Julie's life was in disarray. Then she found a safe haven in Sydney

Julie found solace at Mosman House after experiencing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. (ABC News: Warwick Ford)

Five years ago, Julie's life was in what she describes as "disarray".

Her son had recently died, a serious injury had left her unable to work and her partner of 10 years had gone back to the UK.

"We were in the middle of a pandemic and I ended up with no income and I didn't know what I was going to do," she said.

A total of 57 women stayed at Mosman House during its tenure. (Supplied: Women's Community Shelters)

But then, Julie, whose last name has been withheld for privacy reasons, moved into a heritage-listed 18-bedroom house in Sydney's lower north shore with views of the harbour.

That centuries-old mansion, which quickly became Julie's safe haven, was Mosman House.

The property was left vacant after Mosman Private Hospital shut its doors in 2019, and subsequently it became a transitional home for women over 50 escaping homelessness and domestic violence.

"It just helped me so much to have that safe place to sit back and just try to work out what the hell had happened to me," Julie said.

Julie credits the transitional home for its support and helping her get back on her feet. (ABC News: Warwick Ford)

The owner of the land, Twilight Aged Care, had plans to redevelop the site, but it would be years before construction began due to lengthy planning processes.

That is when the company teamed up with local charity Women's Community Shelters and social housing provider Link Wentworth to turn it into transitional housing while it sat empty.

It opened in 2020 and a total of 57 women stayed in the house.

The land has since been returned to Twilight Aged Care for development as originally planned.

It was an example of 'meanwhile use', where vacant properties waiting to be sold or redeveloped are used to provide short-term housing.

Ms Mannion says the site was vacant for a few years, and therefore was viable as meanwhile use housing during that period. (Supplied: Twilight Aged Care)

Women's Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel recently pitched the model to a room of developers and industry stakeholders in Sydney.

The charity first tested the idea at a vacant site called Beecroft House in the city's north-west, which continues to house women over 55.

"That enabled us to prove the model, bring it to life, and then replicate it and scale it," Ms Daniel said.

It now runs four other meanwhile-use properties around Sydney, supplying residents with medical services, counselling and advocacy to find permanent housing.

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