Regency Green comes alive again

The tranquil gardens at UnitingSA’s former Regency Green Aged Care once provided years of sanctuary to the elderly residents that lived there.

The aged care site was closed last May and residents were moved into a new wing at UnitingSA’s Westminster Village Aged Care home in nearby Grange.

The grounds fell quiet, but not for long. Today, the gardens are filled with the laughter of families gathering and children playing, and the feeling of hope for a better life.

It’s part of a new collaboration between UnitingSA and refugee resettlement organisation AMES Australia that has now seen dozens of refugee families from all over the world find safety and security at Regency Green.

AMES Australia CEO Cath Scarth says Regency Green has become a welcoming first home in Australia for newly arrived refugees.

“But more than this, the facility is opening doors and creating opportunities for our clients. It has given them connections into the local community and also to the broader Australian society,” Cath says. “The support we have seen from the local community has been remarkable – from visits organised to the local library, to the provision of play equipment for the children and also trips to sporting events – there has been an amazing amount of proactive support.”

Coming from faraway lands like Burma and Afghanistan, refugee children are attending local schools, and community groups are taking families under their wings, creating opportunities for refugees to join in local activities.

It’s not just refugees who are finding a safe new home at Regency. The other half of the site has also been repurposed to help accommodate NDIS participants who would otherwise be stranded in hospital due to a lack of access to suitable or affordable housing.

UntingSA CEO Jenny Hall says the projects are temporary solutions to help bridge gaps caused by the housing crisis.

“Development plans for an affordable housing precinct at the Regency Green site are also still in the pipeline,” Jenny says.

“But that will take time, and we are pleased to be able to support NDIS participants, AMES Australia and the families they will help through this accommodation solution in the interim.”

The 2021 census identified mental health challenges as Australia’s most commonly diagnosed long term illness.

More Australians are now affected by mental health conditions than those with arthritis or asthma.

That’s why the support provided by community mental health workers like Eddie is so important.

He is just one of UnitingSA’s mental health workers helping South Australians face the everyday challenges of their mental health condition through UnitingSA’s psychosocial support programs.

The programs offer people with a mental illness essential one-on-one support to help them manage their day-to-day lives and remain living in their own home and community.

Without this support, people like Lyndon would battle alone – often ending up back in the health system.

Did you know?

y In the 2021 census, mental health challenges were identified as Australia’s most commonly diagnosed long-term health condition (2,231,543) closely followed by arthritis (2,150,396) and asthma (2,068,020).

y Each year in South Australia there are around 20,700 mental health presentations to emergency departments, with 9,200 acute admissions to hospital beds.