Property Industry Foundation (PIF) - Kate Mills  CEO  

1 - The Property Industry Foundation has been tackling youth homelessness since 1996, with nearly three decades of experience partnering with established homelessness organisations. Why has PIF chosen to focus specifically on young people?  

The Property Industry Foundation was established around 30 years ago by a group of senior executives from the property industry who felt strongly that their sector had both the means and the responsibility to do something about youth homelessness. I think the catalyst was very personal and immediate. The owners and leaders of major city buildings would arrive at work each day and walk past young people sleeping rough right at their doorstep, and that daily reality simply demanded a response. 

Over the years, our approach has evolved considerably. In the early days, the focus was on fundraising events, such as the Sydney Charity Regatta, which brought the industry together to raise money for the cause, but a few years ago, we underwent a more deliberate shift in direction. We made the decision to concentrate on one clearly defined mission rather than spreading our efforts across many different initiatives, because I think focus is essential both for execution and for measuring real impact. 

The question our Chair put to the organisation was simple but powerful: what can we do that no one else can do? The answer was not just fundraising, it was development. The property industry's unique expertise lies in its ability to build, and so we chose to direct that expertise toward increasing the supply of accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness. 

With that clarity of purpose, we set ourselves a target of building 300 bedrooms across the eastern seaboard. I am really proud to say that target is on track to be reached later in 2026, at which point we will be setting ourselves a new and even more ambitious goal. 

2 - Property Industry Foundation has built a strong model engaging in the property sector to address youth homelessness. From a corporate social responsibility perspective, what role should the corporate sector play in responding to this crisis, and why is it important for them to get involved?  

 There is a growing understanding within the corporate sector that, firstly, organisations need a social licence to operate, and secondly, that people genuinely want to do the right thing. I always try to emphasise this, and I encourage my team to understand it too: there is no such thing as "corporate." There are people. People work within corporate environments, people make the decisions, and at the end of the day, those people want to contribute to something meaningful. We all benefit when they do. 

In terms of why the corporate sector should get involved in addressing youth homelessness specifically, I think it helps to understand our niche. The Property Industry Foundation approaches this through the lens of the property and construction industry, where the connection to homelessness is obvious. People who build and own the places where we all live and work have a direct and visible relationship with this issue. 

What I find important is that we have always stayed focused on youth homelessness specifically. Over the years, many people have encouraged us to broaden our scope to address homelessness more generally, but we have always resisted that. I believe that homelessness and youth homelessness, while related, are genuinely different challenges that require different expertise and different responses. The deeper your understanding of a specialised area, the better your results will be. That focus is, I think, precisely what makes our model work. 

3 -Hope Street Youth Housing is in its embryonic stage of development.  What is your message to the Board of this new entity as it navigates its path to providing affordable housing to vulnerable young people?  

My message is simple: be bold and be brave. 

I also think that if you are new to development, it is important to understand from the outset that this is a long game. Unlike many other areas of community services, housing development moves slowly and unpredictably. Planning approvals can stall, funding cycles do not always align with project timelines, and the goalposts can shift in ways that are entirely outside your control. There will be highs and lows along the way, and the ability to stay steady through both is what separates organisations that succeed from those that do not. Projects like these can take anywhere from five to ten years to come to fruition, which means that building a strong pipeline is essential. A pipeline allows you to keep moving forward on multiple fronts, so that when one project stalls, another is ready to progress, and when funding becomes available, you are already positioned to receive it. Learning how to plan ahead in that way, rather than reacting to each opportunity as it arises, is one of the most important skills a new housing developer can build. 

One thing I always emphasise is the need for patient capital. There is a tendency, understandably, for people to want quick results and immediate impact, but development does not work that way. It requires a long-term commitment and the willingness to stay the course even when progress feels slow. Understanding that from the beginning will make all the difference for a new entity like Hope Street Youth Housing as it finds its footing and builds toward its ambitions. 

4 - Hope Street is incredibly grateful for PIF’s contribution to the development of the Whittlesea First Response Youth Service. What would you say to a young person experiencing homelessness, or accessing a service like this for the first time?  

My message to any young person experiencing homelessness would be this: people do care. I think when you are sitting outside the system, it can feel very easy to believe that no one is paying attention or that the world has moved on without you. I hear that from young people sometimes, and I understand why they feel that way, but it is simply not true. 

People genuinely want the best for others, and when you walk through the doors of a service like this for the first time and you feel heard and you feel seen, I hope that becomes real for you. Every partner, every industry, every organisation that came together to make a project like Whittlesea First Response Youth Service happen because they want to be part of the solution. They chose to show up. That is not nothing. That is people deciding that your future matters, and putting their time, expertise and resources behind that belief. 

I would say to any young person that “You are not invisible. There are people in your corner, even when it does not feel that way”.