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Haven House Balgowlah

Haven House Balgowlah

New South Wales

NO. OF BEDROOMS

2

BUILDING PARTNER

SMLXL

CHARITY PARTNER

The Burdekin Association

01 Balgowlah is Underway!02 Construction begins03 Make a House a Home day!04 House Opening

Project Overview

Through a partnership between the Property Industry Foundation, Burdekin Association and owners, Bridge Housing, it was transformed into a welcoming 2-bedroom home.

Key Industry Supporters

ACR
Art Carpentry
Aztech Services Sydney
Belvia Electrical
Better Tiles
BIC Services
Coco Republic
Freelance Tiling
Bridge Housing
Wynstan Blinds
Civil Fabrication
Harvey Norman Commercial
Flex Demolition
Auztec Painting Services
Intemic group
John Gillette Plumbing
Property Risk Australia
Sphere
Dulux
URBIS
Cameron Brae Group
AVID Property Group

01 Balgowlah is Underway!

Renovation work is underway on Haven House Balgowlah on Sydney’s Northern Beaches

Demo has begun on a full reno of a two-bedroom home in Balgowlah, in collaboration with SMLXL Projects.

“We’ve been in partnership with the Property Industry Foundation for a number of years, and when the opportunity came up to be involved in the Haven House Project, we just grabbed it,”

Lisa Mort, CEO SMLXL Projects

Once completed, The Burdekin Association will use the home to run a semi-independent housing program for at-risk young people, including young mums and their children. This vibrant non-profit organisation aims to prevent youth homelessness and family breakdown by providing a range of innovative accommodation, care and support services to young people aged between 9 and 24 and their families on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the Inner West.

Over the course of 2022, the rundown cottage will be transformed into a modern, welcoming space which will provide two residents with life and parenting skills and opportunities to engage in education and employment and secure stable long-term housing.

“This particular project really appealed to us, It’s helping young women in need, possible women with children, and that really pulled at our heartstrings. We can make a really big impact in some young women’s lives. We have a lot of young staff at SMLXL and they’re starting their own families and have young kids. Being able to relate to the life stage of the young people in need that we’re helping, it really puts everything in perspective.”

Lisa encourages other industry leaders to get on board with supporting the work of the Property industry Foundation.

“Honestly, if you’ve got the opportunity to be involved in a project like this, you should jump on it.”

Lisa Mort, CEO SMLXL Projects

02 Construction begins

Progress meeting showing the house evolve into a home!

03 Make a House a Home day!

A huge team of industry vollies helped make a house a home at Haven house Balgowlah.

On 2 June Haven House Balgowlah was buzzing with enthusiastic volunteers, putting the final touches on the newly renovated two-bedroom home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Staff from Cameron Brae and Urbis lent a hand with assembling furniture, cleaning and putting the final touches on the nursery, bedroom, kitchen, living areas and outdoor space.

The beautiful home, built by SMLXL Projects, is now ready for a young mum and her newborn to move in and start their life with the support of the Burdekin Association. Over the course of 2-3 years, their innovative and industry-leading support practices will help guide this disadvantaged parent into greater independence and stability.

Remembering David

The “DC Hazlett Room” in the house is dedicated to Cameron Brae Founder David Hazlett, who passed away last year. The team attended the workerbee event in his honour. “It is a strong goal of the Hazlett family, management and staff of the Cameron Brae Group to continue and enhance David’s legacy in the work we do, and the communities we assist,” says Co-CEO Tim Gaven. “David’s children – Andrew, Sarah, Rebekah and Georgina – are dedicated to this aim and the ability for them to assist directly to create the “DC Hazlett Room” in the Balgowlah Haven House was fantastic. We strongly wish to enhance and improve the lives of young women which this property will directly achieve.”

Urbis Gives Back

The team from Urbis were excited to contribute to the workerbee. “I always believe that we are ‘blessed to be a blessing’, so to be able to give back something even in a small and simple way to make someone happy is important to me,” says Urbis volunteer Donna. “It’s so wonderful to see the all the work ‘done and dusted’ at the end of the day.”

Scope Projects works with their peers

“For our Scope team to be able to support a new mother as she prepares for motherhood and contribute in providing a comfortable, clean and modern home for her to get off on the right foot is a special opportunity. Scope Projects are so grateful to be involved,” says Christina Paterson, Sales & Operation Director. “We look forward to our team working together, along with our industry peers to create this new home. It takes a village to raise a child, so this is our contribution.”

Furniture Donations

Big thanks also to our supporters at Coco Republic, who supplied furniture and linen for the bedrooms plus lounge and dining furniture and decorations. Our new national partners AVID also donated furniture and other items for the nursery, including a change table and cot.

04 House Opening

On a cold but sunny Thursday morning, a bit of warmth was created on the northern beaches in Sydney with the official house opening of Haven House Balgowlah. A home that will make an immediate impact on the life of a young person in need.

Everyone involved gathered to celebrate the final result over a morning coffee and sandwiches kindly supplied by the Kick Start Cafe.

This house sat derelict and empty for five years and through the partnership between the Property Industry Foundation, our charity partner, The Burdekin Association and the property owners, Bridge Housing, as well as our building partner, SMLXL Projects, it has been transformed into a 2-bedroom home for a young mum and her baby.

This young mum will move in this week and will be supported by the Burdekin Association through their youth program for young people aged 17-24 who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, couch surfing, or presently living in an unsafe environment.

Lisa Mort got onboard with this amazing project from day one!

Giving a great perspective of the drive her and her and the SMLXL Projects team have to be part of the work that is helping vulnerable young mums.

Thank you to all our supporters, your combined help through services, volunteer work, coming together for events and donation and fundraising efforts have made it possible for this young mum to have a roof over her head tomorrow morning.