Construction has officially commenced on a world-first model of intensive support and crisis accommodation for young people who are sleeping rough in Melbourne.
Victoria’s Minister for Housing, Martin Foley was onsite at 19 King Street last week, the new location for Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Services. The Minister of Housing was there to mark the commencement of the $8 million Frontyard construction project. Frontyard is Victoria’s largest early intervention and crisis service for young people who are experiencing, or at risk of homelessness. The project aims to transform Frontyard into a 24/7 service with expanded supports and include two floors of crisis accommodation for homeless young people, as well as onsite mental health, drug and alcohol and disability expertise. Fender Katsalidis designed the new facility.
“For 29 years Melbourne City Mission and Frontyard have been there for young people when they have had nowhere else to turn. The new Frontyard is designed to disrupt the cycle of homelessness for Victoria’s most vulnerable and hard to reach young people,” said Vicki Sutton, CEO Melbourne City Mission. The world-first model will see Frontyard pioneer digital engagement strategies to more effectively connect young people to support. The Frontyard team will also actively walk the streets to find young people who are sleeping rough and connect them to services.
“The Frontyard model of connected support and accommodation is a world-first in terms of providing a comprehensive response to what we know young people need,” explained Sutton.
The new model of support was designed to appropriately respond to the multiple and complex needs of youth with significant trauma and is designed to assist those who are likely to experience challenges with connecting to support services. Many of the young people who will access the new services will have been through the child protection system and have had some engagement with youth justice. According to Melbourne City Mission, they are likely to experience addiction, cognitive impairment and other disabilities (in addition to youth homelessness). If not intervened by the correct services, they are at risk of remaining in crisis for the long-term, which often leads to adult homelessness.
The one-of-a-kind construction project was only made possible by the partnership between Melbourne City Mission and the Victorian Government, as well as philanthropists including The Peter and Lyndy White Foundation, and the property industry, through the Property Industry Foundation. Melbourne City Mission has stated that once completed, the new Frontyard will ‘provide a breadth, depth and intensity of support unlike anything else currently found in the youth homelessness system.’
“A number of consultants in [the Australian building and construction] industry such as Ashurst, Case Meallin, Urbis, Slattery, Fender Katsalidis, NDY, Wood & Grieve Engineers, Hendry Group, Equitable Access Solutions, Irwinconsult, and Built have already pledged their support with a plan to provide pro-bono services for the construction project,” stated Peter Inge, Chairman of the Property Industry Foundation, Victoria. The Property Industry Foundation’s building partner, Built, will assist by sourcing and providing discounted/donated goods and materials to show their support for the Frontyard project.
“Our investment in Frontyard will keep young people safe and offer them wrap-around support services when and where they need it,” shared Martin Foley, Victoria’s Minister for Housing.
It is important to note that existing Frontyard services will remain open throughout the redevelopment, at a temporary site at 244 Flinders Street in Melbourne.
Construction at 19 King Street is expected to be complete by early 2019.