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Bridge It Creating Homes and Transforming Lives

Another part of Cocoon #2 made possible by people getting behind the project. 🏠💛A huge thank you to Elements Group, who...
09/10/2026

Another part of Cocoon #2 made possible by people getting behind the project. 🏠💛

A huge thank you to Elements Group, who have generously supported the project with mould removal works at no cost.

It might not be the glamorous part of a renovation, but removing existing mould properly is a really important step in turning this old building into a safe, healthy home for the young people who will soon live here.|

There are so many different trades, businesses and people contributing their skills to Cocoon #2. Elements Group are another brilliant example of what can happen when people simply ask, “How can we help?”

Thank you, Elements Group, for being part of it.



More unexpected excitements at Bridge It 👀Hamish Blake has just announced his brand new Stan Original, Unskilled Adult, ...
06/10/2026

More unexpected excitements at Bridge It 👀

Hamish Blake has just announced his brand new Stan Original, Unskilled Adult, launching 1 November.

And if you watch the trailer closely, you might spot a couple of familiar faces...

That is about all we can say for now 🤐

But what we can say is that there is SO much happening at Bridge It right now. We are getting closer to opening our second Cocoon, we're making our own documentary about what it takes to create homes for young people who need them most, and our team and project is going to be on the telly!

If you don't already follow Bridge It, now would be a very good time.

There is a LOT coming. ❤️

And go watch the Unskilled Adult trailer. It is brilliant.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd9-PaTzv13/?stkn=MWNqdXR2ZDk5NWVoYg%3D%3D

01/10/2026

This is how Bridge It started. 💛

In 2021, our Founder and CEO, Carla Raynes, was eight weeks pregnant with her son Ted, sitting in a cafe in Balaclava with her mentor and friend, Jane Tewson from Igniting Change.

Carla Raynes 🦋 had spent years working in the homelessness sector and was feeling completely disillusioned. She told Jane she felt like she was part of the problem, not part of the solution, and she couldn’t do it anymore.

Jane said to her, “Carla, if you want to have the impact that you dream of, you need to set up your own charity.”

And that became Bridge It.

Bridge It had $20,000 in the bank and a big idea to create a safe and beautiful home for young people impacted by the out-of-home-care system and homelessness.

One of our Board members at the time, Edward Ring, connected us with Housing First , who owned an incredible mansion in St Kilda. They trusted us to pilot what would become The Cocoon.

Over the past five years, an incredible community of people, businesses, foundations and partners have backed Bridge It. They’ve contributed funding, products, expertise and countless hours of their time to help turn an idea into something real.

Together, we’ve galvanised more than $10 million in cash, products and expertise.

And this year, we’re opening Cocoon 2.

It’s pretty incredible to think that Bridge It started with a conversation over a piece of toast in a cafe in Balaclava.

What has happened since has only been possible because so many people have believed in what we’re trying to achieve and chosen to be part of it.

And we’re only just getting started. 💛

If you want to be part of what comes next, we’d love to hear from you.

Creating a Legacy A gift to Bridge It in your Will can help create more homes for young women and gender diverse people ...
29/09/2026

Creating a Legacy

A gift to Bridge It in your Will can help create more homes for young women and gender diverse people and enable them to have support to thrive.

Over the next 20 years, we plan to provide homes to 1,000 young people. A gift in your Will could help us get there, and ensure Bridge It can continue providing homes to young people long after that.

Your legacy can help us keep listening to lived experience, backing what works and refusing to accept the unacceptable. Creating homes where young people can feel safe, belong and have the support and opportunities to dream big about their futures.

We’ve partnered with Gathered Here, a trusted Australian online Wills platform, to make writing or updating your Will simple and accessible.

You can create your Will online, and update it as life changes through the link below.

https://everywill.com.au/c/bridge-it

BIG Cocoon 2 news!We are so excited to welcome the Property Industry Foundation as a major partner in bringing Cocoon 2 ...
22/09/2026

BIG Cocoon 2 news!

We are so excited to welcome the Property Industry Foundation as a major partner in bringing Cocoon 2 to life.

Through its Haven Homes program, Property Industry Foundation is backing the project by funding significant items we haven't been able to secure pro bono! This funding will help us close the final gaps and transform a once-derelict building into 14 beautiful homes for young women and gender-diverse young people impacted by homelessness and out-of-home care.

And they are joining an incredible community of 30+ businesses already contributing their expertise, labour, products and services pro bono or low bono.

Over its 20-year lease, we estimate around 240 young people will call Cocoon 2 home.

Thank you Property Industry Foundation and the Haven Homes

Pictured: Jenna Wilson, Partnerships and Growth Manager, Bridge It and Priscilla Heathwood, State Manager - Victoria, Property Industry Foundation

WHEN VALUES AND MONEY COME TOGETHER 💛“I first met Thabojan Rasiah, owner of Rasiah Private, a year ago over coffee in th...
17/09/2026

WHEN VALUES AND MONEY COME TOGETHER 💛

“I first met Thabojan Rasiah, owner of Rasiah Private, a year ago over coffee in the city. We spoke deeply about values and the importance of thinking about not just what you do with your money, but the impact and legacy you want it to have. That thinking sits at the heart of how Rasiah Private works with its clients.”
Carla Raynes, Founder & CEO, Bridge It

Fast forward to a sunny winter’s day in Melbourne, and Rasiah Wealth Management hosted their inaugural private lunch at the beautiful Hotel Windsor, bringing together clients, colleagues and partner businesses for conversations of money, values, impact and legacy.

And then they put those values into action.

They chose to get behind Bridge It and Ujamaa Tanzania Foundation, raising critical funds to support our work and shining a light on the impact we’re working to create.

For Bridge It, that means helping us get closer to a very big dream: more Cocoons, and more young people with a safe place to call home.

There’s something pretty special about a business that doesn’t just talk about values and legacy, but creates opportunities for its community to live them.

A BIG thank you to Thabojan, Simone Murray, Kimberlee Olsen and the entire Rasiash Private team for believing in Bridge It, backing our mission and bringing your community along for the journey.

We are incredibly grateful to have you in our corner. 💛

THE COCOON. OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE.A year ago, creating a docu-series about the renovation of Cocoon #2 was just...
15/09/2026

THE COCOON. OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE.

A year ago, creating a docu-series about the renovation of Cocoon #2 was just an idea that bubbled up between Jenna and Carla.

In true Bridge It style, we decided to find a way to make it happen.
Bridge It backers got behind the idea. People offered their time, expertise and funding.

And ever since, we’ve been following what it really takes to turn a derelict apartment building into a safe and beautiful home for young people. A $2 million renovation made possible largely through the goodwill of businesses and our community.

But The Cocoon isn’t just a renovation show.

Behind the scenes at Bridge It there are tears, laughs, things going wrong, people saying yes, and a relentlessness that sometimes pushes our team to their limits.

We wanted to capture it because we want people to see what it actually takes to do what we do.

And because we believe something bigger.

We believe that if more people knew that young women experiencing homelessness have nowhere safe to go, more people would want to do something about it.

And we’re dreaming BIG.

We hope The Cocoon can help us unlock a third and fourth building. And move us closer to our big goal of providing 1,000 young people with a safe home over the next 20 years. 🦋

Today, we’re VERY excited to share the brand new The Cocoon website, including a look at our sizzle. 🎥

A huge thank you to everyone who has seen the potential in this project and backed it so far. Some of you are anonymous Bridge It backers, but you know who you are. 💛

To HERO for creating the brand and helping us tell this story.

To everyone who has bravely said YES to being followed around by cameras.

And, of course, to the extraordinary people and businesses making the Cocoon #2 renovation possible.

This little idea is becoming very real.

www.thecocoonseries.com

CHECK OUT OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER! 🦋There’s a LOT to share about all the happenings at Bridge It.✨ We’re welcoming Brea Do...
15/09/2026

CHECK OUT OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER! 🦋

There’s a LOT to share about all the happenings at Bridge It.

✨ We’re welcoming Brea Dorsett into a brand new role as our Lived Experience & Impact Lead, making sure lived experience sit at the heart of how Bridge It grows and measures what matters.

🚀 We’re sharing our new strategy, created alongside the brilliant team at CoLab and made possible thanks to our long-term partners MECCA M-POWER. We are working hard to have 4 Cocoons in Victoria by 2030.

🏠 Meanwhile, the renovation of Cocoon #2 is WELL underway. And, amongst all the dust, demolition and decisions, we’re filming the whole adventure for The Cocoon docu-series. 🎥

All of this is made possible by the belief of our supporters, team and Board that young people should have access to longer-term, supportive homes.

https://mailchi.mp/bridgeit.org.au/backerupdateseptember

09/09/2026

A year ago, this was just an idea.

For the past year, cameras have followed the journey of Cocoon #2. A $2M renovation of a derelict apartment block made possible largely through the extraordinary goodwill of businesses and our community.

The laughs, the tears, the setbacks, our big dreams. And the people who keep saying YES.

We hope The Cocoon does more than tell this story. We hope it helps us unlock Cocoon #3, #4 and beyond, getting us closer to providing 1,000 young people with a safe home over the next 20 years.

🎥 The Cocoon sizzle is LIVE.

TIVRA TO THE RESCUE! There are some very important questions we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about while creating Coc...
03/09/2026

TIVRA TO THE RESCUE!

There are some very important questions we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about while creating Cocoon #2…

Will there be enough hot water for 14 young people to have lovely long showers?
What exactly does it take to keep every room warm through a Melbourne winter?
Are the drainage pipes actually big enough to deal with everything heading their way? 😂

Enter .

It might not be the glamorous side of creating Cocoon #2, but it is absolutely critical.

Behind every hot shower, warm bedroom, working power point and happily flowing drain is a LOT of thinking, designing, checking and re-checking.

And we are VERY grateful there are people much more knowledgeable than us in this realm who understand how it all works.

The TIVRA team have generously brought their expertise to Cocoon #2, helping us make sure this old apartment building can become the safe, warm and beautiful home we know it can be.

A huge thank you to the whole TIVRA crew for getting behind Bridge It and helping us bring Cocoon #2 to life.

Another brilliant business using what they’re good at to help create homes for young people. 💛

We genuinely couldn’t do this without you.

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St Kilda
Melbourne, VIC
3182

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