Strachan House is an innovative housing proposal to provide housing to people previously living on the streets or in shelters. The project is an 80 bed residence, divided into four to seven bedroom shared ‘houses’. The existing building is a three-storey brick and timber turn-of-the-century warehouse.
The project is comprised of 12 houses - 4 on each floor - with a main “street” or corridor connecting the houses on each level. At either end of each floor level, the street terminates at a stair built in a three-storey atrium space. These open areas provide a strong vertical connection, linking the community as a whole. Each two houses share a lounge and each floor has a shared lounge, staff station and laundry facilities.
A number of the houses on the ground floor are designated as “special needs” housing. One is a health house for people who require limited medical attention. The house at the east end is for women only and is autonomous from the rest. It targets “hardest to house” women who cannot live at other shelters in the city. Also on the ground floor is a community kitchen, the main staff office and the Townhall. Streetcity is a self-governing community. The residents elect a mayor and mayoress who, along with the staff, set the rules and chair weekly Townhall meetings.
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