00:00They could be that fat around and they're still spectacular to eat.
00:06Gathering in their communal car park, these young residents have come together to learn
00:10the art of creating a thriving garden.
00:13We're going to kick off now and start to get your cans a bit dirty.
00:16The apartment complex is run by Anglicare in Adelaide's inner southwest.
00:21It provides accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness after spending time
00:26in state care.
00:28In return for a small portion of their income, young people aged 18 to 25 are supported to
00:34live independently, with access to staff who can assist with managing household tasks like
00:39paying bills and cooking.
00:41I think it's so important for every young person to have people in their world that
00:46care about them and support them.
00:48You could just plant that as a whole thing.
00:50For young couple Hayley and Xander, it's been life changing.
00:53I was a DCP kid, my mum and dad obviously weren't the greatest and my foster mum when
00:58I turned 16, COVID was happening, she wasn't super chill with the disease spreading around
01:04so at 16 I moved out.
01:06I was living in a caravan in somebody else's driveway, I was not in the best situation.
01:12It's quite an opportunity to be here.
01:15They've been living in the complex for a year and a half and say without it, they would
01:19have been forced to live on the streets.
01:21But now they have new opportunities, including planting their new garden.
01:26Having something self-sufficient down here that we can all contribute towards is really
01:30nice and it gets all of us together as a community I feel.
01:33We started to have conversations with them around what they would like their space to
01:36look like and one of the things that we just kept hearing over and over again was a green
01:40space, we just need a green space.
01:43The impact it's having is something researchers are hoping to quantify.
01:47A team from the University of Adelaide is looking at the project, examining the urban
01:51heat map effect and measuring the uplift in the residents' wellbeing.
01:56Think projects like this and tell people you can have an impact and you can make a cooler
02:01space in your home.
02:03The research that we do have to date suggests that there is that connection between caring
02:07for others, caring for the environment and that own self-care that we do for ourselves.
02:13This garden is still very much in its infancy, but there are plans to add climbing and sprawling
02:18vegetables, a yarning circle with native bush tucker plants, hedges and colourful flowers.
02:25And the researchers hope the success of this complex will pave the way for more investment
02:30in similar projects.
02:32For the community here, it's simply an opportunity to develop new skills and flourish.
02:37You see a lot of people that have come from the worst of the worst situations you couldn't
02:41imagine yourself in, and to see them in situations where they're providing for themselves, paying
02:47their rent, living comfortably, not falling to addiction or any hardship or anything like
02:52that that tends to plague these people, it really is inspirational.
02:56We just want to see young people thrive and have every opportunity they can.
03:01Nurturing new skills for a new life.
Comments