The Salvation Army have been active in the Sutherland Shire for more than 50 years, after purchasing 23 Kiora Road, Miranda site in 1956. The 2,447sqm property is located at 23 Kiora Road and 2-6 Willock Avenue in Miranda, opposite the Miranda Police Station and close to Westfields Miranda.

The current site has ageing facilities that are no longer fit for purpose – and some were never meant for delivering community support, with staff and volunteers working out of an old house.

In addition, the rapidly rising cost of living has had major impacts on everyday people just trying to make ends meet – demand for the Salvos’s support has grown and is continuing to grow.

The redeveloped site will allow for a larger, specially designed holistic community centre that will better serve the Sutherland Shire community for generations to come. Community need for such services is growing and the current facilities are outdated and require upgrading.

The Salvation Army plays a vital role in supporting communities by addressing immediate needs, whilst also providing resources for long-term stability and success. The Salvos’ operations in Miranda and the broader Sutherland Shire provide a range of services, several faith and connection groups for people of all ages, and social support services including crisis assistance, financial counselling, transitional housing and rehabilitation services.

The Salvos have a strong presence in the Sutherland Shire serving the most vulnerable in the community.

Sutherland Shire services include:

• Hampers and hot meals
• Drop-in centre
• Transitional housing
• Crisis assistance
• Moneycare financial counselling
• Financial crisis and budgeting support.
• Reconnect – A service committed to helping young people (12-18 years old) and their families restore healthy relationships within the family and wider community.
• Community Co-op – Bring people together to provide charitable services to the community.
• Drive for Life Programme – Training and mentoring to help vulnerable youth attain their driver’s licence.
• You’re the Boss Programme – Financial education program for 16-25 year olds comprising 1:1 and group support

Counselling facilities supporting:

• Domestic violence
• Drug and alcohol case workers
• Crisis housing and emergency relief services
• Other critical social and support programmes
• Financial relief and counselling (Doorways and Moneycare), employment assistance (Employment Plus)
• Youth services including education, training and employment assistance.

It’s envisaged that the current Salvation Army site at Miranda be transformed into a vibrant mixed-use community and residential development that caters to the evolving needs of the local community.

At its heart, the proposal involves constructing a brand new, purpose-built holistic community centre that provides essential services to continue to support the vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals throughout the region.

The new holistic community centre will be a purpose-built facility allowing the Salvos to connect to a wider range of community groups and provide greater support for more people, with an aim to reduce the duration of crises experienced by those vulnerable individuals and families by providing them with the critical support they require in a timely manner.

While the development is in the formative stages, The Salvation Army and Formus are considering community rooms and facilities, and a social enterprise café providing opportunities for social connection and job skills. A mix of apartments, which will include key worker housing to assist with the growing need for housing diversity in the Sutherland Shire, is also under consideration.

This significant community benefit will be funded by the income generated by the residential apartments, with the scale of the project being directly correlated to the ability to deliver the facility.

The proposal is in the early planning stages and will involve community and stakeholder consultation to inform the overall design. No work is expected to commence before late-2025, and a number of approvals will be required before that can begin.

Existing services will continue until on-site construction works commence, which are not expected until late-2025.

The Salvation Army and Formus will work closely with all community groups and families to ensure clear communication around timing of construction and location of alternate services are provided.

After an exhaustive 12-month Expression of Interest process to find a partner that aligned with its principles, mission and vision for the site, The Salvation Army appointed Formus to partner with the organisation to deliver the new multi-purpose facility.

The directors of Formus, Ben Fairfax and Adam Lucas, are both local to Sutherland Shire and have a great track record in working with organisations like The Salvation Army to help guide critical change and enable their work to continue for future generations.

The Salvation Army and Formus are working in collaboration to optimise the development potential from the land to expand on the existing community facilities in the region whilst providing much needed diverse housing in line with the market demand. 

Formus has a track-record of helping partners create tailored property solutions ranging from large-scale master-planned communities to smaller integrated neighbourhoods.

All are community-centric developments that have reimagined underutilised land holdings to provide landowners with not only new facilities but often a new business model to help provide financial sustainability for the long term. Maintaining a positive impact in the community is one of their key principles.