i met up with an older friend yesterday who i hadn't seen for years. she's been extremely busy, and i knew it was politically motivated, but i finally found out all the details - and i am very impressed!
she lives in a manufactured home village, on the central coast, that the owner wanted to sell to developers (fair enough), but that would mean turfing the 100+ groups of elderly residents out into the streets and very few could afford to rent. currently they pay around $120/wk for rental of the site and the majority own the "home".
these are people that are capable of looking after themselves, not wanting a big yard to maintain, and the majority on the pension.
anyhow, my friend (in her late 70's) has been lobbying state and local governments, lunched and met and discussed with most of our top pollies and bankers, and has secured to purchase a council site for a non-profit, community village for manufactured homes for the elderly.
the project is basically a given except for the final hurdle of getting the banks on board. she's had some top accountants work out the financial side and rent of $120 per site would easily pay the mortgage and maintenance requirements - and security of low-cost residential housing would be secured from developers. i am not quite sure how the legalities are set up as to who owns and runs the site - but it's not her. she did say it would be a community owned village, so i assume it will be council owned/operated, but she did say that they were "buying" the site off the council - so perhaps the residents "own" by buying in and and a manager is installed to run the place.
this is a lady who has no major education, was a mother/grandmother most of her life, did travel extensively in third world countries when older but really has no qualifications and experience ... but got off her butt and learnt the hard way for the benefit of herself and others.
i take my hat off. some one not whinging to the media, but doing something about it.
by the way - community manufactured village housing - what a great idea for affordable housing for the elderly/singles/couples (not great for kids).
she lives in a manufactured home village, on the central coast, that the owner wanted to sell to developers (fair enough), but that would mean turfing the 100+ groups of elderly residents out into the streets and very few could afford to rent. currently they pay around $120/wk for rental of the site and the majority own the "home".
these are people that are capable of looking after themselves, not wanting a big yard to maintain, and the majority on the pension.
anyhow, my friend (in her late 70's) has been lobbying state and local governments, lunched and met and discussed with most of our top pollies and bankers, and has secured to purchase a council site for a non-profit, community village for manufactured homes for the elderly.
the project is basically a given except for the final hurdle of getting the banks on board. she's had some top accountants work out the financial side and rent of $120 per site would easily pay the mortgage and maintenance requirements - and security of low-cost residential housing would be secured from developers. i am not quite sure how the legalities are set up as to who owns and runs the site - but it's not her. she did say it would be a community owned village, so i assume it will be council owned/operated, but she did say that they were "buying" the site off the council - so perhaps the residents "own" by buying in and and a manager is installed to run the place.
this is a lady who has no major education, was a mother/grandmother most of her life, did travel extensively in third world countries when older but really has no qualifications and experience ... but got off her butt and learnt the hard way for the benefit of herself and others.
i take my hat off. some one not whinging to the media, but doing something about it.
by the way - community manufactured village housing - what a great idea for affordable housing for the elderly/singles/couples (not great for kids).
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