Nine residents of RM Begg Aged Care units in Kyneton are facing imminent eviction from their rental properties with little hope of finding similar affordable housing locally.
The units, in Epping and North streets, are an extension of the main RM Begg Aged Care facility nearby but offer independent low-cost housing.
Helen Metcalfe and Helen Forsyth are neighbours and friends in the units, and say they are devastated to have to move.
“We’re a community here,” Ms Forsyth said.
“We all look after each other, if someone’s not well, we keep an eye on them. We care for each other.
“The bottom’s been knocked out of our world.”
The residents live in eight 30-year-old brick units on a site containing several other uninhabited 70-year-old units they expected would have to be torn down.
They did not, however, expect their relatively new units would also have to go.
“We got this letter to attend a meeting today,” Ms Metcalfe said last Wednesday. “We weren’t expecting this.”
“They said they’d help us with moving and they’re going to give us a list of social housing.”
RM Begg Aged Care was originally community-owned thanks to a philanthropic bequest from Miss Ray McGregor Begg and subsequent community fundraising.
The facility has recently been taken over by Tasmanian aged care provider Respect, which now owns the assets.
Respect CEO Jason Binder told the Express that as a not-for-profit organisation, Respect existed only for its residents and clients.
“We acknowledge and respect the importance of our aged care homes in our local communities and the contributions made by the community over many decades,” he said.
“Respect is planning to proceed with a development as per our agreement with the RM Begg board and community including expanding our retirement village from 12 to 31 units by utilising the land across the road from RM Begg, where existing units stand.
“The original units, built by the community in the 1960s, have been uninhabitable and vacant for years due to their age and deterioration.
“Our redevelopment aims to honour RM Begg’s legacy and revitalise the area into a 31 unit vibrant retirement community, including investing $1 million into the heritage-listed school-house to bring it back to its former glory.
“Regrettably, some units built later will need to be demolished as part of the redevelopment.”
UNSUSTAINABLE MODEL
Mr Binder said historically those units were low-cost housing, but Respect no longer had the community support to sustain this model.
“Previous efforts by the board to secure financial backing from the community for rebuilding and operating these units were unsuccessful, which means resources are currently being redirected from resident care at RM Begg to subsidise rent in the units,” he said.
“We investigated many solutions and without external funding support, we believe the only fair and reasonable solution for our residents and the community is to build a self-sustaining retirement community.
“For this reason, we’ve made the difficult decision to ask current occupants to seek alternative housing.
“We are committed to giving as much support as possible during this transition including providing nine months’ notice, covering relocation costs, and connecting occupants with social housing providers. For residents requiring care, we’re offering rooms at the RM Begg aged care home.”
OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS
Mr Binder said the organisation remained open to community suggestions.
“If there’s interest in developing social housing instead of expanding the retirement village, we welcome those proposals and are 100 per cent open to revising our plans if community financial support is available, so it doesn’t redirect funding from resident care,” he said.
“This expansion represents a significant asset for Kyneton, providing 31 retirement units for local older people and freeing up other housing in the area.
“While the immediate decision is very difficult, we believe this development will ultimately strengthen RM Begg and increase our ability to serve Kyneton’s ageing population.”
