LISTED developer Villa World has rallied the support of 90 local businesses to help build a crisis care facility for homeless young people on the Gold Coast.
Known as Bill Hoyer House, the seven-bedroom facility at Labrador is being built for the Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth (GCPHY).
Its $550,000 construction cost has been significantly reduced thanks to donations of labour, materials and money from Villa World’s suppliers, contractors and consultants.
Villa World CEO and managing director Craig Treasure said construction of the facility would not have been possible without participation of its business partners.
“We weren’t shy in putting the call out to our suppliers and contractors and the response we’ve had shows they share our ethos when it comes to giving back to the community,” he said.
“We built Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth’s first crisis care facility in 2010 and when the opportunity to build another presented itself, we jumped on board and so did our subcontractors.”
Davis Brothers Plumbing is one of many local companies to contribute to Bill Hoyer House, giving close to $25,000.
“This was a great opportunity for us to make a real difference in the community,” said director Myles Davis.
“Our suppliers have donated about $15,000 in materials and we’ve provided just over 200 hours in free labour.
“Homelessness is a massive social issue facing our community so this is a cause we are proud to get behind.
“In many instances of youth homelessness it’s not the fault of the children, they’re victims of bad circumstances, so we appreciate what the GCPHY and Villa World are doing.”
The top five local companies who have donated supplies and labour are Dynamic Bradview Roofing, Bradnams Windows and Doors, Australian Time and Trusses, Acoustics RB and Scorpio Screens and Blinds.
GCPHY president Andrew Antonopoulos said almost a quarter of the 3,000 homeless people on the Gold Coast each night were young people.
“Kids as young as 12 years old are living on the streets in danger and this seriously needs to change,” he said.
“They are not only in physical danger but also in danger of developing mental health issues, bad habits and being involved with the wrong crowds – this has huge negative impact on their education and consequently their future.
“In the past 12 months, more than 150 young people have been turned away due to full capacity which just demonstrates the timeliness of the project’s upcoming completion.”
Established in 1986, Villa World is Queensland’s longest-established ASX-listed housing developer and one of Australia’s largest integrated housing providers.
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