Council offsets building fees for My Home project

Fremantle Council has provided further support to the fight against homelessness by offsetting the building fees for the innovative My Home project in North Fremantle.

The My Home project, a partnership between St Patrick's Community Support Centre and My Home Australasia, involves the construction of 18 self-contained single bedroom units on vacant land that is currently part of a railway reserve.

The units will provide housing for women over 55 who are experiencing homelessness.

Fremantle Council last night voted to approve a one-off grant to the My Home project equivalent to the City of Fremantle’s Building Permit Fee, which equates to almost $5000.

Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the City had been strong advocates for the My Home project.

“The City of Fremantle welcomes any investment in social and community housing because we value the diverse community this helps to create,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

“My Home is a really innovative approach that takes advantage of surplus state government land to provide housing to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

“Women aged 55 and over are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Australia, so projects like My Home that cater specifically to older women are absolutely critical.

“Fremantle Council’s Planning Committee gave the green light to the My Home proposal back in March last year, and we also waived planning application fees and other charges.

“Now that the project is moving into the construction phase, I’m delighted the council has voted to support the project further with a grant to offset our normal building fees.”

Earlier this year Lotterywest announced $2.2 million in funding for the construction of the My Home project.

Minderoo Foundation is also providing funding for the project, while Rotary WA will assist with the establishment of the gardens and supporting the tenants to furnish their units.

The North Fremantle site is owned by the Public Transport Authority and St Pats will have a peppercorn lease with the Department of Communities.

St Pats will allocate the dwellings to clients, and facilitate access to support services to help them sustain their tenancies and live as independently as possible in the community.

Last month Fremantle Council adopted a new Homelessness Action Plan to define the City of Fremantle’s role in addressing the issue.

The key focus areas of the plan are to provide accessible information to people experiencing homelessness about where they can get support; coordinate charity and goodwill groups to ensure services are targeted and to reduce duplication; and to advocate for more investment in affordable housing and homelessness support.

The City of Fremantle also partners with St Pats to deliver the award-winning Library Connect program, provides funding to Imagined Futures and the 20 Homes 20 Lives initiative, operates the Donate Without Doubt program and for the past two years has funded the Fremantle Street Doctor.