Innovation Case Study: Safe Haven
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
A Community Driven Housing Solution for Women and Children at Risk
This community-driven housing solution for women and children at risk explores the transformative potential of inclusive, community-led solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity. With over 80% community support this project will create a safe haven for women and children and older women at risk in Rosebud on the Peninsula.
2025 MAVlab Innovation Awards Finalist:
The Refuge Award for Innovation in Housing and Safe Spaces for Community, supported by Neighbourhood Houses Victoria.
Press [PLAY] on the video above to hear about this project as part of MAVlab Innovation Talks in September 2025: Building Homes, Strengthening Communities. This project is featured from 39m 20s alongside projects from other Victorian Councils.
Project statistics:
- Team: 8 Council staff from Mornington Peninsula Shire Council contributing a combination of expertise including social housing and social planner, community engagement, communications, digital, videography and social media.
- Milestones:
- July 2024: Project foundations commenced and then were developed over a 12-month period
- May 2025: Community consultation for one month
- July 2025: Formal Council adoption granted.
- Future timings: An expected 18 months for construction and establishment of tenancy arrangements, subject to funding. Housing Choices Australia was appointed as the housing association, with Good Shepherd providing specialist family violence services, with initial discussions underway with government and philanthropic funding partners.
Project goals:
- Providing safe, secure housing in Rosebud for women and children impacted by family violence, as well as women over the age of 55 at risk of homelessness.
- Engaging key local community leaders to help drive the project.
- Establishing clear, consistent messaging for all stakeholders.
- Building local community support, including engagement with local media such as radio presenters and newspaper editors.
- Providing a strong evidence base to raise awareness and support Council’s adoption of the project.
- Engaging people with lived experience, along with local outreach workers and housing experts, as trusted spokespeople.
- Initiating discussions with potential philanthropic organisations.
- Mitigating rumours and misinformation, which are common in community housing projects.
- Educating the community about the need to provide safe housing for vulnerable residents.
Challenge and context:
The Mornington Peninsula is facing a growing housing crisis. In 2023–24, more than 900 people experienced homelessness, with over 110 individuals sleeping rough each night in cars, tents, or on the foreshore. Women and children are disproportionately affected, largely due to family violence in the region. Many women are forced to choose between remaining in unsafe homes or facing homelessness. Older women are also increasingly impacted, often due to life circumstances that make housing unaffordable. This lack of safe, affordable housing highlights the urgent need for community-backed solutions and targeted support services.
This project responds directly to the rising number of local women and children sleeping in cars on the foreshore or living in unsafe environments. For women over the age of 55, community housing provides a vital opportunity to avoid ongoing housing insecurity and to age with dignity. Importantly, the project offers more than just a roof over one’s head. It creates a safe, supportive environment where women and children can rebuild their lives, access essential services, and establish a stable foundation for transitioning into permanent housing.
However, projects of this nature often face significant resistance and a lack of local community support, particularly when they are designed to assist vulnerable groups. NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) and stigma present major challenges. Even residents who broadly support community housing may oppose developments in close proximity to their own neighbourhoods. Common concerns include perceived impacts on property values, fears of increased crime or drug activity, traffic impacts, and additional pressure on local services. Misinformation about funding models and tenancy arrangements is widespread, and a vocal minority can stall or derail progress, shaping negative or skewed public narratives.
These challenges are further compounded by the broader housing and cost-of-living crisis. Many residents are experiencing financial stress themselves and may question why ratepayer funds are being used to support specific groups when they are struggling to meet their own needs.
Solution and innovation:
Gaining genuine community support required more than simply providing information; it depended on building trust, empathy, and meaningful co-design. To achieve this, we implemented a strategic, inclusive, and community-led engagement approach that focused on relationship-building rather than persuasion.
Our approach deliberately moved beyond conventional consultation, which often centres on binary approval or opposition. Instead, we reframed the process by asking three carefully designed questions that reflected a more nuanced and inclusive intent: what the proposal should include to ensure it fits well with the local area and community; how people felt about Council’s proposal to lease land for community housing; and how they felt about the project overall. This structure invited constructive input rather than forcing respondents into simplistic positions.
Clear, plain-language resources were developed to counter misinformation on Council’s Have Your Say platform. Engagement was supported through direct mail to nearby residents and on-site signage at the proposed locations. Accessibility was prioritised throughout the consultation design, with open-ended, non-technical questions that encouraged thoughtful feedback rather than yes-or-no responses.
Strategic partnerships played a critical role in building community trust, legitimacy, and shared ownership. We formed a coalition with local advocacy organisations, service providers, and community leaders who were already trusted voices in the community. These partners contributed local knowledge, credibility, and existing relationships, ensuring lived experience and the specific needs of women and children were meaningfully embedded in the process. This kept the project grounded in community priorities and demonstrated that it was developed with, not for, the community.
To build broader awareness and emotional connection, we produced a short, values-driven video that was shared across social media platforms. This helped humanise the issue and highlighted the urgent need for safe housing in the region.Overall, this approach demonstrates a clear shift away from conventional, and often flawed, consultation models toward co-designed and community-led practice. It offers a replicable model for local government to respond to complex housing challenges with empathy, transparency, and integrity.
Of the 162 submissions received [via community consultation], 90 per cent came from Rosebud locals, demonstrating that local acceptance is achievable when community housing is framed as a source of dignity and shared pride rather than a burden.
Impact and outcomes:
Community support for the project was exceptionally strong, with more than 80 per cent of respondents expressing support — a rare and powerful outcome for community housing initiatives. Of the 162 submissions received, 90 per cent came from Rosebud locals, demonstrating that local acceptance is achievable when community housing is framed as a source of dignity and shared pride rather than a burden.
Consultation responses provided clear guidance on community expectations and preferences. When asked what the proposal should include to ensure it fits well within the local area, 80 per cent of respondents expressed support and offered a blueprint of preferred amenities, development features, and tenant support measures. Support for Council’s proposal to lease land for community housing was even stronger, with 98 per cent endorsing the arrangement, describing it as a “sensible and great idea.” Overall support for the project stood at 84 per cent, with comments such as “imagine how this will turn the lives around for women and children in our community.”
Stakeholder buy-in was equally strong. Local service providers and community leaders not only supported the project but acted as active champions. Their visible advocacy helped shift public sentiment and added an important layer of trust and credibility to the project.The campaign generated strong engagement across multiple platforms, with approximately 6,000 views. The volume of positive reactions and thoughtful comments indicates strong emotional resonance. Community members did not simply see the messaging — they took time to understand, reflect, and respond meaningfully.
The outcomes have been significant. The project has progressed to formal Council adoption, with the engagement approach commended as a model of best practice for future housing initiatives. A housing provider has been selected, lease arrangements are being finalised at the time of submission, and early interest has been generated from potential philanthropic contributors, buoyed by the clear and demonstrated community mandate to proceed.
Scalability:
This project represents more than a local success. It demonstrates a scalable and replicable strategy for addressing complex housing needs in communities where public support can be difficult to achieve.
At its core was a deliberate approach to early, nuanced community engagement designed to build empathy and trust. Residents were invited to consider how the project could be delivered well and meaningfully within their neighbourhood, transforming the conversation from one of potential resistance to one of collaboration and shared ownership.
Equally critical to the project’s success were trusted local partnerships that grounded the initiative in lived experience and ensured responses were culturally appropriate and tailored to the specific needs of women and children at risk. These partnerships strengthened credibility, legitimacy, and community confidence in the project.
The strategies used can be readily transferred to other councils through peer learning networks and shared planning frameworks. The model has strong potential to scale both within and beyond municipal boundaries.
The project directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG 1 (No Poverty): Providing secure housing and support for women and children in crisis, directly addressing poverty and housing insecurity.
- SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Prioritising housing for women and children who are disproportionately affected by violence and economic insecurity, supporting dignity, safety, and stability.
- SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Designing inclusive engagement processes that amplify the voices of low-income women and single parents, while actively countering stigma and misinformation.
- SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Supporting inclusive, safe, and sustainable urban development by embedding community housing within neighbourhoods with strong local support, enhancing social cohesion and wellbeing.
- SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Demonstrating effective cross-sector collaboration between Council, community organisations, housing providers, and advocates.