Queen Victoria Street: Funding announced for seven-storey Freo apartment block for over-55s social housing

Fifty over-55s and low-income apartments will be built in Fremantle next year, paid for by $60 million in State and Federal government funding. The seven-storey apartment block, on Queen Victoria Street, will offer 32 apartments dedicated to social housing. A further 18 apartments will be set aside for affordable rentals. The apartments will be built specifically for people aged over 55 and low-income earners. The building will include 28 if them two-bedroom homes and 22 one-bedroom apartments. WA’s fourth largest community housing provider, Bethanie Community Housing, will own and operate the building, which is set to be completed by the end of 2027. Housing Minister John Carey said the build targeted an in-need demographic. “We know a growing cohort of West Australians that are at risk of homelessness are women over-55 and so this is a very welcomed initiative to provide dedicated housing, (which is ) well designed (and) close to public transport for seniors,” he said. “It’s our State Government’s intention and commitment to integrate social and affordable housing across communities, and I can think of no better place, right in the heart of Fremantle.” The Albanese Government will provide a total of $49.5 million for capital and operational funding for the development, through a $18.4m concessional loan and $31.1m from the Housing Australia Future Fund. The Cook Government will provide a $10.5m capital grant towards the project and cover $500,000 in upfront costs to connect its utilities. Mr Carey said the governments needed to step with public funds in to address a “market failure” and get the projects off the ground, particularly given construction costs had skyrocketed in Western Australia since COVID. “Land like this is not so much the problem, the challenges that we face to deliver medium and high-density projects is the cost of construction,” he said. “As we know, since the COVID pandemic, we’ve seen extraordinary rises in the cost to build medium and high-density projects. “That’s why you see the State and Federal Governments, where there is market failure, intervening to create these projects.”