Australia’s world-class property industry, through the Property Industry Foundation (PIF), have rallied together to complete the $9 million redevelopment of Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Refuge at 19 King St.
On any given night one in 200 people are homeless and 38 per cent are under the age of 25, making it over 44,000 young Australians sleeping on the streets each night – the PIF is committed to changing this.
In an outstanding effort, more than $1.5 million in services have been donated pro-bono to the Frontyard redevelopment by a large consortium of top-tier consultants.
The pro-bono consultant team includes the likes of Ashurst, Case Meallin, Slattery, Fender Katsalidis, Norman Disney Young, Built, Hendry Group, Equitable Access Solutions, Irwinconsult, Wood and Grieve Engineers and Urbis.
Frontyard, Victoria’s largest youth homelessness service provider, has been transformed into a four-storey building with two floors of new crisis accommodation and connected services, designed to disrupt the cycle of youth homelessness in Victoria.
Chairman of the PIF Victoria, Peter Inge, said that he is proud that the built industry has come together to partner with Melbourne City Mission and successfully design and deliver the redeveloped Frontyard facility, which will serve the most severely marginalised and disadvantaged youth in Melbourne.
“Our committed team of pro-bono consultants from some of the largest players in the industry, have worked tirelessly to deliver this project on time and on budget.”
“It’s encouraging to see the property industry donate their time and expertise to a physical facility that will assist at-risk and homeless young people,” he added.
The redeveloped Frontyard, designed by architecture firm Fender Katsalidis, is the first in the country to combine crisis accommodation with multiple support services (such as on-site mental health, drug and alcohol and disability support) for young Australians around the clock, 7 days a week.
Melbourne City Mission’s Chief Executive Officer, Vicki Sutton, commented that only a fully-integrated service will effectively meet the needs of Australia’s most marginalised young people with complex needs who are currently falling through the cracks of siloed service systems.
“Without appropriate interventions, young people can become further entrenched in long-term homelessness and disadvantage. The pioneering Frontyard model aims to break this cycle by supporting young people to create a future where they can experience all the benefits of life we often take for granted.” Ms Sutton said.
A large consortium of consultants and suppliers in the property industry, through the PIF, also donated their services and resources to help out.
Alongside the pro-bono consultant team, suppliers who have generously donated materials to this project include Harvey Norman, Highbury Plumbing, Haydens Ceiling and Partitions, Signorino Tiles, Taubmans Paint, Apec, AMP and AGL Energy.
More information on Frontyard’s services can be found here.