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After an Adelaide team’s “ground-breaking” foray in the fight against homelessness delivered outstanding results, they are now calling for more hands to be on deck to tackle the growing social issue.
Harcourts Packham unveiled that its Terra Firma facility, an initiative launched in partnership with Toward Home to combat homelessness, has delivered a total of approximately 4,500 bed nights a year.
The project has come a long way since it was kicked off by Harcourts Packham with the purchase of a former backpacker’s hostel located in the Adelaide central business district in May 2021.
At that time, the group could see the building’s strong potential for shared living, with an industrial kitchen, 11 bedrooms, outdoor areas, and electronic locks in every room.
After partnering with Toward Home, an alliance of charitable organisations focusing on the prevention of homelessness, the team was able to turn the building into a facility they’re calling “Terra Firma”, meaning “solid ground”.
The facility’s main purpose is to provide new, short-term accommodation to support South Australians at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Now equipped with 11 fully furnished, private bedrooms, a unisex shower block, six toilets, and one ensuite, Harcourts Packham director James Packham reported that Terra Firma has been “enthusiastically embraced”.
“Terra Firma is now operating at capacity with rave reviews from all involved,” he stated.
Mr Packham highlighted that the facility has received high commendations for providing innovative and dignified short-term housing (up to 12 weeks) for Toward Home clients aged 45 years and over (singles or couples) that is accompanied by support services provided by Toward Home.
Harcourts cultural ambassador Hannah Katz lauded the Adelaide-based team for being at the forefront of the fight against homelessness, which affects over 116,000 people across the country.
“It is so wonderful to see Harcourts offices getting involved in the community and supporting those around them. Providing Terra Firma is an incredibly meaningful way to do that,” she stated.
Terra Firma’s significant results come in light of Homelessness Week, which takes place from 1 August to 7 August.
During this period, the impact of homelessness on Australia is put under the spotlight through national and local community events, including providing information on the importance of housing as a solution and educating communities on how they can make a difference.
This year, as the country recognises Homelessness Week with the theme “To end homelessness, we need a plan”, Mr Packham highlighted that Terra Firma is a testament that a plan can become a “solid realisation”.
“Our foray into providing a homeless shelter is the first time in the state’s history that a private enterprise has delivered a bespoke homeless accommodation solution,” he stated.
He added: “The reports are clear that we have demonstrated a level of operational and cost efficiency which could be the new benchmark for others to aspire to.”
He also called on other organisations and firms to take tangible steps to combat the social issue and opened the network’s doors for further collaborations that are centred around addressing homelessness.
“We are keen to explore new and further opportunities to partner with ‘like’ organisations including local government, the private sector and community members including investors, toward ending homelessness,” Mr Packham concluded.
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