11 Sep Twin Sisters Build ‘Cocoon’ Homes to Support Young People Facing Homelessness
Carla Raynes and Jenna Wilson are two women who always knew they had a greater purpose in life.
Never satisfied with the 9-5 daily grind, they both dreamed about creating something bigger.
It’s a passion they say they’ve shared since they were children.
“As kids we were out climbing trees, floating down rivers in a dinghy and coming home long after dark. Mum and Dad encouraged us to explore and told us we could do or be anything we wanted,” Jenna said.
And what they always wanted was to make a real, tangible difference in this world. So, they created Bridge It, a charity that supports young women and gender diverse people impacted by homelessness and the out-of-home-care system.
With a background working in homelessness and mental health, the twins are passionate about supporting young people to get back on their feet.
The birth of the Cocoon
Bridge It is the home of the ‘Cocoon’ program, an initiative inspired by Jenna who experienced mental health challenges growing up.
“During a particularly bad episode of ill health when she was too unwell to leave the flat share she was living in, Jenna told me about her dream of ‘a Cocoon’ – a home where she could be cared for and where all the supports she needed to recover could surround her,” Carla said.
“When Bridge It secured a stunning, 19 apartment mansion in St Kilda in partnership with HousingFirst I said, ‘Jen, this should be your Cocoon’.”
The twins and Bridge It’s founding team brainstormed how they could best use this ‘Cocoon’ to support young people in Melbourne, and in 2021 they opened the Cocoon to its first seven residents.
A place to heal and grow
“I’ve worked in the homelessness sector in the UK and Australia for over 20 years and I have never seen anything like the Cocoon. It is a real home, and our residents are supported to dream big about their futures,” Carla said.
The program includes lived experience mentoring, skills development like budgeting and cooking, wellness activities like acupuncture and naturopathy and community experiences including trips to the zoo and birthday celebrations.
“It’s a place to call home for 18 months and provides our young people aged 16–21 with time and space to stabilise and recover from trauma. The Cocoon is a place of transformation, where we see our residents smash their life goals, start uni, get jobs and build healthy relationships,” Jenna said.
Family, balance and future dreams
The twins juggle the challenges of running a charity with demands of motherhood.
“There was a time on a long weekend when our team wasn’t working, and we were on the phone trying to work out which one of us would spend the evening looking after a resident’s pets because she was in hospital, and which one would look after the kids,” Jenna said.
“It’s not always easy but we can manage it because we have each other.”
Carla a Mum of two, and Jenna a single Mum to her daughter, raise each other’s kids as their own.
“When (Carla’s son) Ted was born, he came everywhere with us,” Jenna said. “He was in a bouncer on the desk while we worked. He went to his first fundraiser when he was six days old.”
Together, the twins and the Bridge It team have supported 30 young people who have emerged from the Cocoon with the skills and confidence to live independent, happy lives.
Bridge It has just secured its second property to transform into Cocoon #2. The team is working towards establishing five Cocoons in Victoria by 2030, with big dreams to eventually have Cocoons across the country to help end youth homelessness in Australia.
For more information about Bridge It, visit https://bridgeit.org.au/
