By Bonny Burrows
More of Cardinia’s young mothers at risk of homelessness will now have a place to call home, thanks to the generous donation of a furnished house to support service Windermere.
The donation of the home at an undisclosed address by former Windermere board chairman Carl Strachan and his wife, Denice, will provide a safe place for single mothers aged 18 to 25 years with a child younger than school age who are homeless or facing homelessness to get back on their feet.
The Mums and Bubs program has been operating since May 2011, offering medium term accommodation and targeted support for 48 of the area’s most vulnerable, however Windermere staff say demand has “far outstripped” the program’s capacity.
Windermere team leader of housing Sarah Truscott said the service had received two phone calls on 7 June asking about possible accommodation, which due to Windermere’s current housing circumstance, it wasn’t able to provide.
The new home, she said, would enable the service to increase its capacity to four mothers and their children at the one time, or eight annually.
The last house used by the service was only able to house two mothers and children at a time.
Windermere CEO Lynette Buoy said thanks to the Strachans’ donation, the service could continue to “improve lives and help people”.
“I feel like I could cry, it’s such a special occasion,” Ms Buoy said at the home’s official opening.
“It’s such a beautiful home provided by a beautiful man. What can you say to someone who has generosity like this?”
Mr Strachan said when he got a phone call about the new house’s availability shortly before Christmas, he knew he had to jump on it.
“We came out and had a look and it ticked all the boxes,” Mr Strachan said.
“And then at the auction, I said to my wife, let’s just buy it.”
While the Strachans are responsible for financing the home, Mr Strachan reiterated it was a team effort.
Community members and local businesses had also come together to donate their services, products and time to make the house a home, he said.
Mr Strachan said he hoped the Mums and Bubs program, which along with housing, offered financial management, employment and parenting support, would continue to expand to meet demand.
“We hope we can grow and make it even more of a success; perhaps get another house, which we are looking into,” he said.
For more information on the program, visit: https://www.windermere.org.au/services/mums-bubs
