Make Room provides supportive housing for up to 12 months for people experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness in the City of Melbourne, or until they can secure access to long-term secure housing.
It is a unique partnership between the City of Melbourne, Unison Housing, the Victorian Government and key philanthropic and corporate organisations.
The City of Melbourne contributed a Council-owned building at 602 Little Bourke Street, valued at $12 million.
Unison Housing has refurbished the property, converting it into supportive transitional housing for up to 50 people who are experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness.
The building offers 50 self-contained studio apartments, a purpose-built rooftop garden and onsite support spaces. Unison Housing manages the tenancies and work with cohealth and Ngwalla Willumbong to provide residents with on-site housing, health and other wrap-around support services.
This is the first step in a pathway focused housing model, designed to support, prepare and transition people into sustainable long-term housing.
In our city, we are facing a housing and homelessness crisis; a situation mirrored across Australia. Visible homelessness, people experiencing rough sleeping on the streets, is just the tip of the iceberg in our homelessness crisis. Many more women, children and families are part of the hidden problem – sleeping in their cars, on other people’s couches and in severely overcrowded or temporary accommodation.
Preventing and ending homelessness is a priority for the City of Melbourne. We want to provide an option for people to move into safe and secure housing with tailored support until they are offered or ready for long-term housing. That’s why we have developed a local way to create more housing in our city.
Make Room provides 50 studio apartments and a range of ancillary spaces. Residents will stay for up to 12 months, or until they can access secure long-term housing.
602 Little Bourke Street isn't a drop-in centre, but purpose-built supportive transitional housing, specially designed to provide residents with a safe place to live.
The onsite service support provides flexible and coordinated case management to ensure that every resident has a tailored, client-directed care plan that incorporates access to the health and support services they need. This provides them with the best opportunity to successfully transition into secure and stable long-term housing within 12 months.
Once the building is operational, a front desk concierge will be in place with an emphasis on safety, security and quiet enjoyment of residents, visitors and neighbours. There will also be a security service on site 24/7.
The six-storey Council-owned building at 602 Little Bourke Street was vacant and is ideally located in the central city area, where there are existing services and public transport. It allows those who have been experiencing rough sleeping in the city to continue to access established support and social networks and therefore have a better chance of remaining in supported housing and exiting homelessness.
The building has been refurbished and converted into safe, modern housing – self-contained studio apartments – for people to live. A social enterprise is located on site that supports employment and training opportunities.
The activation of the street frontage fosters community belonging and enhances safety and security.
Council has provided the building, worth $12 million, via a 20 year peppercorn Lease
Make Room involved converting 602 Little Bourke Street into secure supportive transitional housing. Make Room is an ambitious, innovative project – and we couldn’t do it alone. Many levels of government, corporate, business, community, charities, philanthropists and funding organisations have come together to deliver Make Room and tackle homelessness.
We have worked with the Victorian Government, Unison Housing and a range of partners, including the philanthropic and corporate sectors, to fund and deliver this project. In addition, ongoing individual case management will be provided to residents to help break the cycle of rough sleeping and homelessness and get their lives back on track. The Victorian Government has a service agreement with Unison Housing to fund these critical wraparound support services.
The cost of the redevelopment is approximately $24.9 million. As of November 2024, we secured $16.1 million in funding including from the Victorian Government ($9 million), and the philanthropic and corporate sectors and our community ($7.1 million).
Our key philanthropic and corporate partners include The Ian Potter Foundation, Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Gandel Foundation, Portland House Foundation Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, The William Buckland Foundation, the Hansen Little Foundation, Erdi Foundation and PWC.
In May 2022, we appointed community housing provider Unison Housing to undertake the refurbishment work. Unison Housing managed the building’s $24.9 million refurbishment.
Practical completion was achieved in November 2024, and bump in and set up of the furnished apartments, ground floor and basement has commenced. We anticipate that this will take approximately six weeks.
Make Room will then be ready for tenants to move in. This will commence from late January 2025 onwards. It will be a staged and gradual process – over a number of months - to ensure each Make Room tenant receives the tailored care and support they require to achieve their long-term housing goals.
Make Room will support people who are experiencing homelessness, and who are sleeping rough in the municipality of Melbourne.
cohealth’s and Ngwalla Willumbong’s specialist staff located onsite will provide tenancy management alongside specialist health, housing and related support.
Gradual tenanting of the site will commence in January 2025. This will be managed by Unison Housing and cohealth, and will be directly supported by Nigwala Willumbong and the Melbourne Homelessness Service Coordination Project.
Gradual tenanting (we’re anticipating that five residents would move in each week) is critical to ensuring the service model is well established, and that each resident receives tailored support to make the transition a smooth and positive experience for them.
Makes Room’s operating model is based on proven, transitional accommodation and supportive housing sites nationally and internationally.
The onsite service support model will provide flexible and coordinated case management to ensure that every resident has a tailored, client-directed care plan that incorporates access to the health and support services they need. This will provide them with the best opportunity to successfully transition into secure and stable long-term housing within 12 months.
If you have concerns about the welfare of someone who is experiencing homelessness, if a person is an immediate risk to themselves or others, or appears to be under the age of 18, contact the Police on 000.
Let us know of any welfare concerns, or if you see any accumulated items in public spaces, and we’ll get our Daily Support Team to assist (click on the Are you concerned? box at the bottom of this page).
If you have feedback or a complaint about Make Room once it is tenanted, contact Unison Housing.
Once the building is operational, a 24-hour, seven day a week security service will be in place with an emphasis on safety, security and quiet enjoyment of residents, visitors and neighbours.
We work closely with Victoria Police to ensure all City of Melbourne neighbourhoods are safe for everyone.
We recognise that neighbours and businesses near any new supportive housing may have questions and want to learn more about how we will support them to introduce this important initiative. The Make Room model incorporates the implementation of a neighbourhood plan that will provide an opportunity for nearby residents and businesses to learn more about Make Room, and to ask the Project Team questions. In partnership with Unison Housing, we will continue to work closely with neighbours and businesses to address any safety and security concerns.
Let us know of any welfare concerns, or if you see any accumulated items in public spaces, and we’ll get our Daily Support Team to assist.
If you have feedback or a complaint about Make Room once it is tenanted you can contact Unison Housing.
If a person who is experiencing homelessness is an immediate risk to themselves or others, or appears to be under the age of 18, please contact the Police on 000.
Let us know if you are concerned about the welfare of someone who is experiencing rough sleeping, or if you see any accumulated items in public spaces, and we’ll arrange for our Daily Support Team to assist.
Every Melburnian can help us make a difference. Visit our website to learn more.
We engaged community, local businesses, building owners and residents about Make Room in July and August 2021. We shared key details of the project with the public. People could also attend a community meeting or ask questions through Participate Melbourne.
Find out more about what we heard on the community consultation page.
We are currently implementing a neighbourhood plan that provides updated information to residents and business about Make Room.
For further information about Make Room please visit Unison Housing.
The Make Room project has been overseen by Homes Melbourne – a specialist team within the City of Melbourne that is dedicated to ending homelessness and increasing safe, secure, and affordable housing in our city.
Make Room complements our ongoing work on the streets of the city, with the support of the dedicated organisations and service providers that provide the daily critical care so many depend on.
Find out more about homelessness by visiting our website.
Every Melburnian deserves access to safe and affordable housing. Affordable housing is vital to protect the livability of our city. It supports the diversity of our community and the productivity of our economy.
We know that Melburnians want action to support people in our community who are experiencing rough sleeping. Many people sleeping rough have a strong sense of belonging and connection to the city, which is why we need to deliver services where they can be easily accessed.
The building at 602 Little Bourke Street represents the best opportunity to create secure, supportive housing for people who are experiencing homelessness. It was vacant and is ideally located in the central city area near existing services and public transport. As well as being the right thing to do for our most vulnerable people, providing nearby housing to people sleeping on our streets will improve the amenity of the area for visitors, workers and residents.
We recognise that neighbours and businesses near any new supportive housing may have questions. We are working with neighbours and businesses to address concerns and ensure this important initiative is a positive addition to the local neighbourhood.
We are implementing a neighbourhood plan to provide updated information to residents and business pre-occupancy of Make Room.
When residents move in from early 2025, Unison Housing will provide 24/7 security services onsite at Make Room, focusing on safety and engaging with residents in a strengths-based, client-centered approach.
Unison Housing and our partners will:
- Provide reception services for residents and visitors
- Implement rooming house rules, including visitor check-ins
- De-escalate any conflicts and tense situations
- Coordinate responses for any after-hours incident.
Security staff will collaborate with Victoria Police and other emergency services as needed and will receive trauma-informed training to support residents compassionately and sensitively.
We recognise that neighbours and businesses near any new supportive housing may have questions and want to know more about how we will support them to introduce this important initiative. We will continue to work closely with neighbours and businesses and will provide an opportunity for neighbours to visit the building and ask the Project Team questions about Make Room.
Tenanting of the site will commence in early 2025. This will be a gradual process over a number of months (five-to-eight resident per week) to ensure each resident receives the tailored support and care they need to achieve their long-term housing goals.
People will be supported at 602 Little Bourke Street for up to one year, or until long-term housing is sourced – helping to prevent a return to sleeping on the streets.
Make Room offers intensive case management to assist in transition into long-term social and community housing. By working closely with the Victorian Government, Unison Housing and other registered Housing Associations, Make Room will support pathways into:
- Social housing
- Community housing
- Supportive housing
- Head lease properties
- Other secure housing options created through the Victorian Government Big Build program.
Client referral will be assessed based on a person’s experience of homelessness in the City of Melbourne. and through a variety of entry points including the City of Melbourne and Homes Victoria, Melbourne Homelessness Service Coordination Project and partner organisations.
Client assessment will identify people most at need and most suitable for a vacancy. All clients referred to Make Room will be provided with a case manager to offer regular, face-to-face practical support.
Make Room’s tenancy management approach focuses on building relationships with residents, managing tenancy challenges and operating proactively to address them. The approach will be flexible, demonstrate patience, be trauma informed and focused on working alongside individuals to support sustained tenancy, build living skills and support transition to long-term housing.
We know that Melburnians want to support people in our community who are experiencing rough sleeping. Find out more ways you can help people experiencing homelessness.
If you are experiencing rough sleeping, homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless, there are a range of support services that you can access.
Go to our website to find out more.
