Carla Raynes

Every night in Victoria, around 22,000 people experience homelessness. A confronting statistic Carla knows only too well after working in the homelessness sector for two decades. Her first-hand experience of people struggling to leave the homelessness system once they were a part of it, lead to Carla founding Bridge It in 2021. The trailblazing not-for-profit fills gaps in the homelessness system which is focused on short term intervention. At the Cocoon in St Kilda, Melbourne, Bridge It houses young female identifying people who are exiting out of home care. Over half of young people exiting out of home care will experience homelessness in the first four years. There was an urgent need for housing that provides a supportive transition for this group of young people. The Cocoon provides a safe home, a community and support to develop the life skills and confidence to transition to long term independent living. Carla’s dream is to see the Cocoon pilot model rolled out across Australia. The grant will enable her to measure and evaluate the model and share this evidence with Government and social housing providers.