THE final touches have been made to a home renovation project in Beldon in anticipation of its first tenant.
The MAD (Making a Difference) House Project is the realisation of Iluka couple Deb Saville and Lindsay Breach’s goal to create homes where people with disabilities can live independently.
Ms Saville said the contributions of more than 50 businesses to the renovation project in recent months had exceeded their expectations.
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READ NOW“It’s better than I ever would have imagined; most people went the extra mile,” she said.
“What the tradies and suppliers have done has been pretty remarkable from a community point of view.
“They have been incredible and that’s the Aussie spirit.”
The couple planned to set up a cross referral network and make swatches with details of the businesses that supported the project to distribute within the community.
Ms Saville said the contributions had included a neighbour walking by, who donated a computer to the house.
It was furnished by her parents Gwen and Brian Saville, who moved to Regents Garden for health reasons, and donations from Pine Discount Furniture in Joondalup.
Her husband managed the project with Flick Realty’s Mike Wilding, which took about seven months to complete.
The couple will leave the house to the Future Living Trust when they die, as well as their own home which Ms Saville said would become a respite house.
“When we die, we want our properties to live on,” she said.
“The house in Beldon is going to be for people to learn to live independently in a shared living environment.”
The first tenant will be a 19-year-old man whose family had spent 18 months looking for ways he could live independently and heard about the MAD House Project through WA Individualised Services.
Ms Saville said as most people with disabilities had to wait several years to get public housing, this process could help get them into their own place.
“We are hoping more people will choose to leave a legacy like this,” she said.
They also have an investment house in Butler that is part of their legacy, and are working with ECU’s legacy officer Susan Morrow to set up a scholarship fund.
Visit www.facebook.com/themadhousebeldon for more information.
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