Photos by David Seivers
A new six-storey apartment building has opened in Adelaide, delivering 50 long-term studio homes for women at risk of homelessness.
The Tucker Street development, owned by the SA Housing Trust, has been built by South Australian company Mossop Group Pty Ltd and is designed to provide women with secure housing, on-site support and a stronger pathway towards stability.
The project includes 50 studio apartments, with five fully accessible homes designed for women with mobility needs. Each apartment has a private balcony, internal laundry, modern kitchen and bathroom, air-conditioning, energy-efficient appliances and dedicated on-site bike space.
The building also includes shared meeting spaces, a common area, flexible-use rooms, a courtyard and a communal garden, creating a place designed for connection as well as housing. Support services will be delivered on site by YWCA Australia, with staff including a Community Engagement Officer and a Service Delivery Caseworker to help tenants manage their tenancies, connect with services and build housing security.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Nick Champion said the project was part of a wider push to increase South Australia’s public housing supply.
“Our Government is delivering a real, measurable increase in South Australia’s public housing stock. Tucker Street is proof that we’re getting on with the job,” Minister Champion said.
“Tucker Street represents a foundation from which 50 women at risk of homelessness can rebuild their lives with the support they need around them.”
Minister for Women Katrine Hildyard said the project was particularly important as older women continue to face growing housing insecurity.
“Older women are the fastest growing group experiencing homelessness, often preceded by domestic, family and/or sexual violence, financial hardship or relationship breakdown and rarely happening in isolation. This is why targeted projects like this are crucial,” Minister Hildyard said.
“These homes and the embedded support will provide women with a roof over their head and so much more. A sanctuary, a safe place to call home, empowers women to experience belonging and security and move forward with confidence.”
Designed by Woods Bagot with landscape architecture by Tract, the building has been created to feel safe, practical and connected to the surrounding neighbourhood. Woods Bagot Principal Alex Hall said well-designed public housing played an important role in inclusive communities.
“Well-designed public housing is essential for social inclusion and to sustain vibrant, diverse, and accessible neighbourhoods,” Hall said.
“We’ve designed comfortable, practical and beautiful residences that support safety, dignity, security of its users, all the while being open to natural light, connected to landscape, and a part of the neighbourhood fabric.”
The site is close to high-frequency bus routes, the City Connector Bus, nearby green space at Rymill Park and the CBD’s shopping and service precincts.
The opening comes as the State Government points to recent independent Productivity Commission data showing South Australia has recorded its first net increase in public housing stock this century.
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