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Peppertree Place... a safe place to call home
Tucked away in the northern suburbs of Adelaide are eight small units providing a sanctuary for homeless families desperate for a place to call home.
Peppertree Place is a new pilot program providing an alternative to expensive and unsuitable emergency hotel accommodation many families are finding themselves in.
It’s an issue the State Government is eager to fix. Over the past five years, the cost of providing emergency accommodation to homeless families has jumped from $4 million to $11 million – a direct result of the State’s ongoing rental and housing affordability crisis.
Here, among the 100-year-old pepper trees, around 32 families each year will be helped back on their feet, through the support of the Adelaide North West Homelessness Alliance (ANWHA) and funding from the South Australian Housing Authority.
UnitingSA CEO Jenny Hall says each unit has its own kitchen, so families can cook nutritious meals, unlike a hotel room where no cooking facilities are available.
“There are two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living area, and although these units aren’t large, there is also outside area where their children can run and play safely,” Jenny says.
“Hotels are no place for children. At Peppertree Place families in crisis now have their own space to be able to get outdoors.
“Residents at Peppertree Place take on a three month lease, pay a reduced rent, and are responsible for keeping their properties neat and tidy.
“Paying the rent and establishing a rental history will also help them when applying for more permanent housing.”
Opened by the Human Services Minister Nat Cook in January this year, the eight units at Peppertree Place were filled within weeks.
Minister Cook says every night, hundreds of South Australians are in hotels because of the housing crisis.
“While so many organisations do amazing work to support those requiring crisis accommodation, we know families experiencing the stress of homelessness aren’t best served in motel rooms,” Minister Cook says.
“Peppertree Place provides an opportunity to trial a residential crisis accommodation model for families. It’s a remarkable place.
“Vulnerable families need their own space to stabilise, to enhance dignity and prepare themselves for longer-term accommodation.”
More Information
ANWHA supports people experiencing or at risk of homelessness across Adelaide’s north-west and is a collaboration between Aboriginal Sobriety Group, AnglicareSA, Centacare, SA Housing Authority, St John’s Youth Services, The Salvation Army, Uniting Communities and UnitingSA.