Housing Project For Retired Women

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31277, 25 January 1967, Page 2

Housing Project For Retired Women

Low-rental flats for 19 retired business and professional women have been provided by the efforts of the Portsmouth Soroptimist Club, in England. They are let for £3 3s to £4 10s a week, depending on the size of the bed-sitting rooms.

In a country where accommodation is very costly, these flats are almost in the bargainprice' bracket. But the landlord club does not aim at making a profit from the enterprise, members regard it as a community project.

The housing scheme grew out of a challenge from the club president, a chartered accountant “It is time we did something for this city,” she told members. Two of the members are now visiting Christchurch. They are Mrs B. Houghton, whose parents were New Zealanders, and Miss M. W. Sutcliffe, a retired hospital matron. Having raised £6OO by holding garden parties and a lottery, the club approached the Portsmouth City Council for a loan. This was granted, and the housing committee bought a house for £7OOO in 1964, they explained. “We gutted the house and made it into nine flatlets, or bed-sitters, each with its own kitchen.” Miss Sutcliffe said recently. Four bathrooms, five toilets and a small guest room were put in. The rent included lighting, central heating, a hot-water supply and the cleaning of stairs, hallways and bathrooms. No Age Limit “There is no age limit for residents, but if they become ill, relatives must take responsibility for them,” she said.

All the flats are let unfurnished.

Last year the club bought a second house for £lO,OOO and put in 10 flats. For this they received a loan of £7OOO from the city council. The rest of the capital cost was raised by interest-free loans from club members. Mis Sutcliffe, who is a past-president of the 35-mem-

ber club and treasurer of I the housing committee, said i that four committee members were responsible to the club | for each house. One collected rent, two were welfare visitors and the fourth supervised maintenance and reported to the committee. “This means that eight members of the committee are actively interested in the houses.” she said. Mortgages Difficult Many soroptimist clubs in Britain had housing projects for retired business and professional women. They met a serious need, as it was very difficult for single women or widows to get mortgages for homes in England, Miss Sutcliffe said.

Mrs Houghton, who came to New Zealand to meet Canterbury relatives and tour the oenutry with Miss Sutcliffe, is one of the Welfare visitors on the club’s housing committee.

A voluntary worker on the League of Friends of SL Mary's Hospital, Portsmouth, and an executive member of the National League of Hospital Friends, Mrs Houghton runs the hospital shop for staff and patients. “The shop’s turnover was £20,000 last year," she said. “Profits from the shop are the mainstay of the league funds, from which we have built a hospital chapel costing £BOOO, day rooms for every ward, and provided television sets for the wards. We also buy I ooks for nurses’ prizes.” Miss Sutcliffe was matron at the MO-bed St. Mary’s Hospital until her recent retirement.