Report: Aug 06

Proposed New Mental Health Accommodation

Extracts from NSCCH Fact Sheet and Report on the Community Forum

Northern Sydney' Central Coast Health (NSCCH) wants to provide 18 affordable, supported accommodation places in the Northern Sydney area for those living with a mental illness.

This is an increase of 10 places over the eight provided at present. We propose to provide these 10 places in a new, state of the art, purpose-built 'boarding house' with individual living units.

To design and build a modern, comfortable boarding house requires NSCCH to sell the four aging houses currently used and relocate the eight residents to houses of a similar or better standard within the same communities. The current residents would not move to the new boarding house. Residents of the new boarding house are likely to be long term mental health inpatients.

We are unable to renovate or redevelop the old houses as they are inadequate for modern purposes and too costly to renovate. Some have access and safety issues including flights of stairs.

Five residents live in one house and three in another. One is rented on the private rental market and one currently vacant. Although clinical staff and carers visit the two houses daily, a different housing style would improve community and other activities for residents and ensure more frequent help with meals and cleaning.

It is important to note that no properties are on the market, no residents have been moved, no land has been earmarked for the boarding house and no design or management decisions have been made.

Boarding Houses

When run according to quality standards, and not for profit, boarding house style accommodation can:

  • offer secure and stable long term housing
  • affordability for people on a pension
  • provide regular healthy meals and assistance with tasks such as laundry, shopping and cleaning.
  • Provide a staff member available overnight
  • help to avoid loneliness and provide social support

Proposal: A unique hybrid model - No formal plans have been designed yet

  • Residents have their own rooms, en-suite bathrooms
  • Kitchenette facilities / bar fridge in rooms
  • Large share kitchen, dining area, lounge areas
  • Communal outdoor space, eg for BBQs
  • 10 - 15 beds
  • Bowering house model - residents have own balconies
  • Stable home (not transitional)
  • Proposed joint venture with community housing to support tenancy leases
  • Purchase a building to redevelop, or purpose build on available land (no site earmarked yet)
  • Partnership with a Non Government Organisation (NGO) to manage day to day operations on site and provide disability support
  • Provide clinical support to residents through local mental health team

Funding: To help fund this proposal:

  • Sale of 4 group homes in Northern Sydney (not yet on the market)
    • Two properties in Northern Beaches (8 beds)
    • One not currently used for mental health consumers, One currently vacant
  • Current residents will be relocated within the same communities to houses of similar or better standard, which would happen prior to properties going on the market
  • Joint venture proposal with Office of Community Housing
  • Ongoing maintenance budget to be costed

Conclusion:

The overwhelming response from the forum was that the unique hybrid boarding house model was well received and supported by our community, carers and consumers. This outcome was also supported by the specific focus groups held with consumers and carers at Macquarie Hospital. There was also a strong support for further community, consumer and carer involvement in the development of the model apd boarding house.