The 100-bed aged care home has been made possible thanks to a $25 million Department of Health and Aged Care Aged Care Capital Assistance Program grant, $10 million secured from the WA Government in 2021, and a recent pledge from the WA Labor Government that if re-elected, it will provide an additional $5 million capital grant and $10 million low interest loan for the project.
The home will be located in Queens Park, 12km south of the Perth CBD.
Family-owned Hall & Prior, which has 36 aged care homes including 24 in WA, 13 in NSW, and one in the ACT, will operate the aged care home, leasing the land and buildings from Sister Kate's Aboriginal Health & Aged Care. Hall & Prior will also build new, purpose-built buildings on the site, which is expected to open in early 2028.
The operator has been working on the project with Sister Kate's for "several years", according to a social media post.
“The facility will be the first of its kind in WA - a centre of excellence for how to best provide health and aged care services for the Aboriginal community, as well as providing aged care services to those people regarded as homeless,” said Dr Sue Gordon, Chairperson, Sister Kate’s Aboriginal Health & Aged Care.
The home will be located on land where Kate Clutterbuck established the Sister Kate's Children's Home in 1934 for Aboriginal children who were mostly members of the Stolen Generations.
Kerry Hill Architects toured Indigenous aged care facilities in Northern Australia to ensure the design will deliver the appropriate care services.
