Seniors Central Living, Fairfield, NSW

Project Selection

The project may contain a number of the following features but it has been identified by the Steering Committee specifically because it:

The following project description was developed using information obtained from Housing NSW press releases and information supplied by Paul Hunt Housing NSW Smart Street Project Director.

Project Overview

The Seniors Central Living development at Fairfield is a purpose built multistory older persons’ housing complex with community facilities.  It forms part of a larger NSW government initiative to develop facilities for older people based on the Dutch Apartments for Life model

Why it is an innovative project

Smart Street Fairfield is a contribution to developing new models for Australia of housing, care and support for older people. Based on a concept originally developed by the Humanitas Foundation in Rotterdam, Holland, it is designed to assist residents to be able to live as independently as possible with socially connected lives.  Residents able to stay in the same apartment for the rest of their lives, with the support of formal community care when needed.

Service Model

The Central Living model aims to maintain the independence of older people in their own communities in a secure, affordable and appropriate environment. The model responds to the desire of older Australians to live where there is activity. It provides opportunities to engage with the local community and a sense of social connectedness, centering around the concept of a “vibrant social hub”.

The service model will include a Concierge service to undertake a monitoring function, service coordination and referral to formal services. On-site support facilities will also include a café, possibly run as a social enterprise with a tenant volunteering program.

The development incorporates a range of opportunities for engagement with a retail outlet which provides the possibility for employment for residents and supporting community enterprise. The design also includes a ground floor common area, consulting rooms and rooftop meeting place to encourage social interaction amongst residents.

By supporting residents to be active members of the community, the project aims to assist them in feeling healthier and more socially connected. The concept promotes contact with family and friends, reducing social isolation for older social housing tenants. The model is focused on the older person’s quality of life, promoting autonomy and independence and  accommodating peoples’ changing needs .

The Built Environment

The Seniors Central Living development is the first social housing development in NSW with a residential/retail living model design. The project will consist of 44 two bedroom units, one retail unit, two common rooms, 31 car parking spaces and open and landscaped areas.

Located in the heart of Fairfield City Centre, the units are within easy walking distance to public transport and shops. The design modifications include:

• The addition of a common room and terrace on the top floor providing a private and secure entertaining space for residents, their families and friends, with views over Fairfield.
• The modification of the original ground floor lift lobbies now entering into one large communal space with concierge desk, providing for social activities, community engagement and internal access to the retail space.
• The provision of two offices on the ground floor could provide on-site aged care services, nursing station and/or medical facilities.
• The retail space on the Smart Street frontage could support social enterprise offering volunteering programs for residents thereby strengthening connections within the community.
• A reduction in the amount of basement car parking in recognition of the site’s location at the heart of Fairfield’s City Centre and within easy walking distance to public transport; also providing cost savings enabling early delivery.

Key elements

• Bathroom and toilet grab rails (or reinforcement for future installation).
• Hobless shower and detachable hand held showers rose.
• Internal doors min 820mm / corridors 1000mm.
• Bench in kitchen to adjoin ovens and cook top and within 300mm of power point.
• Door handles to be lever style / tap hardware to be lever or flick mixer
• Light switches to be between 900 and 1100mm from FFL
• 20% of the units are to be Adaptable Units complying with AS 4299 (1995) – Class C.

Who the project serves

Smart Street is designed for older people who wish to live a more urban lifestyle than a suburban one. It targets older people with medium to low incomes. It aims to promote socio-economic and other diversity among residents, reflecting the local population.

Funding Sources

The $12 million development was funded under the Federal Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan. Under the Stimulus Plan, Housing NSW wanted a focus on older people and to trial a special approach to urban locations.