A new initiative bringing light to homelessness on the Gold Coast is set to take place next Thursday, June 8. We caught up with its founder Melina Münsterman to find out the story behind the Change-Up Project.
Melina says The Change-Up Project started as a gut feeling. She was working as a photographer and designer at the time, and had been dreaming of opening her own gallery – but she felt strongly it had to have a purpose.
“Around the same time, I learned that one of my best friends was homeless,” Melina says. “She had been for five weeks but she hadn’t wanted to tell me. I realised, ‘This is my purpose. This is what I want to change.’ No one should feel ashamed about being homeless.”
So, Melina got to work. Almost exactly two years later (an impressively short amount of time to start a not-for-profit from scratch), the Change-Up Project was officially launched. Now, Melina’s getting ready to hold her first event.
Next Thursday, June 8, the Change-Up Project will hold its first Makeover Day. It’s been a long time coming – not just counting the two years it took Melina to set up the organisation, but because the team has spent the last six months building relationships with people experiencing homelessness on the Gold Coast.
“It was actually a good thing that it took such a long time, because my vision has changed and grown,” says Melina. “I realised how important it is to build a relationship with our guests – the people experiencing homelessness who are part of our project. Without those relationships, that trust, this could never work.”
The idea behind the Change-Up Project seems pretty simple. Next Thursday, the eight guests participating in the project will have ‘before’ photos taken. Then, they’ll receive their makeovers. They’ll have their hair done and be styled in new clothes, while also having the opportunity to share their stories, goals and dreams. Then, their ‘after’ photos will be taken.
The before and after photos will eventually be sold at a fundraising auction. People will be able to read each story and donate money to whichever guests they choose to – the proceeds for each photo will go directly to the guest it features.
“The hope is that people who see these photos will build a relationship with our guests and their stories,” says Melina. “With the money raised, we’ll be helping them have a fresh start.”
In addition to the benefits to their guests, Melina hopes the Change-Up Project will help to change the narrative around homelessness.
“We have underestimated the situation for a long time. Two years ago, I felt like I was walking around blind – I want to open other people’s eyes, too.”
And Melina has plenty of help to do it. An effort this big couldn’t happen without a community behind it. Hairdressers, stylists and the circular clothing company Thread Together will all donate their time and resources on Makeover Day. Melina has also had members of the public reach out to offer support in any way they can. And, since the start, Set Free Care has been instrumental in helping Melina to find and build relationships with the eight guests.
“Some people didn’t want to change their situation, others did,” says Melina. “Making sure our guests are comfortable is the most important thing for us. They know they don’t have to go ahead with the project if they no longer want to. We’ve spent a lot of time getting to know them – and, helping them get to know one another.
“We’ve done a lot of team meetings with our guests over the past six months. We’ve gone to the movies, out to restaurants and spent a lot of time hearing one another’s stories. We’re a close little community now.”
This time has also helped Melina better understand the support the guests will need after the photos are taken and auctioned off. Beyond the money, guests will also receive 12 months of ongoing support from the Change-Up Project – both in the form of their newfound community, as well as vouchers for local restaurants, gyms, movie theatres. They’ll even get a backpack of new clothes, courtesy of Thread Together.
“We take so much for granted,” says Melina. “It takes so long to really get back up on your feet. Just because someone can move out of their car and into a house with four walls, they don’t have furniture, a job, a home.”
While this is the first year the Change-Up Project will take place, Melina plans to continue it annually – not just on the Gold Coast, but all over Australia. She hopes to change the lives of individuals, but also help the public better understand the realities of homelessness.
“We’re so quick to judge people these days,” says Melina. “People will say, ‘They’re homeless because of drugs’, but that’s just not true. Everyone has a story – people have lost their homes in the floods or been pushed out of their homes because the rental situation is getting so bad on the coast. I’m just trying to make sure no one feels ashamed of it.”