Hello friends!
It's Sharing with Friends fifth year of operation and at last we have much to celebrate!
With Christmas fast approaching our exciting news is that our first residents have signed their Agreement for Lease and Sharing with Friends has signed a building contract with Ownit Homes. We will be shoveling our first sod in January 2025 for Queensland's first affordable co-housing residence for older women.
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The PCG members David, Carlo, Eloise and Ian meet on-site at Darra with Ownit Homes’ Scott Ganim and Shane Stockwell in Feb 2024
Land + Leases + Contract!
The achievements we have made this year is a testament to the strong relational bonds we have built with our project supporters carrying us through many days of doubt, stress and compromise.
Faced with a number of unexpected consequences as a result of our building model not covered in the Planning Act, our project has been designated Class 1b, rather than Class 1a which is a regular free- standing house. Class 1b is essentially rooming accommodation. This has resulted in significant engineering reviews (accessibility, structural, acoustic and plumbing), among other things, which have taken a number of months, and have added cost and complexity to our building program.
We have now completed all these reviews and re-designs, had everything costed, and have submitted a conforming Building Approval (BA) application. Four of our first cohort signed their Agreement for Lease last week and have paid their deposits; and on Friday December 13, the Foundation signed the Building Contract with our builder, Ownit Homes. Ownit Homes have been wonderful through this difficult process and have committed to prioritize this project on return to work after the Christmas break mid-January.
The compromises we made have paved the way for those who follow us, saving them time, costs, and uncertainty of building a prototype that is not covered anywhere in the Planning Act. As a case study in what is wrong with building codes and definitions, it is powerful! And we will continue to advocate for the necessary changes required to replicate the SWF model.
Despite all the above, Darra will be a wonderful showcase for the benefits of co-housing for older women – and other groups to come.
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Residents Rhu, Robyn, Barb and Jenny celebrating the signing of their Agreement for Lease.
Leases
The above delays have caused some distress amongst our prospective Residents, and we have had twice to find replacements for women who could no longer wait for Darra. Legal firm Clayton Utz generously offered to provide pro bono legal advice to our prospective Residents. The three documents developed by Minter Ellison – the Agreement for Lease (signed at the start of construction), The Lease and the Community Agreement were reviewed by the Residents, agreement was reached by both parties and on December 12 we held a signing ceremony for the First Four Residents (above).
At the signing ceremony we asked Barbara who has been with Sharing with Friends since our first workshop in March 2021 and has patiently waited for this day to occur, to say a few words (with her permission):
"This is a very historic occasion for all the members of the Darra project – but for me especially.
My introduction to SWF came via the radio in February 2021 when Susan Davies was introducing the concept of a co-housing scheme.
As I was already looking at various housing solutions for myself, her proposal intrigued me.
I felt there was a connection between Susan the Dreamer and my own dream for my future.
I attended the inaugural meeting at the Peace Hall, Albion in early March 2021.
That meeting changed my life.
I continued to be involved with the first series of workshop in 2021 AND the second in 2023.
I became a member of the first group of five women for the pilot project at Darra.
Despite the setback and the trials and complications that have delayed this undertaking what unites the prospective residents of One Darra Ave is that we want to be pioneers and make this venture a success.”
A public info Day was held in November to call for interested parties and was successful in attracting five eligible applicants who are currently being interviewed by the Four to find their fifth neighbour.
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Standing: Shane Stockwell and Georgia Ganim from Ownit Homes.
Seated: SWF members Susan Davies and David Hamlyn-Harris signing the Darra building contract.
Friday December 13 was an historic moment for Sharing with Friends when the building contract for the Darra co-housing residence was signed at Ownit Homes office. Throughout 2024 SWF has been working closely with members of the Ownit Homes team who have moved outside their normal role of building family homes to take on this special project and steer us through some at times rocky, if not tempestous, moments. Working closely with Diecke Richards architects, together they have achieved this wonderful outcome for us and the five women who will be moving into their new homes in 2025.
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Stephanie Wyeth addressing the Sharing with Friends Strategic Planning Day. Stephanie is Professional Planner in Residence and Senior Lecturer within the Planning Program, and Director of Engagement for the UQ School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
Strategic Planning
The SWF strategic planning day was held in October. In a Minter Ellison meeting room, facilitator Anna Moynihan wrangled the minds of our Management Committee and Kitchen Cabinet members to form a revised plan for the post-Darra future. We reviewed the Foundation’s four strategic roles – Developer, Property Manager, Licensor and Change Agent. The plan includes:
- Build Darra to be the prototype for game-changing, resulting in public understanding and acceptance of the co-housing model.
- Beyond Darra, negotiate our second site in Gladstone, based on the offer of land from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
- Carry out a public campaign to convince the new Queensland Liberal Government to legislate for Gentle Density.
- To finalise the documentation of our Intellectual Property (leases, concept design and workshop selection process) and then offer this as a Licence-to-replicate to interested community groups across the State – and ultimately interstate.
- An Internal focus will reactivate the Key Advisors Group, and to focus on finding funds for paid managers and Next Generation board structure.
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Trent Dalton and his mum Leonie with residents and SWF members Susan and Adrienne.
Fund Raising
You know you are on a winner when the hottest author in Australia and Darra’s poster boy Trent Dalton wants to help you fund-raise. We held the most heartfelt and memorable fund-raising luncheon event this year at Victoria Park for Mother’s Day when ABC’s Cathie Schnitzerling and Trent Dalton held a “Conversation” and we raised $80,000 for Sharing with Friends. Fittingly it was one of our big supporters - Trent’s mother Leonie - who opened this door and helped make it all happen. So many donors, sponsors, prize givers, volunteers and ticket buyers supported us and thanks to Fran Stowers for heading up the team.
This year we gratefully received $50,000 from the Lord Mayor’s Charity Trust for the build fit out, $20,000 from the Sisters of Charity Foundation and $10,000 from Mary McKillop Today Trust to hold workshops in Gladstone to recruit and inform potential older women Residents from the local community.
Our thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fund raising efforts and donations can be made at
https://shoutforgood.com/charities/sharing-with-friends
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Feedback session with Anita, Laurel Johnston and Stephanie Wyeth (ISSR) with artist Rachel Apelt (Artbalm Creative Services) documenting the journey.
Relationships
Earlier this year the Institute of Social Science Research, University of Queensland, provided funding to support a part time researcher - Dr. Anita Eggington - to undertake a Developmental Evaluation Research project. The outcomes of Anita's research are documented in a comprehensive report that highlights Sharing with Friends overwhelming "relational' model which has provided the strong, stable bond and shared values that have taken us through the days of doubt and uncertainty to get to this point:
- a final design in the process of certification and building approval
- a signed building contract
- construction capital funds, and
- four signed leasing documents (with the fifth waiting in the wings).
Anita's study provides a sound background to the story of SWF so far and shines a light on how to move forward as we advocate for and replicate the co-housing model throughout Queensland and beyond.
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Standing: David Hamlyn-Harris, Lisa Worner, David Purvis, Susan Davies, Alison Gray, Ian Mackie.
Seated: Anne Landsberg, Adrienne Irvine, Fran stowers.
Management Commitee
The AGM held on December 8 accepted the nominations for Anne Landsberg and Alison Gray to join the Management Committee for 2025. Anne has been a previous committee member while Alison brings experience and talent to the team with her background as a financial coach. We look forward to overseeing the development of the Darra project, advocating for planning changes to allow more adaptable building options and planning a future project in regional Queensland.
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Measuring success..
When we stop to reflect on our journey to deliver safe, secure and affordable housing to the "missing middle" of older women who are increasingly becoming the fastest growing cohort of homeless in Australia, we look to the following:
- Women from all over Queensland, Australia and the rest of the world ask us almost daily how to replicate what we are doing.
- The four women who chose each other over a year ago have become a solid group of friends who have become strongly engaged and confident in that time.
- Architect Eloise Atkinson reports keen national interest amongst architects in the Sharing with Friends model of co-housing.
- We are backed by quality people at every turn - lawyers, architects, town planner, builders, surveyors, amongst many more including our 24 project loan supporters.
- Nothing worthwhile is ever easy ....
And 5 older women will be moving into their forever home in 2025!
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