The RJ Williams site is one of two key sites in inner Sydney that Wesley Mission has sought to upgrade over the last decade, the other being the Wesley Edward Eagar Centre in Surry Hills.
The Wesley Edward Eagar Centre was prioritised as for many decades it has provided emergency and transitional accommodation for people experiencing homelessness in inner Sydney. This refurbishment was funded by a mixture of private philanthropy, Wesley Mission funds, a grant from the City of Sydney and some corporate support. It was re-opened in early 2021 as a state-of-the-art crisis accomodation centre and support service accommodating up to 40 residents.
As the Edward Eagar project reached completion, Wesley Mission focussed on planning for the redevelopment the Glebe site as affordable rental accommodation. Initial planning commenced in 2019, but was delayed by Covid impacts, rising construction costs and the need to re-scope the building’s design to meet updated building standards. This required a second Development Application (DA) process. Significant investment was made by Wesley Mission in lodging these DAs. Please refer to the City of Sydney Summary from 6 November 2023 (attached) for further detail.
Wesley Mission has a limit to the capital funds that can be allocated to a development of this nature. While we seek to provide seed funding for projects, we then look to access local, state and federal funding as well as private and corporate support, where available. In the case of the RJ Williams development, we applied for significant funding through the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). Wesley Mission learned in late 2024 that our application to HAFF (Round One) was unsuccessful.
The inability to secure sufficient funding has unfortunately rendered Wesley Mission at this stage unable to proceed with the proposed development. Wesley Mission has advised the City of Sydney that we will not be accessing the $3 million grant generously offered. We will continue to explore options for the site to be developed in a way consistent with the existing Development Application, which stipulates the delivery of affordable housing.
Wesley Mission has engaged regularly with residents and business owners in the Glebe community throughout this process and have been grateful for their input, and the support of the City of Sydney throughout.