability.

The Impact Lending team at Bank Australia has supported AHA since its establishment, providing loans to help fund its 3 existing SDA apartment projects in the Gold Coast.

These dwellings currently house 18 people with a disability, including Jason Parker, a resident at AHA’s Hope Island property. Before Jason moved into his custom-built apartment, he spent 12 years staying between hospitals and his parent’s house.

 Jason Parker - Accessible homes Australia tenant - Photo Credit: Stephen Tayler

Jason recently spoke to the Hervey Bay Advertiser about his experience moving into an AHA home:

“I had lost the concept of having more than one room to call my own and often felt like a guest in someone else’s home.
As a double amputee, your greatest fear is falling, but I know in my AHA apartment everything has a place, it allows me to move around freely, and its where I’m safest.
I feel like part of a family and I know I have reliable people to call on 24/7 whenever there is a need.”

We look forward to funding Urraween Village through to completion and to AHA delivering more life-changing, best practice accessible housing to areas in need.

Learn more about our impact lending and how it’s helping create a world where people and the planet thrive.

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