Marist180 Toongabbie House Takes Shape

There’s nothing like a good cause to inspire dedication and teamwork and with the roof on, electrical and plumbing works roughed in and external cladding in place, we’re counting down the weeks until handover to Marist180.

The house we’re building at Toongabbie, in partnership with the Property Industry Foundation, will be a secure haven for five homeless youths, where Marist180 will provide them with mentoring and support to become independent, able to study, work and eventually establish their own homes.

Many have experienced high levels of trauma within their families and for a variety of reasons have been unable to stay with guardians or foster parents. The Toongabbie house will help them to learn the life skills essential for independent living.

Mirvac is building the six-bedroom home pro bono as Principal Contractor and Project Manager, and with the generous contribution of dozens of other companies, a large portion of the $600,000 build is being donated free of charge.

With a firm goal of seeing the five youngsters with a roof over their heads in time for Christmas, work is powering ahead.

The project is being supported by some of the best in the business. We’ve had Top Knot Carpentry & Joinery, who have generously donated their labour to install the timber frame structure and CLT roof system and can claim credit for the joinery in Mirvac’s award-winning My Ideal House. External cladding has been carried out by CD Constructions, who’ve just finished building the incredible new Marrickville Library, alongside our first One Planet Living community, Marrick & Co.

Xlam, the only local manufacturer of Cross Laminated Timber, has been a big contributor on the Toongabbie house, XLam kindly donated the entire CLT Roof Structure free of charge with a value in excess of $50,000.

Thanks also to Bristile Roofing, Dallimont, FIP Electrical, Castle Plumbing and McPherson Plumbing, James Hardie, JPM crane hire, LL Frames & Truss, JM Costa air-conditioning and Trend Windows.

The latest census revealed a 13.7 per cent increase in homelessness since the previous survey with 116,000 having no place to call home. Of those, almost 11,000 were aged 12 to 18, and another 15,000 aged 19 to 24.

Research has shown that young people who experience homelessness are more likely to abandon education and employment and find themselves exposed to drugs and violence.

Our Toongabbie house for Marist180 will help to break the cycle of homelessness and despair for a handful of youngsters and that’s a cause worth working for.

Watch the video above to see how construction of the house is progressing.