The back garden at Carlow Place will be in colour all year round after a visit from Habitat for Humanity this month.

The not-for-profit housing provider recently took its Brush with Kindness program to Elizabeth, enlisting the help of volunteers from accounting firm Grant Thornton to transform Carlow’s exterior with art.

Downing office tools for paint, the team of ten created a series of bold murals and rejuvenated tired outdoor furniture to inspire hope and happiness in young people.

Carlow Place provides emergency and 24-hour supported accommodation for up to eight clients aged 15 to 18 years who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

‘’Now, when we go outside, we see colour, nature and pictures that bring joy,’’ Manager Tracy Ingram said.

‘’It’s not easy for the young people when they first come here, with new faces, a new environment and new independent living skills to learn, so the bright outlook, paint boards and colourful seating helps lift to their spirits.’’

Brush with Kindness supports families and individuals to remain safely in their homes by mobilising small teams of volunteers to undertake minor repairs, landscaping and other small projects that can be completed in a day.

Habitat for Humanity Executive Officer Louise Hay said community and corporate volunteers relished the opportunity to give back through the program.

‘’The fact they are able to give back during work time is significant because often places they would like to volunteer are not open on the weekend,’’ Louise said.

‘’For the employer, it’s an opportunity to meet their corporate responsibility in a meaningful way and make a big difference to a large group of people in just one day.

”We believe proper shelter is the basis for helping families and individuals build strength, stability and self-reliance.’’

Habitat for Humanity first engaged Centacare in early 2022 when it led a garden blitz at Coolock House, Morphett Vale. Projects at Louise Place, Fullarton, and Malvern Place, at Blair Athol, followed.

The sites are part of the Young Families Support Program which provides onsite and outreach supports, and crisis and transitional housing, across metropolitan Adelaide.

‘’I have been working for Habitat for 13 years, and the first house we built was for a young woman who came to us through Malvern Place,’’ Louise said.

‘’She had been through horrific domestic violence, so to see her in her own home was something I’ll never forget.’’

Habitat for Humanity Australia is part of Habitat for Humanity, an international not-for-profit that originated in Georgia, United States in 1976. It began as a grassroots effort driven by the vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

The housing organisation has since grown to become a leading global non-profit working in more than 70 countries. 

For more information about Habitat for Humanity’s work in South Australia, visit habitat.org.au