Last week Refai won a ticket out of the Sydney housing crisis when her name was drawn out of hat. She was one of 54 successful applicants to secure a small home (ranging from 22 square metres to 35 square metres) at 20 per cent below-market rent in the new Nightingale Marrickville mid-rise affordable housing development.
Bella Refai enjoys her new micro-apartment.James Brickwood
On Tuesday night she saw her new 22 square metre micro-apartment,designed by an award-winning Sydney architect SJB,with its views across Sydney’s rooftops and a tiny kitchen and bathroom for the first time. “I don’t have words,” she said.
Opening in April,the apartment block is designed to work as a community,with large shared kitchens,living areas and gardens,it is the first build to rent project of its kind in the inner west.
Nightingale Marrickville was developed by not for profit Sydney developer Fresh Hope Communities,the charitable arm of the Churches of Christ in NSW&ACT that owned the land,provided a 99 year lease to the new housing project,and funded the project. It will manage the new community.
Nurses at Refai’s stage usually take home about $1000 a week. And the young nurse’s new rent at Nightingale will be $395 a week including bills for the first year.
Inside the Marrickville micro apartments.James Brickwood
Research shows essential workers like Refai can’t afford to rent or buy in nearly every LGA in greater Sydney. Working early and late shifts,and sometimes doubles at a Sydney hospital,Refai said commuting from the Sutherland Shire where her mother lives wasn’t workable or safe.
To find her current home in Leichhardt,Refai and her two flatmates looked at dozens of places before desperation drove them to lease the only place others had rejected. It is $750 a week,noisy,has holes in walls,and she shares a bedroom that is smaller than the one in her new apartment with another nurse to make ends meet.
Refai’s new lease comes with secure tenure. As a young person starting a career,she had been anxious about the lack of certainty about where and how she would live,how she could afford to live near her work,and worrying where she would end up.
Sam Buckerfield,the general manager corporate communications for Fresh Hope Communities said the goal was to provide security. “We are not about to up the rent quickly. Because that’s the biggest challenge in Sydney;the contract ends and it jumps by $200 a week.”
Map shows that an early career nurse could not afford to buy a strata apartment anywhere in Sydney.Gilbert,Nasreen and Gurran,2023
Fresh Hope partnered with Victorian not for profit developer Nightingale Housing,to tap into its experience in other states building sustainable,affordable,architect designed homes that are sold at cost.
Buckerfield said Nightingale Marrickville would be “accommodating in every sense of the word.” That meant being flexible if someone’s situation changed,they lost their job or got ill,for example.
Nightingale’s chief executive Dan McKenna said getting the project to completion over the past six years had been long ride.
“We’ve learned a lot and would love to replicate this. We see huge amounts of underutilised land,whether it be church land or government land. Things like this can absolutely be done.”
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The aesthetics of the project combined with the community was a huge draw for Refai,she said.
The project is shortlisted in this year’s NSW Institute of Architects awards.
SJB director Adam Haddow said given the current housing crisis,the potential for quality,intelligent and community-centred design as a solution had been under-appreciated for far too long.
McKenna said there was a lot of emotion on the day they drew names out of the hat last week after vetting applicant’s income and assets.
UK Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud praised the micro houses during a visit to Melbourne last month.Supplied
Many applicants “had been bouncing around looking for something secure,staying with friends,just looking for a steady place where they can put down roots.”
More than half of the apartments were allocated to people with a disability,community contributors,Indigenous Australians,single women over 55.
Called Teilhaus homes,meaning “part-of-house” in German,the homes are designed to be small,sustainable and efficient. There is no parking,but plenty of parking for bikes. It is powered by solar,and fitted with fans,there is no need for air conditioning.
Nightingale’s projects were described as “building with heart” by the host of UK Grand Designs,Kevin McCloud,who visited one of its affordable housing communities in Melbourne last month.
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