November 2002

House opening marks Kew redevelopment

Stories by Kerrie Soraghan of Kew Residential Services

The Kew Residential Services (KRS) redevelopment is under way with the first house officially opened and five excited residents and eight staff now busy turning the house into a home.

An informal afternoon tea was the first house social event with residents and staff welcoming families and friends.

The past few months have seen detailed and meticulous planning around the safety, design and useability of the house.

But during the afternoon tea the simple things took centre stage…cheery bowls of flowers from a staff member’s garden, the lively hum as families got to know each other and the friendly banter as cups of tea and coffee were made and residents showed their families their new rooms.

The staff members, all previously based at KRS, had spent two intensive weeks at the house preparing for the opening.

Their training ranged from thorough preparation on the individual needs of each resident to talks from community agencies about how to link into services and build a new network of supports.

They spent a day blitzing the garden, which paid off not only in transforming the backyard into an attractive extension of the house but was a great way for the new team to become more close-knit.

Before friends, families and residents arrived for the afternoon tea, the Department of Human Services’ Eastern Metropolitan Regional Director John Leatherland congratulated the staff on their hard work and offered encouragement for the challenges ahead.

Mr Leatherland said he was looking forward to seeing ‘real connections with the community’ being formed.

Supervisor of the new house Richard Landmann, thanked KRS management for their faith in him and the team and said that in the months of preparation they had been extremely well-supported.

‘There’s always been someone to call. And now we’re looking forward to making it a home, which is what it’s all about.’