Apollo Care Finds Creative Ways to Support Affordable Housing in Rockhampton

Innovative national aged care Approved Provider Apollo Care and Central Queensland collaborative The Shelter Collective celebrated the completion and formal naming today of 10 affordable homes in Rockhampton for women aged 55+.

The two organisations teamed up for the ‘Arc-20’ project – renamed ‘Cooinda’ – to renovate 10 cottages on the grounds of Apollo Care’s PresCare Alexandra Gardens aged care community.

In addition to affordable housing, tenants have been offered training and employment opportunities as care workers, cooks or cleaners at the adjacent PresCare community. The project is one of several avenues being pursued by Apollo Care to contribute to its local communities and to provide housing for its workers across regional Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Apollo Care’s CEO Stephen Becsi OAM says, “The Cooinda project offers an extra level of financial security and independence to the women living here while also addressing the number one issue in aged care – staff attraction and retention.”

“Giving back to the Rockhampton community is simply the right thing to do, and we really hope the tenants take the opportunity to work with us and deepen their ties with the local community.”

“The cottages were earmarked for demolition to make way for additional residential aged care facilities, but now the cottages have found a second life. Plus, we still have enough land for expansion, and the women who needed secure housing and employment have been provided with a life-changing opportunity.”

The Shelter Collective is a community-driven group of organisations working together to achieve realistic and accessible housing solutions. It is led by Dave Grenfell OAM, Chairman of Apprentices and Trainees Queensland (ATQLD); Michael Walz, CEO of ATQLD; Adam Klaproth, Manager (Housing and Homelessness) at AnglicareCQ; Michelle Coats, General Manager of Roseberry Queensland; along with founding community members Grant Mathers and Donna Kirkland, the new Member for Rockhampton.

The Collective raised almost $1 million in cash and in-kind donations of goods and services from local individuals and organisations for Cooinda, and it’s now raising money for a mobile outreach bus.

“We take a holistic approach to our communities,” explains Stephen Becsi. “We work equally hard attracting and then retaining good workers. We’re here for the long haul, and we want our workers to be just as invested. Continuity of care and relationships is a huge part of making residents feel a strong sense of belonging, so we do everything we can to help.”

Across Apollo Care’s 12 aged care communities, 80 units have either been purchased or leased for workers.

In addition to ‘Cooinda’, Apollo Care assists Rockhampton staff with furnished accommodation at affordable rates. Its next biggest investments have been made in Maryborough for PresCare Groundwater Lodge and PresCare Yaralla Place workers, and in Tenterfield, NSW, for Millrace and Haddington workers.

Mr Becsi says, “In the past year, we’ve spent over $2 million purchasing and furnishing properties. We know it takes extra effort to get good workers, and we refuse to lose them to other regional areas.”

“We’ve also offered some rent-free periods in Tenterfield to help new arrivals get established. Many new workers bring their families with them, so it’s very important they feel at home as soon as possible. Residents benefit when our workers are happy, and the entire community enjoys the influx of energy and culture that comes with new people and their families.”

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