The Property Industry Foundation and the property and construction industry got behind Youth Homelessness Matters Day on Wednesday 17 April. We’d like to thank everyone who participated in one of our events or donated an hour of their pay. Every bit counts in the fight against youth homelessness!
In NSW, we hosted an event with our charity partner, The Salvation Army at their Oasis Youth Service in Sydney. This event focused on the critical role crisis accommodation plays in supporting at risk youth.
Our industry partners Dexus and Charter Hall hosted morning teas for their staff, highlighting the realities for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and raising awareness of the scale of the issue.
The day was rounded out by our NSW Future Leaders hosting a Change Makers evening event at Charter Hall with a thought-provoking session titled ‘The Wrap on Youth Homelessness’, which featured powerful discussions about the challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness.
The event was hosted by Foundation National Board of Advisors member Natalie Devlin from Charter Hall, who brought together upcoming leaders from across the property and construction industry to hear from Kyle Westgarth of social enterprise Two Good Co. and Homeless Youth Advocate Brendan Brest, who has a lived experience of homelessness and is a member of Yfoundation’s Youth Homelessness Representative Council (YHRC). Thank you to our NSW Future Leaders Committee and to everyone involved. It was a fantastic night of insightful discussion and meaningful connections.
In QLD, the Property Industry Foundation marked this important national awareness day by holding a Friends of the Foundation Boardroom lunch at Allens Law Firm in Brisbane, where 26 Queensland industry leaders discussed how the property and construction industry can create opportunities to make an impact on youth homelessness. Guests viewed a short video presentation from the CEO of Yfoundations Trish Connolly. Jackson Hills the Manager, Policy and Strategic Engagement at Q Shelter and Lorraine Dupree the Executive Director for Queensland Youth Housing Coalition (QYHC) were also in attendance.
“The Boardroom Lunch is a great opportunity to hear from people who are working with homeless youth to understand their daily challenges,” says the Property Industry Foundation’s QLD Board of Advisors Chair, Salvatore Guardala, who attended the lunch. “It gets us thinking on what we can do to stop the cycle of homelessness.”
In VIC, NSW and QLD, Urbis hosted morning teas in their offices where they heard from our local charity partners and raised awareness about youth homelessness with their staff. Dr Eamonn McCarthy, CEO of Lighthouse Foundation talked to Urbis staff, providing engaging insights on the practical ways we can all contribute.
YHMD24 provided a platform for the property and construction sector to come together in solidarity for a crucial cause. Together, we have the power to end child and youth homelessness in Australia.
