Construction is well underway on an innovative low-cost retirement village precinct south of Sydney, where the female residents over the age of 55 will have the opportunity to garden, grow produce and cook together.
Set within the new Henry Brooks Estate at IRT Kanahooka retirement village, the Jasmine Grove precinct will be designed to provide a more affordable retirement living option for a group of eight single women.
All the Jasmine Grove villas and the community building have already been erected.
IRT CEO Patrick Reid said more than 100 expressions of interest had been lodged by Illawarra region women wanting to learn more about the collaborative housing precinct.
“We’ve been encouraged by the level of interest expressed by prospective Jasmine Grove residents,” Mr Reid said.
“Offering a new choice for retired women living on their own that is purposefully designed to encourage social connection is really important to us as a community-owned not-for-profit organisation.
“Our aim with Jasmine Grove is to offer a new type of retirement living for women that is not only more affordable, but sustainable and connected.”
At Jasmine Grove, eight private one-bedroom fully self-contained villas will be set around a community building. The villas are pet-friendly and include a full kitchen, dining area, lounge room, laundry, accessible bathroom, outdoor storage and parking space.
The community building will feature a large shared kitchen and family-sized dining and lounge area where the residents can come together to prepare and share a meal together or simply relax and chat.
The precinct’s outdoor area will include a BBQ area, additional storage and shared vegetable garden and green space.
The resident incoming contribution starts from $199,000, plus instalments.
Residents can also take full advantage of the amenities of the retirement village Henry Brooks Estate which surrounds Jasmine Grove, along with receive 50 hours of integrated IRT Home Care services within the first 12 months of residency.
IRT is still accepting expressions of interest for Jasmine Grove, with construction of the project expected to be complete in July. The project was partially funded by the Australian Government through the Building Better Regions Fund, which has helped to reduce the price of the incoming contribution.
Comment from our CEO
Downsizing.com.au CEO Amanda Graham said Jasmine Grove was representative of the growing range of affordable communal housing options which were becoming available for Australian over 50s.
“It’s exciting to see new housing models which are emerging, particularly including communal and collaborative housing models, which allow people to come together to help each other, including to share costs and tasks,” Ms Graham said.
“In fact, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that there is expected to be a significant increase in the number of older Australians living in these housing models, including people in their 70s and 80s, in coming decades.
“These housing models should help reduce loneliness among older Australians and also help keep people stimulated, active and connected.”
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