Rosewall is recognised as a vulnerable community that has special needs. Rosewall has a higher proportion of social housing than any other suburb in the northern suburbs. Properties within the Rosewall estate are not of sufficient value to enable the Department of Haman Services, Office of Housing to sell properties and change building stock. The Office of Housing houses have been retro-fitted in the last 5 years but are still inefficient buildings that are difficult to heat and cool. Houses owned by the Office of Housing in Rosewall will always be used for vulnerable families in need as all the houses are three bedroom houses. Consequently there is a constant change over of families within this community. The Early Years program at Rosewall was originally operated by a committee of management and then the Rosewall Primary School. When enrolments were identified as declining Best Start offered to work with Council to create a new model. This model was based on extended hours sessional kindergarten along with playgroups, early intervention programs and family counselling, (provided by CatholicCare). The Early Learning Centre @ Rosewall model was successful, with increased enrolment, participation and parent engagement. The fire has had a significant impact on the Rosewall Neighbourhood Centre. There is less foot traffic through the building so there are less opportunities for families and parents to see notices or be engaged with information about up-coming courses and events. The advent of the fire has brought uncertainty to whether the service will be reinstated at Rosewall The neighbourhood Centre was rundown and inadequate before the fire and now is more so whilst still trying to cater for supported playgroup programs in inadequate facilities. The Rosewall community is grieving the loss of their primary school, their kinder building with the additional loss of their local high school. It was agreed by most interviewees that some acknowledgement of Rosewall’s loss needs to be made. When interviewees were asked to suggest opportunities relating to this area the following suggestions were made: The building needs to be loved and significant Could have an external café linked to the hospitality training facility that is orientated to quality external space that gives community members the opportunity to use the building casually The building needs to engage with the community through some level of permeability. The building needs to be child friendly with a quality play space that is not necessarily linked to a program. Walkable loops need to exist. Somehow passive surveillance over the open space needs to be incorporated into the estate.
6.0 Action Plan: continued.... The configuration of the integrated children’s services hub at Hendy Street would include: Proposed plan with room types identified Reception (1a) Administration office (1b) Archive & storage Maternal and Child Health (2a) Storage for MCH Early years rooms x 2 (3a) Early years toilets x 2 (3b) Early years storage x 2 (3c) Early years playgrounds (3d) Kitchen facilities Interview rooms Activity Room (5a) Storage for activity room Corridor and “break out” space for integrated activities. Public toilets Existing Hendy Street Hall to be integrated with the new facility Northern Bay College, Hendy Street Campus Existing car parking This sketch plan design equates to 1077 square metres.