The Property Industry Foundation is 30 years old this year. We have spent 3 decades raising funds to build homes for homeless youth and the bedrooms that we have built deliver over 100,000 safe sleeps each year for young people. But despite this, homelessness is growing faster for young people than any other group; young people under 25 make up 40% of all homelessness. What must we do differently in the next 30 years?
There are two moments that always stand out when you work at the Property Industry Foundation.
The first is opening a Haven House. After years of work, standing in front of a completed home for young people in need and knowing the part that we played in bringing it into being is deeply satisfying. I didn’t come into this role with a background in construction or development, but I’ve developed a deep respect for the industry. People in this industry take on complex, high-risk projects every day. It’s the key industry that can address the housing crisis, and it takes that responsibility seriously.
The second moment is when you hear from a young person who has experienced homelessness. People with lived experience shape everything that we do. Every time I hear a young person speak, I learn something new. They remind me of how harsh the world can be, but also how resilient young people are, and how much care exists within the youth homelessness sector. It’s not an easy sector to work in. It is underfunded and sometimes worn down by the frontline realities of life, but it is full of extraordinary people who show up every day. Getting to work with frontline service providers to increase and improve their accommodation is a privilege.
Homelessness is growing faster for young people than any other group. Between 2006 and 2021, the rate of homelessness (per 10,000) for 19–24-year-olds grew by 21%. There is no single cause. It is a compounding set of forces: domestic violence, disadvantage, health and the housing crisis. Then, structural inter-generational inequity applies a grinding force on our young people that exacerbates all the above. If we don’t change the trajectory for young people now, we are locking in the next generation of homelessness.
