Our Organisation

The History

Darin and Fiona Browne’s story…

Some years ago, we believed God gave us a vision of a home on the Sunshine Coast for pregnant teenagers and young mothers. This was to be a ‘safe house’ where the girls could not only have their babies in a safe and supportive environment but where they could become great mothers by learning valuable life skills during their stay at Lily House.

We bought a property for the purpose of establishing our dream and in God’s perfect timing two other couples, Howard and Leonie Bell, and David and Deearn Cherry, joined our vision and we opened ‘Lily House’. Over the years many have come and gone and given generously of their time, resources and finances to support Lily House. We are grateful to all those who, over the past decade, have contributed so much to the ongoing success of Lily House.

The Name
'Lily House'

One-night Deearn had a dream of a lily fighting its way through the mud and mire of a pond before emerging from the filth to become a beautiful flower. Lily House was launched – ‘a place of life and hope’ where a girl could fight her way through the muck and mire of her previous life to emerge as a beautiful and successful flower of motherhood.

Our Purpose?

Lily House would help create wonderful mothers, no matter what their past!

How Can We Help?

Domestic Violence

We offer supported accommodation and assistance for victims of domestic violence to help them break the cycle and rebuild their lives.

Rehabilitation

We provide accommodation, support, and reintegration for mums who have been rehabilitated from substance abuse and help them integrate back into society.

Reunification

We help mothers re-establish relationships with their estranged children, helping them to rebuild their families and possibly regain custody.

Pregnancy

We offer supported accommodation for expectant mothers of any age, helping them before and after birth in the process of establishing their family.

Lily House Today

Since those early days, Lily House has moved forward in strength and purpose and has gained recognition across South East Queensland. It is highly regarded among welfare agencies, local government bodies, businesses, and not-for-profit organisations. A new board was formed in 2018 and is seeing unprecedented growth and success, especially in the lives of the girls. Darin is an active board member of Lily House and Fiona continues to support Lily House with her wisdom and insight.

Darin and Fiona look ahead to the future, with great excitement and awe, but also with great thankfulness for what has gone before. It has not always been easy, nor has it been without its fair share of challenges, but we are thankful to the Lord that young girls who need help and guidance continue to find inspiration and direction as well as accommodation and training through Lily House!

Our Strategic Plan

In 2013, the Board of Directors of Lily House initiated a process to develop a new strategic plan for the organization. The planning process involved several steps including an environmental scan and an intense consultation process with Lily House Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and stakeholder agencies. Since that time Lily House Board and management have continued to build on the initial work outlined in the mission, vison, and strategic priorities of the organisation.

Our Objectives Include

To provide accommodation for women in crisis with priority given to young women who are homeless, pregnant women, and mothers in need of support.
To assist women as they reset their life goals, giving them a sense of hope and purpose.
To externally source counsellors to facilitate professional support during their time at Lily House.
To provide training and assistance to residents through suitably trained volunteers and staff; external trainers and one-on-one support to gain necessary life skills.
To assist women in becoming independent and capable of setting up a stable home for themselves and their children.
To support the re-unification process of children with their mothers.
To partner with other organisations to support the residents of Lily House.
To operate Lily House in a financially responsible and viable manner.

Our Governance

Lily House has a very strong governance model, headed by a Board underpinned by a core management team, well vetted and skilled volunteers, and a range of productive community partnerships. Lily House also provides for student placements, which adds considerable value both to the student, and to the staff and residence of Lily House.

Lily House was formalised as a Not for Profit Charity organisation in 2008 and operates in Queensland, under the Queensland Incorporated Associations Act 1981.

Sound organisational management is vital to Lily House due to the important and sensitive work it undertakes with its residents. Working closely with Government Departments requires stringent and sound processes to be in place to allow services to be available and utilized.