Work is about to start on a tiny home village that will support people with eating and mental health disorders.
The first of eight residences will be delivered to a property at West Woombye on November 19, with the others expected to be installed by the end of February.
Each home will include two beds, a kitchen and a bathroom. The village will also include a barbecue area, laundry and playground.
The founder of charity endED, Mark Forbes, said the temporary accommodation site would enable people to stay near the House of Hope centre, which provides crucial health services and support, during the duration of their treatment.
“Affordable rentals are hard to find on the Coast and people come (to us) needing support and they don’t know where to start,” he said.
“That was a driver for us to create this short-term accommodation.”
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Mr Forbes and his wife Gayle sacrificed their superannuation to make the village a reality.
“We lived at the House of Hope, while we set the charity house up, for two years so got to know the owners directly across the road,” he said.
“They’re old country folks and one day they invited me over to have a beer.
“I went over and he said: ‘We’re selling and moving out. We’re directly opposite your charity. It’s 10 acres of pristine land. We don’t really want to go to market. We’ll get a valuation on the property and if you want it and meet our valuation, it’s yours.’
“It was too good an opportunity to pass up. My wife and I used our super to buy the 10 acres to establish the village.”
He was confident the $1.5 million purchase would be worth it.
“We’ve been going for 20 years now as a charity, and we built Australia’s first live-in eating disorder residential facility at Mooloolah Valley, now called Wandi Nerida and operated by the Butterfly Foundation. That’s been running for four years and is proving very successful, as is our House of Hope, our program house at West Woombye,” he said.
“Everything we’ve done is working in the right direction and we have no doubt that across the road will deliver the same outcomes.”
The village project is worth about $3 million.
The state government has allocated $1.9 million to help with the construction and the remaining $1.1 million of works will essentially be delivered free of charge.
“All of the consultants have come on board for free … everything will be delivered in-kind and donated, so it’s a great community outcome,” Mr Forbes said.
The village project was hailed by now Member for Nicklin Marty Hunt when the state government committed $1.9 million pre-election last year.
“This first of its kind tiny home accommodation village is just what’s needed to meet the growing need for onsite treatment,” he said.
The property also features a 2400sqm community produce garden, run in partnership with Teens Take Control, a wellbeing program for youths.
“It’s so great when you see the teenagers getting out and working the garden,” Mr Forbes said. “The other day we did our first harvest of potatoes and got three wheelbarrows full. We’ve got carrots, beetroot, shallots, zucchinis, potatoes, beans and more.”
An initiative at the garden also honours the people who died in the MH17 crash in Ukraine in 2014.
The plane went down in a sunflower paddock.
Seeds from the crash site were planted in the West Woombye garden. Mr Forbes said they were provided by Matt Horder, who lost his parents in the disaster.
“He called them the Seeds of Hope, so we’re now growing the Seeds of Hope near our House of Hope, in memory,” he said.
