6
Hansen Yuncken
The Lighthouse Foundation
Haven House South-East Melbourne is a refurbishment and extension of a home for the Young Women’s Freedom Project, run by The Lighthouse Foundation. This home is the first Australian safe refuge designed to meet the recovery needs of these young women and girls (including those under the age of 18).
Since October 2018, The Lighthouse Foundation has been providing a unique program in a care home specifically dedicated to supporting girls and young women who have left or are at risk of entering into an early/forced marriage and escaping modern day slavery. Referrals come from a range of sources including the Australian Federal Police and Red Cross. The Lighthouse Foundation provides 24/7 live-in care and wrap around therapeutic support to help young women overcome their traumatic life experiences, build relationships and heal in a safe and secure environment.
TEN Women, the Property Industry Foundation, the Lighthouse Foundation and Hansen Yuncken, are refurbishing and extending a home for the Young Women’s Freedom Project.
This home is the first Australian safe refuge designed to meet the recovery needs of young women (from 14 – 22 years) escaping an early and/or forced marriage.
Haven House South East Melbourne is currently home to 5 young women. Last year, there were 223 cases relating to human trafficking and slavery offences reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Of these, 92 were for forced marriage. Of those forced marriage reports, 51% were young women under the age of 18. Many of the young girls have experienced complex trauma from physical, sexual and psychological abuse are incredibly vulnerable.
Their feelings of loss, confusion and sadness are heart-breaking. In almost all cases, they have no safe home or community to go back to.
This project will maximise the available space by extending the back of the home with a new open-plan kitchen and living room.
The existing backyard will have two big changes, the old in-ground pool removed (for safety) and the bungalow will become a bedroom attached to the house.
The main house itself will be refreshed with paint and carpet, and the floorboards and staircase will be refurbished.
Construction on the inner and outer living spaces starts!
Early signs of what this reinvigorated space will become have begun to form as extended space, backyards, driveway, pool, and existing interior space get gutted for an exciting new Haven House Project. Soon 6 bedrooms will be filled to support homeless youth in Melbourne for years to come.
This is part of major works that will provide a new communal kitchen, a large living and dining area and new bathrooms for all residents.
“It’s certainly very satisfying to make a real difference to the lives of these young women who have already been through so much.”
Louise Hansen, Director, Hansen Yuncken
The windows are in at Haven House South East Melbourne, a Lighthouse Foundation home for their Young Women’s Freedom tailored care program.
“This project is vital in helping Lighthouse Foundation continue to support young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to overcome their traumatic life experiences, build relationships and heal in a safe environment. We want to thank TEN Women, Hansen Yuncken and all who have contributed for all their support on this project”
Priscilla Heathwood, State Manager Victoria, Property Industry Foundation
ISPT has made a generous $60,375 to Haven House South East Melbourne under the Furniture Fund – a sustainable furniture scheme.
At our Steps for Homeless Youth event in Melbourne on 10 May, Nicole Ward, Head of Portfolio Office at ISPT presented a cheque for $60,375 to the Foundation to go towards Haven House South East Melbourne. The donation was made possible through the Foundation’s Furniture Fund, a partnership with Egans Asset Management to provide a channel for re-using, re-selling and recycling office furniture. “We’re proud to be creating better futures with the Foundation by supporting a closed-loop economy and transforming waste from a problem into a shared-value partnership with our community,” said Nicole. “At our recent redevelopment at Pathway Place in Canberra, we were able to save over 4,400 items and 255,000kg of material from going into landfill, while raising $60,375 for the Property Industry Foundation, which was a fantastic result.”
ISPT’s donation helps fund the completion of the Foundation’s Haven House project in South East Melbourne, due to open in July, 2024. Haven House South-East Melbourne is a refurbishment and extension of a home for the Young Women’s Freedom Project, managed by the Lighthouse Foundation, supporting young women fleeing or at risk of forced marriage or modern slavery.
This modern extension will provide a new open-plan kitchen and lounge room, along with a refreshed backyard and living spaces. Residents at the house are fully supported by 24/7 live-in care and wrap around therapeutic support to help them overcome trauma, build relationships and heal in a safe and secure environment.
After visiting the newly renovated and extended home, which provides refuge to young women escaping forced or early marriage, it was clear a garden overhaul was needed. Inspired by the work of our Building Partner Hansen Yuncken and stunning interiors by Architectus, Olivia designed a landscape plan centered around a new planting palette to create multiple garden zones and experiences. “The concept aimed to provide moments of respite, social spaces and meandering pathways through layered native vegetation,” says Olivia. “The landscape plan included new garden beds, coastal grasses and paving stones with creeping ground covers.”
“The Urbis design team were inspired by this unique opportunity to create a garden as a space of respite and healing for young women in challenging circumstances. Installing the garden as a team allowed us to learn more about the meaningful work and impact of the Haven Project.”
As the project nears completion, we talked to Executive Director Louise Hansen about the organisation’s long tradition of giving back to communities through building initiatives and why they wanted to support a project that provides shelter and support to young women escaping forced or early marriage.
Hansen Yuncken originally became involved with this project through our sponsorship of a TEN Women Charity Lunch that saw over $600,000 raised in support of the Lighthouse Women’s Freedom Project; an amazing outcome.
Being able to contribute our skills and experience as builders enabled us to create fantastic new living spaces and as a result help young women get support while being accommodated in a safe and homely environment. We are thrilled to be at the end of the journey and would like to thank everyone who has been involved to create this incredible new home.
We began by selecting Lighthouse as a charity partner for the TEN Women fundraising lunch, because of the incredible work they do with young people, particularly young women. The TEN Women brought our industry networks together to create an incredible fundraising opportunity. The aim of the charity lunch was to raise funds to make a meaningful difference by leaving a built form legacy to the community.
As we reach the final stages of the project, what are you most proud of?
I’ve been very impressed by how the Hansen Yuncken team has embraced the renovation of the Young Women’s Freedom Project house. This is not our normal sort of construction but they have stepped up to the opportunity and wanted to support such a good initiative. We had numerous staff give up their time pro bono to support the project, as well as a team to help build beds for the house, over and above the management of the construction works.
We’ve also engaged with many subcontractors, who’ve offered pro bono or low bono services for the works and we’ve been impressed by their passion to produce a quality outcome. We’ve also established many new subcontractor relationships where we needed to look outside of our usual pool of subcontractors. It’s also been great to see other groups give back by getting involved in worker bees and other activities.
Market conditions have been tough and resourcing trade requirements has not been easy, particularly when working to a tight budget and trying to get many trades and supplies pro bono.
The house is a beautiful and warm living environment with a large communal space which will create a sense of calm for the occupants and foster opportunities for engagement and support. This is a testament to the work of Architectus, who designed the main renovation and Gray Puksand, who designed the interior spaces. We hope the residents enjoy cooking, eating and socialising in the lovely new spaces that this renovation has provided, as well as the carers in their new quarters. We hope that this new secure environment will enable the occupants to heal and get the support they need to live successful lives in the community.
Hansen Yuncken has been blown away by the incredible support of the trades and suppliers who have supported this work, many donating their time and goods free of charge and others all at discounted rates. This is particularly gratifying in the current circumstances of the industry.
Ideal Demolition – Demolition
V-Constructions – Concrete works
Earth Electrical – Electrical fixtures and fittings
Myde Air – Mechanical – Heating and cooling
Aywon Carpets – Carpet
Deca Constructions – Brick supply
Dulux – Paint supply and fence painting
Harvey Norman – Sanitary fixture and Appliance supply
Caroma – Sanitary Hardware
Daikin – Air conditioner supply
Lovelight – blinds
A&L Brickworks – Bricklayer
Bravo – Plastering
Trio Plumbing – Roof and hydraulic plumbing
Earth Electrical – Electrical
APP – Paining Services
Tile Effect – Stone benchtops and tiling
Designer Kitchens and Cabinets – Joinery
Major Timber & Access – Doors
SEM Windows – Windows and glazing
RW Constructions – Tile Supply
RP Building Group – Carpentry
Melbourne Glass Fencing – Pool fencing
Designer Bathroom Ware – Shower Screens
Access Hardware – Supply
Crown Property Services – Cleaning
On the 10th of July, the Property Industry Foundation gathered with key players to officially launch the extension and refurbishment of Haven House South East Melbourne – a safe haven for young women fleeing early and/or forced marriage.
We had the privilege of collaborating with TEN Women and Building Partner Hansen Yuncken to complete the renovation of a six-bedroom home. This beautiful space is now able to support the Young Women’s Freedom Project run by The Lighthouse Foundation. It’s specifically designed to meet the recovery needs of young women and girls aged 15-25 years, who are at risk of early/forced marriage and escaping modern-day slavery.
We are deeply moved to be a part of this transformative project, and we are filled with gratitude for everyone who contributed to its success. Together, we are creating a brighter and safer future for these young women.
Brisbane’s stationary cycle challenge! How hard can you pedal in 20 minutes to help homeless youth?
A caring night to come together and wrap vital goods for local charities.
A month of coming together at construction sites and offices to raise funds for homeless youth.
Get ready for a brain-busting battle of wits all while raising funds for homeless youth.
An industry lead lunch to address and discuss the issue of youth homelessness in Victoria.
Sydney’s premier cycling event in the industry. Going above and beyond to make a tangible impact for at-risk…
Celebrating three decades of building homes for homeless youth.
“We were able to save over 4,400 items and 255,000kg of material from going into landfill, while raising $60,375 for the Property Industry Foundation, which was a fantastic result.”
Nicole Ward, ISPT