Safe spaces are peer-led alternatives to hospital emergency departments for people experiencing suicidal crisis or distress. Currently, there is little research evidence assessing the impact of this innovative model of care. This evaluation aimed to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of the Campbelltown and Liverpool Safe Havens as genuine alternatives to the emergency department for people experiencing suicidal crisis or distress, including people who may choose not to visit the emergency department due to past negative experiences. The evaluation forms one arm of the Co-Creating Safe Spaces project, which has been designed to embed co-creation into all aspects of research from conception through to dissemination. Meaningful evaluation outcomes and safe and acceptable data collection methods were co-developed with the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) Towards Zero Suicides Initiatives team, the Co-Creating Safe Spaces team, and other key stakeholders in the broader project. These processes included lived experience researchers, Suicide Prevention Peer Support Workers, and community members with lived experience of suicide. Evaluation tools were designed to have minimum impact on staffs’ day-to-day activities and guests’ experience at the Safe Haven and combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection. The final evaluation included an innovative evaluation wheel survey assessing guest experiences (n = 37); brief mixed-methods online surveys for Safe Haven (n = 5) and SWSLHD mental health service (n = 16) staff members; staff focus groups (currently recruiting) and a national community survey (n = 281). Data collection is ongoing and mixed-methods data analysis is expected to be complete in January 2024. Preliminary findings indicate that guests feel welcome, connected, heard, comfortable and safe when visiting Safe Haven. The co-design of staff focus group questions highlighted the importance of having a safe, supportive and personally rewarding workplace; one’s ability to make a difference; and the reciprocal and altruistic benefits of sharing stories. This presentation will provide an overview of final evaluation findings, and reflect on the collective courage needed to implement innovative co-created evaluation practices in a suicide crisis service.