Proposed Community Hub for Inner South of Adelaide

A proposed Community Hub for the Inner South of Adelaide will support an estimated 72,000+ visits per year and provide a space for over 20 community organisations to provide support and services for this fast-growing region. The project will provide up to 100 jobs during construction.

NEED AND OPPORTUNITY

There is a gap in the Inner South for people to conveniently access support, without requiring transportation to the Outer South or City. MarionLIFE Community Services is proposing a new community hub be built to meet this need. Currently MarionLIFE’s small centre is at capacity as it assists over 3,500 people through their Emergency Relief service, and a further 12,000 visits across other courses and programs offered onsite. Additionally, they currently lease space to four other likeminded community organisations: Australian Refugee Association – Settlement Support; Life Without Barriers – Drug and Alcohol Counselling; Uniting Communities – Financial Capability support and NILS loans; Uniting Care Wesley Bowden – Financial Counselling.

There is demand from services to co-locate in safe & welcoming community spaces. In recent years this demand is growing, with increasing requests from other community groups to co-locate with MarionLIFE at their small centre, highlighting the need for a Community Hub at their Inner Southern location.

Masterplan and Design Ethos

Concept drawings by Bulman Building Design

PROPOSAL

Community members accessing the hub would benefit from a multitude of holistic supports onsite, in a warm, welcoming and safe community space.

FUNDING REQUEST

The total proposed project has been independently costed at $11.5M, to acquire the land and to fund the planning, design and build phases. An independent and professional land valuation has been sourced. The planning, design and build costs were provided by ROBB Project Consulting.

A detailed budget and funding request has been provided to the State MP for Elder and Federal MP for Boothby. The project brief has also been provided to City of Marion. Staged and part-funding is sought from Local Council, State Government and Federal Government – a collaborative approach to support the positive community outcomes for Southern Adelaide residents. As part of the funding mix for the project to progress, non-government funding is also welcomed. The detailed budget and project proposal can be provided on request to groups interested in providing funding support for this project.

WHO IS MARIONLIFE

MarionLIFE Community Services Inc. is a not-for-profit community organisation that strives to provide meaningful, flexible and responsive care and support to individuals and families in need.

MarionLIFE has been serving Adelaide’s Inner South from their location on Marion Road in Mitchell Park since 1985, and is a registered charity Accredited at Certificate Level of the Australian Service Excellence Standards.

COMMUNITY-LED AND COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

MarionLIFE’s ethos is to work from a place of community strengths rather than community needs. They seek to uncover and utilise the strengths within the local community as a means for sustainable development. MarionLIFE sees it as vital for a funded Community Hub to be co-designed with local community members.

MarionLIFE works collaboratively with many services across the Southern Adelaide region – including housing/homelessness, domestic violence, mental health, council, children’s centres, schools, settlement support services, Centrelink, Financial Counsellors and others.

The following organisations have provided written in-principle support for this project: Foodbank SA, Australian Refugee Association, Uniting Communities, Junction Australia, UnitingCare Wesley Bowden, Lutheran Care, Life Without Barriers, Baptist Care SA, Relationships Australia and Community Centres SA. The collective expertise of these organisations provides a collaborative approach to effectively progress and operate a funded Community Hub, and a consortium would be formed to provide the project deliverables and the desired high quality community outcomes.

Media Contact: 8277 0304 or Click Here to send an email.

We’d love your feedback – let us know what you think via Click Here to email us.

We also invite you to contact the City of Marion, State MP for Elder Nadia Clancy and Federal MP for Boothby Louise Miller-Frost to express your thoughts about this Proposal.

Learn More:

People Impacts_Current Work_Potential Work_Proposed Timeline