In 2024, Haven House Bonbeach and our Charity Partner, Lighthouse Foundation are marking ten years of supporting vulnerable young people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness in Victoria.
Lighthouse Foundation estimates they’ve welcomed 45 young people into Haven House Bonbeach, with many going on to further education, employment and stable accommodation. “It’s hard to believe how quickly the past decade has rushed by, since the triumphant completion of the beautiful home at Bonbeach,” says Lighthouse Philanthropy Manager Michelle Michie.
“So much has happened in the home. It has lived up to its promise of being a haven where at-risk young people can heal from their trauma and go on to thrive and reach their potential.”
“Bonbeach has been a life-changing, nurturing and safe space,” says Lighthouse Founder, Susan Barton AM. “The long partnership between Lighthouse and the Property Industry Foundation has been a profound and powerful direct intervention in ending youth homelessness in Australia. With six of our Lighthouse homes either renovated substantially, or newly built, the Property Industry Foundation has led the way in ensuring our society’s most vulnerable children get the care and safety they need.”
“So many young people and carers have loved the Bonbeach home and thrived in it. The impact is already immeasurable. For everyone in the Property Industry Foundation network, words of gratitude don’t seem nearly enough for the past ten years.”
Michelle Michie, Lighthouse Foundation
The very first Haven House to open in Victoria, Bonbeach has been a standout success. Part of the Foundation’s support has been to offer a decade of funding for the home’s excellent team of carers. “The Foundation understood that the home needed to have the best carers, and that the home itself was only part of the solution,” says Michelle. “They’ve contributed the funding for the care program in the home over all these past years, totalling $1.75m of program costs. This stable funding enabled continuity of carer contracts, and it kept the Lighthouse Model of Care functioning with all the supports such as the local volunteer Community Committee and essential psychological counselling support.”
The quality of the original Bonbeach build and the upkeep done by industry volunteers in regular Working Bees have sent the message to at-risk youth that they are worthy of beautiful spaces to call their own, at a time when they otherwise felt worthless and rejected. “The construction industry chose not to ignore the needs of these children and young people and step forward and mobilise the resources of our country’s elite building groups to make a difference,” says Michelle. “They’ve had the backs of these young people, and I hope they are truly proud of the work they have done to give these kids a fair go at having a bright future.”
The Property Industry Foundation is equally proud of the Bonbeach program and the young people who have flourished in the home. “In 2024, we celebrate ten years since Haven House Bonbeach opened its doors to Lighthouse Foundation carers and its first group of residents – our first home in Victoria,” says Wendy Brakey, Board of Advisors, VIC, Property Industry Foundation. “Over the past decade, Bonbeach has offered refuge and support to 45 homeless youth – setting them on a path towards further education, employment and housing security. I am so proud of what this long term partnership has achieved. The impact on the lives of these young Australians is immeasurable and will impact generations to come. Lighthouse Foundation operates in six of our Haven Houses – including our latest collaboration at Haven House South East Melbourne – a prime example of how we can link the vital work of a frontline charity with the skills and resources of the property and construction industry.”
