Melbourne City Mission (MCM) together with Property Industry Foundation and Victoria government’s $3.5 investment, is relocating one of its youth refuge services to Werribee.
Supporting young, homeless people in Melbourne’s inner west, MCM plans to open a high quality, purpose-built youth refuge “to break the cycle of youth homelessness,” according to Melbourne City Mission.
The redevelopment of MCM’s youth refuge will have two family units to accommodate infants and families.
With a 76 percent increase in youth homelessness in the City of Wyndham in the last five years, 384 out of 730 BEING people aged between 12-24 years old, the new refuge “will give young people a chance to grow into adult independence with a level of support they don’t currently have.”
MCM Chief executive officer Vicki Sutton says, “This refuge will give young people from the west the opportunity to remain connected with their community during this distressing time while being able to access MCM’s programs, including housing support and therapeutic and mental health programs.”
Over $465,000 in services have been donated pro-bono to the redevelopment by a team of consultants, including Turner & Townsend Thinc, Group GSA, Tract Consultants, PLP Building Surveyors, Morris Goding Access Consulting, Rider Levett Bucknall, Natiowide, Irwin, WSP and Hacer and Maddocks.
