THE first tenants have started moving into the new White Gum Valley development at the old Kim Beazley school site.

Creative souls who’ve been shut out of Fremantle by high rents and housing costs have been the first foot in the door, with four moving into the 18-apartment SHAC complex this week.

Koral Ward, a writer and artist, says she’s thrilled by her new home as it takes the pressure off the scramble to keep afloat financially. She does a lot of community art which pays a pittance, and has to sustain herself with lecturing at uni which isn’t where her heart lays.

• Koral Ward’s loving her new co-op housing digs at Shac in White Gum Valley. Photo by Steve Grant

Ms Ward says there’s a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments which will be available to members of the Sustainable Housing for Artists Co-Op through low-cost housing provider Access Housing.

The move into the complex coincides with International Day of Co-operatives, which is being celebrated by the local branch of the Federation of Housing Collectives with a presentation and tour of the new complex today, Saturday July 1 at 4pm.

Access Housing general manager Su Groom will be giving the key speech at at Sullivan Hall on Nannine Street.