Melbourne's Frontyard youth refuge officially opens in the CBD
A Melbourne youth refuge for the city’s at-risk young people will be formally opened today, following a $9 million redevelopment.
Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Refuge at 19 King Street has been operating at full capacity since the soft opening of its new accommodation services on May 6.
The 18-room facility represents an Australian first, combining crisis accommodation and support services 24 hours a day for people under the age of 25 who have nowhere else to go.
Melbourne City Mission worked with the Victorian Government and charities including The Peter and Lyndy White Foundation and the Property Industry Foundation to transform the existing Mission building in about 12 months.
More than $1.5 million in services have been donated to the redevelopment – which saw the addition of two floors and changes to around 90 per cent of the building’s interior – by a consortium of consultants including architects Fender Katsalidis, construction firm Built and urban planning consultancy Urbis.
The property has been furnished with donated equipment from suppliers including Harvey Norman.
“We’re proud that our industry has come together to partner with Melbourne City Mission and successfully design and deliver the redeveloped Frontyard facility, which will service the most severely marginalised and disadvantaged youth in our city,” said the chairman of the Property Industry Foundation Victoria, Peter Inge.
“Our committed team of pro-bono consultants from some of the largest players in the industry, have worked tirelessly to deliver this project on time and on budget,” he said.
The refuge forms part of a pioneering model from Frontyard, which is Victoria’s largest youth homelessness service provider.
Residents are referred to Frontyard by other community services. The program is targeted at young people between the ages of 16 to 25, although young mothers with children are also welcome, and is intended to provide short-to-medium term accommodation.
The building features kitchens for residents to prepare meals, sensory rooms for quiet contemplation and offices and consulting rooms for health, mental health and legal services.
Residents participate in a ‘living skills program’, which teaches essential skills such as cooking and budgeting.
“Only a fully-integrated service will effectively meet the needs of our most marginalised young people with complex needs who are currently falling through the cracks of siloed service systems,” explained Vicki Sutton, chief executive of Melbourne City Mission.
“Without appropriate interventions, young people can become further entrenched in long-term homelessness and disadvantage.”
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