Mara House opened in Hobart in 1985. Community Hostels originally ran it. Until 1997, Mara was an approved children's Home. In 2018, Mara accommodates young women aged 13 to 18. It is run by Colony 47.
Mara House was funded by the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program which also began in 1985.
Mara provided (and, in 2013, continues to provide) accommodation for six homeless young women under the age of 18. It also has an emergency bed.
A 2007 job description for a Transitional Accommodation Case Worker described the aims of Mara as helping to give young women the 'confidence and skills' to manage their own lives with a view to living independently or returning to their families.
In 2013, the young women at Mara attend school with the support of the workers at the shelter. They are given referrals to other services that can assist them. They can stay at Mara as long as they need.
Sources used to compile this entry: Department for Community Welfare, Department for Community Welfare, Hobart, 30 June 1987, 67 pp.
Prepared by: Caroline Evans
Created: 27 August 2012, Last modified: 23 October 2018