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An Adelaide real estate office has used its skill for spotting a property’s future potential to turn an old backpackers hostel into a short-term accommodation facility for South Australians at risk of homelessness.
Harcourts Packham, which operates out of three locations in the city’s south, purchased the building in Adelaide’s CBD in 2021. The group could see the building was already perfect for shared living, with an industrial kitchen, 11 bedrooms, outdoor areas and electronic locks on every room,
Uniting with Toward Home, an alliance of charitable organisations focusing on the prevention of homelessness, the team was able to turn the building into a facility they’re calling “Terra Firma”, meaning “solid ground”.
It offers specialised housing of up to 12 weeks to singles and couples aged 45 and over, with the aim of helping South Australians get back on track and into safe, stable and longer-term accommodation.
Harcourts Packham director James Packham noted that beyond providing the space, his team had found other ways to put their expertise in real estate to good use.
“With our skillset and reputation, we can assist residents to transition to longer-term housing by providing them with references and utilising our investor database to garner interest in leasing property to residents,” he explained.
“The competencies and efficiency which allow us to run a successful real estate business are transferable and will add massive value in tackling this problem,” he added.
Mr Packham said that working in the housing sector, it was important to him and his team to respond to the issue of homelessness.
“For us, this project speaks to ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘people first’, core Harcourts values. This is an issue that, once you have appreciation for and experience with, it’s hard for any right-thinking person to walk past. We’re chiefly a service industry, and that ethos of putting people first and ensuring the journey is as good as possible, can be applied here.”
Jacob Kinsman, business operations manager of Harcourts Packham, stressed the importance of having robust support networks across the country to address the growing issue.
“Homelessness is something that doesn’t discriminate – most people are only one broken relationship, ill family member, job loss or financial setback away from it.”
The facility is still in its nascent stages, but already they are at full capacity, while several residents have transitioned from Terra Firma to other housing.
Harcourts South Australia chief executive Stu Costello expressed his pride in the Packham team for taking on this work.
“This is a true reflection of the charitable and community-based values James Packham and Harcourts Packham live by and an extremely worthy cause supporting South Australians,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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