A 19-year-old Mackay man is currently looking for three housemates of a similar age to join him in one of two new fully accessible homes that have just been completed in Beaconsfield.
The Endeavour Foundation built the houses at a cost of $2.1 million and they are fully equipped to provide the vital facilities needed to enable people living with disabilities to live independently.
One of these individuals is a Mackay local called Chris who is currently living with older people and would love some housemates of a similar age to live with.
“I love love, love my elders, but I would rather live with people in my age group,” said Chris.
“I just hope that we will find at least one rare, beautiful soul.
“If we had similar interests, such as having our own YouTube channels or liking to make films I guess I could do that.
“And someone who loves pets, especially cats. Must be extremely kind to cats!”
Chris said it’s important that people with disability have a house that suits their needs and is staffed by great support workers.
“I describe my disability by saying, ‘Messages to my brain don’t get through as well and that’s the reason I’m always in this wheelchair.’” he explained.
“I will need loving support workers that hoist me in a special kind of chair.
“I would also need to be hoisted from the chair to going in the shower chair, having a shower, getting out of the shower chair and into bed.
Endeavour Foundation Executive General Manager of Home and Community services Leanne Rutherford said she was proud to be building affordable and purpose-built accessible housing for people with disability.
“There are more than 27-000 households on the social housing register across Queensland and nearly half of those include a person with disability,” Ms Rutherford said.
“We believe people with disability have the same right as everyone else to live in a suitable, affordable, and secure home with people they want to live with.”
Recent data from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) says Mackay has a fraction of the registered Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) that other regions have.
“It’s clear that Mackay has very low SDA availability, but the good news is we’ve finished two more new homes here to ease some of that pressure,” said Ms Rutherford.
“That’s why we are investing $45m over four years as part of our My Home, My Life initiative to upgrade existing homes, replace older homes, and build brand-new, fully accessible, ‘Platinum level’ homes for people who may never have had one before.”
Chris said he feels very lucky to have this opportunity and hopes that by sharing his story it will open people’s eyes to the need for more housing.
“I want to make sure that by the time I’m in my 70s, there are a lot of accessible houses,” he said.
Chris is with his Support Worker, Dannielle Gallagher, planting a tree.
The new home is fully equipped with all the essentials
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