Bridge It

All Levels of Government Came to The Cocoon! We are so proud of our Cocoon and want to shout from the rooftops about the impact it has on the lives of our young residents. We were very excited to get to show the Victorian Housing Minister Hon Harriet Shing MP, Josh Burns - Federal Member for Macnamara MP, Nina Taylor MP and City of Port Phillip councillor Louise Crawford around the newly refurbished Cocoon last week. Big thanks to Jan Berriman GAICD (HousingFirst Ltd CEO) for being there on the day. And to one of our new residents who led the visit with passion and courage. She said, "I never thought that I would get to talk to members of government." It was beautiful to elevate her voice and for her to share why having a beautiful, safe and supportive home is so important. #homelessness #youthhomelessness #endhomelessness #government #housingcrisis

A big thanks to all who attended our Lunch with Purpose event yesterday, in association with Franklin Templeton and 10x10 Philanthropy. Our audience heard from two fantastic Social Purpose Organisations, Bridge It and Free to Feed, both doing such important and empowering work within our community. A massive thank you to Vivian Sun, Thakshi Wijesundara and the team at Franklin Templeton for their generous financial contribution, which saw $10,000 donated across the two Social Purpose Organisations.

“We know systems play a part in creating disadvantage but I also think the biggest disadvantage is not investing in someone’s potential. “ A quote from our director Shayne Hood. #creatinghomes #endhomelessness #youthhomelessness #women #innovation 

Marie Claire Women of the Year Awards🌟 Last night I was up in Sydney celebrating the epic achievements of amazing women. I was grateful to be a finalist in the change maker of the year category. Thanks to Odette Barry for the nomination! My fellow change makers were Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts Mechelle Turvey and @anna coutts-trotter. I’m so inspired by their achievements across the areas of First Nations rights, domestic and family violence, criminal justice and women’s rights. I want to acknowledge the incredible Vanessa for winning on the night! Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is a proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul Woman, a dedicated Human Rights advocate, author, and writer. She is also the survivor of out-of-home-care. Vanessa is a powerful role model to the young women who have found a home at Bridge It’s Cocoon! Having the legend who is Grace Tame announce the winner and share a powerful speech before hand was an absolute highlight. Huge thanks to Marie Claire and @georgie McCourt for elevating women through these awards. To my Bridge It crew for holding the fort and providing the most incredible support to our young cocoon residents. And to Corey Raynes for being an epic dad to our babies which enables me to spend time in Sydney. #homelessness #leadership #womensempowerment #genderequality.

Was a great way to start the week spending time with Harriet Shing , Carla Raynes at the Bridge It ‘s Cocoon Program. Was fabulous talking to a resident and her experience living there. #partnerships #socialhousing #youngwomen #leavingcare

Was a great way to start the week spending time with Harriet Shing , Carla Raynes at the Bridge It ‘s Cocoon Program. Was fabulous talking to a resident and her experience living there. #partnerships #socialhousing #youngwomen #leavingcare

Thank you, Carla Raynes and Bridge It, for inviting Jan Berriman GAICD along to the visit by Victorian Housing Minister Hon Harriet Shing MP, Josh Burns MP, Nina Taylor MP and City of Port Phillip councillor Louise Crawford to view the now refurbished and fully allocated Cocoon, a Bridge It and HousingFirst partnership housing vulnerable young women.

The Cocoon is Full!    We are so excited to have all 16 of the Cocoon apartments allocated to amazing young people, with most of our residents already moved in! After experiencing childhoods that have been filled with challenges and trauma it is absolutely critical that our residents have access to safe homes to assist them to transition into adulthood. The Cocoon transforms the trajectory of young people and enables them to thrive in all life areas. #creatinghomes #endhomelessness #youthhomelessness #women #collaboration #innovation

Our key partner HousingFirst Ltd provided us with access to the beautiful building that houses the Cocoon. The building has 19 studio apartments, 16 are used for accommodation and three for communal spaces.    We know that for our young residents who have experienced very complex life circumstances, having self-contained accommodation is key to ensuring that they feel safe.    Through our recent renovation, so many people and businesses donated time and products to create these beautiful studio apartments.    “In the 20 years that I have worked in the homelessness sector, I have never seen so much attention to detail given to creating beautiful homes for people who need them most!” Carla Raynes, Founder Bridge It. #creatinghomes #endhomelessness #youthhomelessness #women #collaboration #innovation 

Happy Monday! If you work in community services, AOD, are a social worker, NGO employee, corrections employee, study criminology or sociology or have an interest in this area then you don’t want to miss this CPD webinar event! 6 women - all formerly incarcerated, all professionals in their chosen fields, all with varying and intersecting experiences, will share their personal and professional knowledge and experience with community and social service providers. Learn how you can build better services, meet the needs of your clients, close gaps and generate better outcomes. Proceeds from this event will enable Project:herSELF to deliver printed resources to women in Townsville Womens Prision for the external service provider expo November 19 & 21. Panelists: Devyn Hammond - Speaker, consultant and formerly incarcerated Nicole Chee - Criminology and Laws student and research intern; Bachelor of Applied Science with Honours and published academic Emily Cooper - QuIVAA Support and Advocacy Lead and co founder of Heart2Heart, Bachelor of Arts (sociology and psychology) & Cert 4 in Mental Health Peer Work Tina McPhee - Criminologist, PhD Candidate and Justice Reform Initiative Lived Experience Advocacy Coordinator Danielle Hogan - Coach & Youth Mentor ConFit Pathways, Advocate for Formerly incarcerated women Lesley Hill - Support worker at WulliWulli Indigenous Disability Services, criminology student and formerly incarcerated. Tahlia Isaac - Criminology Post Grad, Bachelor of Business, Founder, CEO of Project:herSELF, Advocate and Speaker REGISTER FOR TICKETS: https://lnkd.in/gZq3ij8W