The Angela Wright Bennett Centre, established through the Ruah Centre for Women and Children Project, is Australia’s first state-of-the-art healing and recovery centre dedicated to supporting women and children affected by family and domestic violence. This project was a full turnkey development from demolition to completion. Propertysolve Project Management played a crucial role in assisting Ruah from the very beginning. Director Justin Millar provided the initial programming and direction to complement the federal government grant that initiated this vital project. Propertysolve then managed all aspects of the development through to the rectification of defects following completion and occupancy by Ruah and their clients.
This project is unique in many ways. It is the first of its kind in Australia, and Ruah had never undertaken a new development or a project of this significance before. The service to be provided was new and was being developed by Ruah throughout the project process. Additionally, it was a project driven by unique values, with the impact on users being of higher critical value than the commercial outcome. Key to our involvement was partnering with Ruah, understanding their requirements, their team, and their governance policies, and communicating and implementing the project strategies and unique ethos across the entire project team, from consultants to builders. This ensured all parties were aware of the end goal and the unique nature of the client, their clients, and the project itself.
This unique building comprises 13 self-contained accommodation units, dedicated individual and family counselling spaces, general practice medical facilities, dental care, group rooms, as well as conferencing and training facilities, and Ruah corporate support space. The building works hard to accommodate so many different uses within a single structure.
Throughout this project, PropertySolve managed all project aspects, from assisting with initial feasibilities, project procurement, initial meetings with authorities and obtaining approvals, to reporting, design, construction, cost management, final sign-offs, occupancy permits, and defect close-out.
The project was not without its challenges, hurdles, and complications. PropertySolve provided leadership, partnership, and direction to Ruah and the project team, guiding the project through to completion. The result is one that all parties involved are immensely proud of, but more importantly, it now allows Ruah to provide this crucial service in a purpose-built facility to our community.
Photos: Dion Robeson (@dionrobeson)