Community Housing at Hyde Retirement Village

The Town of Bassendean and Connect Victoria Park Inc have entered into a Management Agreement for Connect to provide community housing for older residents at the Town’s Hyde Retirement Village, in Bassendean.

In recognition of the growing housing crisis in Perth, with older people, particularly women, being among the fastest growing groups experiencing rental stress, Council decided to make its units at HRV available for affordable housing, on a fixed term tenancy basis. Council amended the Hyde Retirement Village Policy to provide for two residential options at the village:

  1. ‘Lease-for-Life’ residents
  2. Fixed term tenancy residents.

Connect Victoria Park will manage the units, on behalf of the Town. Connect is the operator of Connect Community Housing and Connect Village Hub in the Town of Victoria Park and is experienced in the provision of community housing for older people, currently owning and managing 70 community housing units and four retirement villas in its local area. Connect’s model of tenancy management ensures positive outcomes for tenants and neighbours, through developing positive relationships with tenants by being accessible and making regular visits to not only check on the state of the unit but also explore tenant wellbeing, including exploring social connections and assistance to access support services.

 Connect will manage vacant units at HRV as affordable rental housing, for low to moderate income older people, particularly women, who may be experiencing difficulties in the current rental market. Priority will be given to older residents of the Town and those with a family or social connection with the Town, although the proposed tenancy arrangement will not be restricted to current residents of the Town. Tenants will be sourced from the Bassendean and/or broader community, and Connect will provide tenancy management services that go beyond traditional management and include the provision of support and/or referral for tenants on matters impacting their tenancy or ability to live independently.

 Rent will be equal to 25% or 30% of tenant household income, plus any Commonwealth Rent Assistance, capped at 75% of market value. This is consistent with the Western Australian Housing Authority’s Rental Policy Manual.

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants must meet the requirements set out in the Tenant Allocation Framework, including:

  • Be at least 60 years of age
  • Have assessable income and assets within the limits described in Connect’s Rent Setting Policy
  • Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, residing and receiving income in Western Australia
  • Not own any property or land that could be used as a viable housing option.

 All eligible applicants will be placed onto Connect’s HRV wait list and units will be allocated according to the Tenant Allocation Framework, which includes the following considerations:

  • Connection to the Bassendean community
  • Length of time on the wait list
  • Current accommodation circumstances and level of rental stress
  • Household size in relation to available Units.

More information about Connect Victoria Park is available here , or on their website at www.connectvictoriapark.org. Alternatively, connect can be contacted by phone on (08) 9361 2904, or by email at [email protected].

How to Apply for Tenancy

 Interested applicants are encouraged to view the Tenant Allocation Framework to check eligibility requirements, which is available here .

Applications can be made by completing the application form and submitting the completed form to Connect Victoria Park. The application form is available here .

Connect will make a formal offer to successful applicants and provide details of the relevant unit, a copy of the proposed lease, and such other disclosure information as is required for compliance with the retirement villages legislation. Applicants will have the opportunity to view the unit(s) on offer, in the company of Connect staff, and a minimum of 10 working days to sign the lease.