A Coronation initiative to transform an underutilised property into transitional housing has helped inspire a new national alliance focused on unlocking vacant homes for people experiencing housing insecurity.
The National Alliance for Meanwhile Use brings together leaders from across the property industry, government and community sector to expand Meanwhile Use housing across Australia, temporarily activating vacant or underutilised properties as safe, short-term accommodation while they await their permanent use.
For Coronation, the Alliance represents the next step in a journey that began with Coronation House.
Starting with practical action
Coronation House was established after Coronation identified a vacant home within its portfolio that could be put to meaningful use.
Working in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Australia and the Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service, the property was refurbished, furnished and transformed into transitional accommodation for women and children who had experienced domestic and family violence.
From identifying the property to welcoming the first family took less than three months. The initiative has since delivered more than 1,500 nights of accommodation, with thousands more committed.
The project demonstrated that, with the right partners and support structures in place, Meanwhile Use could provide a practical and immediate response to housing insecurity.
As Coronation Managing Director Joe Nahas said, “With the right partners, safeguards and support in place, an underutilised property can become a place of safety, stability and dignity.”
Turning experience into shared learning
Recognising that the model had the potential to extend beyond one property, Coronation created its Concept to Community series to bring together leaders from across government, industry and the community sector around complex housing and social challenges.
The inaugural forum, Concept to Community: Lessons in Meanwhile Use, was held at NSW Parliament House and hosted alongside Habitat for Humanity Australia, Shelter NSW, the Aboriginal Women and Children’s Crisis Service and the Property Industry Foundation.
The session created a platform to share what had been learned through Coronation House, examine the barriers preventing more property owners from participating and consider how Meanwhile Use could be expanded.
That conversation became the catalyst for the National Alliance for Meanwhile Use.
Creating a pathway for others
The Alliance will now work to turn individual examples into a coordinated national approach. Its members have committed to sharing evidence and best practice, addressing systemic barriers, advocating for policy reform and creating clearer pathways for more properties to become safe and stable homes.
There is no single solution to Australia’s housing crisis. New social, affordable and market housing remains essential, but the properties that already exist can also play a role.
Through Coronation House, the Concept to Community series and now the National Alliance for Meanwhile Use, Coronation is helping move the model from an idea, to a proven initiative, and towards broader action across the sector.