A new housing development in Cannington is giving people like Lauren Davis a new lease on life.
The project is giving people with disability, like Lauren, more choice, with homes designed to support independence from the start.
Civic Gardens, a 17-apartment Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) complex, was officially opened on April 30 by WA Housing and Works Minister John Carey.
Delivered by GR8 Disability Housing, the development includes one and two-bedroom apartments for people with high physical support needs, along with dedicated overnight accommodation for support workers.
Residents also have access to shared rooftop spaces overlooking the Canning River Regional Park and Darling Range, with the complex located close to Westfield Carousel, public transport and essential services.
GR8 Disability Housing managing director Perry Kleppe said the project responds to a gap that has existed for years.
“People with high physical support needs have been largely overlooked in the broader housing conversation, despite facing some of the most complex barriers to finding a suitable home,” he said.
“Too often, we see accessible housing treated as an add-on, rather than something that is intentionally designed from the ground up to support independence, safety and dignity.”
Mr Kleppe said the apartments were built to a high physical support standard so they can meet a wide range of needs.
“If your participants are living in an improved liveability house and they evolve to a higher level, they can no longer live in that house,” he said.
“So, then it becomes quite disruptive.”
Minister Carey said projects like Civic Gardens are needed as WA continues to experience strong population growth.
“In the last five years, 330,000 people have moved to WA to call it home,” he said.
“We need all housing, social housing, affordable housing, workers accommodation, but also specialist disability accommodation.
“This is an outstanding development, and it’s the type of project that we want to see into the future.”
He said housing should be designed around the people who live in it.
“Ultimately, it’s about people,” he said.
“It’s about providing secure and safe housing, but it’s also about creating housing that is designed for the clients in need, so someone living with a disability has a home that is designed for respect and dignity.”
The project was backed by private investors Jack and Daniella Fischer, who moved into disability housing after identifying a need in the market.
“They’ve chosen to invest in something that goes beyond the standard of development,” Mr Kleppe said.
“That kind of commitment matters, because without it, these sorts of developments just don’t get built.”
City of Canning Mayor Patrick Hall said the development reflects the city’s focus on inclusion and growth.
“The City of Canning has dedicated itself to doing more for people that are often the most vulnerable in our community, and finding housing that is meaningful but also appropriate,” he said.
Among those at the launch was Lauren Davis, who acquired an incomplete spinal cord injury after surgery for a rare spinal tumour in 2023.
After months in hospital and rehabilitation, she spent two years moving between five different homes before finding a purpose-built SDA property through GR8 Disability Housing.
“Housing should be a basic human right, but it’s been the hardest thing to find,” she said.
Ms Davis said accessible housing had changed her day-to-day life.
“This home has given me back my life,” she said.
“I can do my own washing and dishes, I can move around with ease, and I finally feel part of a community again.”
She said finding the right home made it easier to rebuild her independence.
“It’s really important finding somewhere you get to call home,” she said.
“It is that first safe space you have to exist, to go through your trauma, and then start being part of a community again.”
Ms Davis said people with lived experience should be involved in designing disability housing.
“Employ people with disability in your planning, actually invite people with lived experience,” she said.
“Ask the people what’s needed.”
Since moving into SDA housing, Ms Davis has regained her driver’s licence, returned to Curtin University to study social work, and can now walk with support.
Mr Kleppe said her experience shows the impact of getting housing right.
“Lauren is a living, breathing example of what happens when you connect someone with a significant disability to a property that works and suits their purpose and promotes their independence,” he said.
With limited SDA housing available across WA, developments like Civic Gardens are expected to attract interest from eligible NDIS participants.
