Queensland’s cutting edge LivingIn project offers new hope for families who have adult children with disabilities who are looking for affordable, independent accommodation.
bankmecu provided $20,000 to support the LivingIn Independent Living Project, a collaboration between Kyabra Community Association, Queensland University of Technology and the Design Institute of Australia.
The Project works with families to design and construct housing to suit the needs of their son or daughter and helps them move to independent living.
Robert Hannaford, Project Coordinator for the LivingIn Project, said the investment from bankmecu would add momentum to this national building and research project.
“The difficulty for many parents as they age themselves is what will happen to their adult children with disabilities if they themselves need to move into aged care accommodation or pass away.”
The Stewart family have been involved with the LivingIn Independent Living Project since its inception in 2009 after having links with Kyabra Community Association for more than 15 years. Terri Anne Stewart is in her early thirties and has intellectual and physical disabilities. Her parents, Terry and Carol, want to see Terri Anne moving into a place of her own in the community with support from them and other families. They believe this support will help her connect with neighbours and with other people in the local community, and will help her to gain some level of independence.
The LivingIn Project has allowed Terri Anne and her parents to be involved in designing her own home and in seeing their plans begin to come to fruition. They, in turn have educated the designers and researchers involved with the Project about the experiences of families and what types of modifications and design considerations would be useful for someone with Terri Anne’s needs.
bankmecu Community Banking Manager Judy Abernethy said bankmecu’s commitment to investing in projects that deliver strong social as well as environmental outcomes has seen it establish innovative partnerships with the not-for-profit sector that sets a lead in the banking sector.
“The LivingIn project has potential to deliver enormous benefits to individuals, families and communities. It will open the door for so many more people to realise the dream of living in a home for life that is beautiful, functional and affordable.”
The LivingIn project has launched a new website to promote the project at www.livingin.org.au and some of its building designs at www.livinginconstructions.com.au and www.livinginlandscapes.com.au.