BUILDING HOPES: Many hands making light work of rehab centre

A WOMEN-ONLY residential rehabilitation facility at Mount Duneed has started construction, with a local charity hopeful the site will be up and running this year.

Foundation 61 is building its Geelong House of Hope after several years of planning, which will be the first centre of its kind in the Geelong area and would provide life-saving holistic support for local women battling drug and alcohol addiction.

Construction of the eight-bed women’s centre would finally allow the charity to extend its services across the Geelong community.

While the foundation presently has women’s programs such as therapy and social groups, director Rob Lytzki said the region desperately needed a female-focused rehabilitation centre.

“I think the fact that some of these women actually die on our waiting list, that speaks volumes to the need of providing this service,” Mr Lytzki said.

“It’s not provided in Geelong; a women-only facility.

“There are a couple of others further away who co-ed.

“Often that’s difficult for women to attend, on account of other trauma they might be experiencing.

“By being women-only, we’re able to focus on respect and safety, in a different way than other places might.”

Foundation 61 offers residential rehabilitation services which it says aims to empower people to regain control of their lives and contribute positively to mainstream society.

Mr Lytzki founded the charity in the mid-2000s after recovering from his own addiction struggles.

“I managed to get myself out of it for about 30 years, and I thought that I could help other people going through the same thing,” he said.

Foundation 61 already has a 15-bed men’s facility as Mount Duneed, residents of which are spending two days a week working alongside experienced tradespeople to build the new complex.

The men’s site evolved from a three-bedroom house Mr Lytski borrowed from friends in Geelong, to a six-bedroom house, to a former children’s help home that is its present home.

In addition to direct addiction support, the foundation also helps residents develop life skills and supports relationship building, which can help reunite families as part of treatment.

“Healing is a restoration of the whole person, whether that’s psychologically, socially, legally – whatever it is you’re carrying,” Mr Lytzki said.

The charity first received $1.5 million in federal government funding in 2016 for the women’s centre.

It has since worked with local organisations and donors to fill a shortfall of about $700,000, worked through planning obstacles and suffered COVID-related construction delays before beginning the project.

Geelong businesses have also donated construction materials and services to assist the House of Hope build, while the charity is reliant on ongoing local contributions for operation. Builders have poured foundations and laid first bricks for the women’s centre in recent weeks as it begins to take shape.

Mr Lytzki said the charity has set the “ambitious” target of finishing construction by Christmas.