Site visit: Make Room – a groundbreaking social housing initiative

Completed in November 2024, Make Room is a partnership between the City of Melbourne and Unison Housing, the Victoria Government and the philanthropic sector to address the critical needs of people experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness in the City of Melbourne. Make Room is the first known partnership project to use a council asset for social housing for vulnerable cohorts of people experiencing homelessness. 

Make Room, a pioneering social housing facility in Melbourne’s CBD, and earlier this year opened its doors.

This innovative project is the result of a unique partnership between the City of Melbourne, Unison Housing, the Victoria Government, and the philanthropic sector, aimed at addressing the critical needs of people experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness in the City.

Project Overview

Make Room represents the first known initiative to repurpose a council asset for social housing, specifically targeting vulnerable populations experiencing rough sleeping or chronic homelessness.

The $24.9m project was funded through a collaborative effort:

• The Victorian Government contributed $9m for construction and committed $5.2m over two years for on-site support and specialist tenancy management.
• The City of Melbourne raised over $16.1m with support from philanthropic and corporate sectors.

Figure 1: 602 Little Bourke Street, front entryway

Facility Features

Designed by iC2 architects, this building is an adaptive reuse of Council’s old archive centre. Located at 602 Little Bourke Street, Make Room offers:

• 50 fully-furnished studio apartments, each including a bedroom, kitchenette, and ensuite bathroom.
• Shared spaces, including a rooftop garden, to foster community interaction.
• Flexible areas in the basement and ground floor for health and wellbeing services.
• Dedicated floors for women who have experienced domestic violence and for LGBTQI community members.

Figure 2: Mixture of shared and private spaces 

Service model

Make Room adheres to Housing First principles, providing housing as a fundamental right and foundation for improving other aspects of life. Key service elements include:

• Transitional housing for up to 12 months or until residents secure alternative accommodation.
• On-site social and housing support staff offering tailored assistance.
• Unison partnered with cohealth and Aboriginal community-controlled organisation Ngwala Willumbong to provide wraparound health and social support services, including mental health, legal support, as well as allied health, including podiatry, physiotherapy, dietetics and dental. Every tenant will have an individualised health care plan.
• Community kitchens in the basement floor and rooftop.
• 24/7 on-site security managed by Unison Housing.

Figure 3: Allied health dental room to be managed by Cohealth

Figure 4: Common area in the basement floor

Figure 5: Community kitchen on the basement floor

Figure 6: Meeting rooms on the basement floor

Figure 7: Established rooftop garden to encourage interaction for tenants

Cultural considerations

Ngwala Willumbong specifically supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, with 10% of tenancies allocated to this group. Cultural safety guidelines, developed through extensive consultation, have informed the design and service delivery model.

Aboriginal cultures and arts have also inspired many elements of the building’s exterior and interior design.

Figure 8: Meeting rooms’ names inspired by Aboriginal culture

Timeline

The facility is set to welcome its first residents in early 2025, marking a significant step towards addressing rough sleeping in Melbourne’s CBD.

This innovative project represents a collaborative approach to tackling homelessness, providing not just shelter, but comprehensive support to help residents transition to long-term, sustainable housing solutions.