Tiny Home with a big impact

Major Mal Davies (Victoria Divisional Commander) officially opens the Catalyst Tiny House Project at Rosebud Corps together with Simon Brooks (Dromana Association President), who started the project and built the home, and Greg Fitzgerald from the Rotary Club of Dromana. (Photo courtesy of Southern Peninsula News, Mornington Peninsula. Photographer: Yanni Dellaportas)

BY LERISSE SMITH

One Tiny Home. One life changed. One community coming together.

That’s the vision behind an exciting new initiative on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula: a single Tiny Home with the power to change a life for people aged over 55.

Driven by compassion, collaboration, and a shared commitment to tackling homelessness in a region facing a critical shortage of accommodation, the initiative was the brainchild of the Rotary Club of Dromana, which donated the Catalyst Tiny House Project to The Salvation Army Homelessness Services. 

The club wants to make a meaningful difference in the lives of mature-aged people struggling to find a roof over their heads, and the recent launch of the Tiny Home at Rosebud has caused much excitement.

Simon Brooks (left) and Greg Fitzgerald take a final look at the completed Tiny Home before the first tenant moves in. (Photo courtesy of Southern Peninsula News, Mornington Peninsula. Photographer: Yanni Dellaportas)

“It really is a fantastic example of The Salvation Army, the church, the homeless services and the chaplain coming all together to really support the person (the tenant) to move forward in their life,” says John Cullen, Homelessness Manager – Victoria East.

“With the homelessness model of care, and our mission and values, it’s about treating someone with respect. It’s very important to us that in no way should they (the tenant) feel like this is a charity situation, that they should be grateful.

“It really is about just coming alongside someone and journeying with them to help them move forward with what they need. So, it’s a very respectful, dignified approach, and obviously a very exciting one.”

Designed as a stepping stone rather than a permanent solution, the accommodation will be available for up to six months.

Throughout that time, Homelessness Services will work closely with the tenant to help them transition to long-term housing and get them on their feet – a step towards a permanent home.

The project began when the Rotary Club of Dromana approached The Salvation Army with a simple idea: to donate a Tiny Home to someone experiencing homelessness.

With the Rosebud Corps site having ample land, the church was identified as the ideal location.

• 

• 

The Tiny Home initiative was the brainchild of the Rotary Club of Dromana who donated the Catalyst Tiny House Project to The Salvation Army Homelessness services.

After the necessary approvals were secured, The Salvation Army accepted the generous gift of the Tiny Home – a community-led and delivered project. Dromana Association President Simon Brooks built the Tiny Home using Australian-made products wherever possible, with donated and subsidised time, labour and materials from local businesses and donations from local service clubs and the community.

The architect-designed home features a planned layout with a front sitting area, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.

“It is obviously very generous of Rotary to donate this home to us because we couldn’t have done it without them doing that,” says John.

Designed for safe, temporary living, the Tiny Home will provide accommodation for someone in the local community, with referrals managed through The Salvation Army Homelessness Services in Rosebud.

“They (the Salvos) see homeless clients all the time,” he adds. “People reach out to them urgently needing accommodation.”

Through these services, staff will assess people experiencing homelessness to determine who is the best fit for the home, while other community agencies will also be able to refer people to the Salvos if they feel they are suitable.

Careful assessment is central to the program.

John said the homelessness team would ensure each applicant was suited to living alongside the corps’ thrift shop and on corps land.

Simon Brooks (Dromana Association President) speaks at the official launch of the Tiny House project,  a community-led and delivered project.

“I think the unique thing with the Tiny Home is that it’s a very modern, really nice little home,” he says. “It is really someone’s home, and having it next to the corps means that the corps is there if the person wants to be part of the corps community as well.”

Beyond shelter, the location also creates opportunities for connection with the corps.

Positioned alongside the corps, the Tiny Home allows the tenant to engage with the faith community if they choose. The corps will respect the person’s privacy while leaving invitations in the letterbox for activities such as the Companion Club, church services, or other community programs. The decision to participate will always rest with the tenant. During their stay, the tenant will also pay subsidised rent.

Adding another layer of support, Peninsula & Gateways Homelessness chaplain Andrea Elkington will act as a connector among Homelessness Services, the corps and the tenant to ascertain how it is going.

The homelessness support team will also conduct regular check-ins with the tenant to ensure everything is running smoothly and to identify any additional support they may need to move forward in their life.

Practical support also extends beyond the Tiny Home itself.

The Rosebud Corps has purchased a washing machine and dryer for use in the corps building, providing the tenant with convenient access to essential laundry facilities.

Although only one Tiny Home is currently planned for the Rosebud Corps site, those behind the initiative hope it will be the first step towards something much bigger.

“The aim is for Rotary to use this as a pilot,” says John.

“And then hopefully get some local council land to put more homes. I’m hoping that through this initiative, there will be more Tiny Homes available in the local community, and while they may not necessarily be linked in with The Salvation Army, it certainly does mean that a rough sleeper, possibly someone who’s got nowhere to go, all of a sudden has a Tiny Home.”

Looking ahead, continuous improvement remains a key priority for the project.

The program will be reviewed every six months, with tenant feedback playing a vital role in refining the model and shaping its future direction.

“Tenant feedback will be crucial,” says John. “Every six months we’ll keep reviewing, see what we can improve, what can be tweaked, so that’s sort of the aim.”

Salvation Army Band members entertained guests at the official launch of the Tiny Home.

He also adds that one of the project’s greatest strengths is the growing partnership between the Homelessness Services and the corps, with this collaboration being key to the model’s success.

As that relationship continues to develop within The Salvation Army, opportunities remain for tenants to connect with the faith community, should they choose.

“It doesn’t mean that our services are conditional to the tenant,” he explains. “But we’re certainly a faith-based Christian organisation, and that is obviously a key component and a link to what we do, and that if someone (the tenant) is looking for a community, for fellowship – the corps is there to offer that.”

For more information on the Catalyst Tiny House Project, click here.