by Sahar Foladi
The power of community-driven philanthropy has delivered an incredible outcome – four homes to give a fresh start to vulnerable mothers and children sleeping rough.
Project Karinya, a “ground-breaking initiative” by housing provider Wayss, Greater Dandenong Council and philanthropist Margo Hartley, officially opened on Tuesday 4 March.
The homes were born out of an urgent need to provide safe and stable housing for women and children who have been forced to find shelter in their cars or on the street.
Ms Hartley initially requested Greater Dandenong mayor Jim Memeti for the council to grant a block of land for her to start building the units.
“I told him about mothers sleeping in tarps with children – there seems to be so much around.
“I waited 12 months for Council to come back with a block of land and I’m grateful to the council and mayor.
“We had the most enjoyable time doing it. We all got on with the Wayss people, council, builder, and it was just a delight to work together. A beautiful project to be involved in.”
A total of four mothers and 11 children are housed in the four brand-new, two-bedroom homes.
They stay until they get onto their feet, and then vacate for other families in need.
“I met one family yesterday – the little boy went inside the unit and he said, ‘come and see my bedroom!’,” Ms Hartley says.
“It just broke your heart, such a joy, with this boy so excited to have his own bedroom.
“It’s so heart-warming to just be able to give these people something secure.”
She says the mothers were “over the moon,” appreciative and couldn’t thank them enough.
The project took four years in the making, highlighting the unavailability of builders to take up the project, but it was all worth the wait.
“Covid was in between and the builder said he wouldn’t be able to start for 12 months,” Ms Hartley said.
She contacted Chris Parrish, a friend she knew since “a young boy in his mum’s arms” and who had just completed his qualifications by the time the project was ready to be built.
“It was his first project and he did an amazing job. People commented how beautifully finished they were.
“It’s lovely how good friends can step in and do this.”
Named ‘Karinya’ an Aboriginal word meaning peaceful, Ms Hartley has no doubt the houses will become a new beginning and place of hope.
Wayss will manage the tenancy, property management and wraparound support for the families.
Its chief executive Wayne Merritt says the team will be focused on securing a safe and appropriate accomodation for the families to move into next. But the timing is unclear.
“How long is a piece of string because one, it’s about the family and how well they can reset, refocus and be ready to move into the next stage of their life. It’s what can they afford, where can they afford it, what private rentals are available?
“We know that the private rental market is at an all-time low and costs are extremely high. A lot of the people that we work with are actually matched out of the rental market because of the cost.
“So it’s a really fine balance of how we find something appropriate that people can afford to thrive in as opposed to just keeping them in poverty and moving them through poverty, which is not what we’re about.”
