Frontyard's official ribbon cutting ceremony to take place this week

After 18 months of construction, Frontyard’s new four-storey service and crisis accommodation centre is now in operation welcoming young people through its doors.

The consultants, contractors and suppliers who have been working tirelessly to bring Frontyard to life couldn’t be happier with the result.

Zhodi Tesfa, Interior Designer at Fender Katsalidis, shared the rationale behind the design of Frontyard, which was a collaborative effort between herself, Associate Director Jessica Lee and Associate Director, Wuff Keeble.

"The key design intention for the redesign was to create an environment in which both the young people and staff felt calm, relaxed and comfortable. We created this feeling through a highly considered palette, maximising the use of natural light from the existing windows and using soft colours.

"The naturally-inspired finishes selected was a combination of soft timber textures, neutral hues, layered with forest greens and highlights of colour through the furniture and fixtures. We felt it was essential to introduce plants into the living areas as well to create a space which made people feel safe and at ease."

"What makes the Frontyard design unique is its adaptation of the new King Street space and the extent of bespoke joinery within the centre. This level of customisation ensured that the design appropriately responded to the programmatic needs of the young people and staff, as well as the spatial limitations of the existing site. In particular, the reception space features a circular modular seating unit, designed to provide moments of privacy for the young people while maintaining lines of visual connection."

Frontyard has been made possible through a collaboration of government, philanthropy and industry partners, as well as the generosity of the many external consultants, contractors and suppliers.

Ajit Ambalavaner, Director and David Vo, Service Delivery Manager of Honeylight Consulting, are strong supporters of using the firm’s engineering expertise to help create real meaning for organisations.

Honeylight Consulting is an engineering-focused organisation which prides itself on being able to provide business outcomes through technology. Their highly skilled engineering team have been helping businesses with their IT strategy, deployments and management since 2010.

Having worked closely with several not-for-profit organisations and schools, Honeylight Consulting saw a natural affiliation to support the Frontyard redevelopment.

Understanding organisations like MCM need support with the critical work they do to deliver services to young people experiencing homelessness, Honeylight felt privileged to be able to offer their knowledge and skills of the ICT sectors’ needs and requirements.

“We both feel MCM’s work in the community is vital. Walking through the streets of Melbourne, it is visibly noticeable that there are more homeless people than ever and these people need a chance in life to make ends meet and be removed from the cycle of homelessness. I have seen it first hand, as I have been involved with the local community, being the vice-president of the North-West dioceses for the Western Young Vinnies (St Vincent de Pauls).

Honeylight recognises not everyone gets a good start in life and that homelessness is a reality faced by many young people. We recognise that although the majority of Australian’s are supported, there is a cross-section of our society that needs further assistance and dedicated support. This cross-section shouldn’t be forgotten, and this is where MCM comes in and provides the support that is required to shape the future of the young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness."

Honeylight Consulting hopes to continue their work with MCM and encourage others to get involved, to help provide young people with a brighter future.

Frontyard is the result of a community partnership, and we want to thank our philanthropic partners for supporting the build of a fully integrated 24/7 youth crisis accommodation centre.

Thank you

Special thanks go to The Peter and Lyndy White Foundation, Gandel Philanthropy, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, PwC, Joe White Bequest, Dorothy Kingston, The Andrew and Geraldine Buxton Foundation.

Fourteen companies from the property and building sector have committed a huge amount of hours to Frontyard, with the support of the Property Industry Foundation (PIF): Fender Katsalidis/Architect, Norman Disney & Young/Services Engineer, Wood & Grieve Engineers/Services and Structural Engineer, Case Meallin/Project Manager, Slattery/Quantity Surveyor, Ashurst/Legal Consultant, Urbis/Town Planner, Hendry Group/Building Surveyor, Irwinconsult/Waste Consultant, Equitable Access Solutions/Access Consultant, Built/Head Contractor, Apec/Electrical Contractor, AMP/Donated Workstations & Furniture and AGL Energy/Donated Ceiling Tiles.