Developers and apartment buyers have a narrowing window of opportunity before Brisbane's Olympic infrastructure pipeline begins competing directly with residential construction, pushing up costs, tightening labour supply and making new projects increasingly difficult to deliver.

While Brisbane's apartment market continues to benefit from strong population growth and limited housing supply, industry research suggests the years leading up to 2027 could prove to be the most important period for developers looking to secure builders and buyers hoping to purchase before the next wave of price increases.

A new Colliers report, Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Creating Solutions, highlights the scale of the challenge. While thousands of new homes are planned across South East Queensland, the Brisbane Olympic Athletes Village alone will deliver more than 10,500 beds during the Games before being converted into around 1,750 to 2,000 apartments. Equivalent to almost two years of typical inner-city apartment supply, the project will also absorb a significant share of the construction workforce and building materials.

The broader construction pipeline paints an even clearer picture.

Construction Skills Queensland's Horizon 2032 report forecasts Queensland's annual construction pipeline will average $69 billion over the coming years before peaking at $75 billion in 2027-28. Demand for construction workers is expected to increase by 17 per cent to almost 150,000 people, with the industry facing an annual shortfall of around 19,000 workers that could blow out to as many as 35,000 during the peak construction period.

The Olympic venues, athletes village and supporting infrastructure will account for billions of dollars worth of work across South East Queensland through to 2032, creating intense competition for labour at a time when Australia's residential construction sector is already under pressure.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=373834]

Colliers Queensland Residential Director Andrew Scriven said the convergence of these projects is creating a clear window of opportunity for both developers and buyers.

"From 2027 onwards, the market will shift dramatically," Scriven said.

"Labour will increasingly be locked into government-led infrastructure and Olympic projects, which means private residential developments will face higher costs and tighter margins. The developers who move now are the ones most likely to get projects off the ground."

Scriven said the same dynamic would also affect buyers, with fewer apartment projects expected to launch once construction capacity tightens.

"If you're looking to change your lifestyle over the next five years, now is your window of opportunity to buy."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150713 project_image_fid=373827]

Developers are already positioning themselves ahead of that window.

Following the success of Monarch at Toowong, Consolidated Properties is preparing to launch two new Brisbane apartment projects in the second half of 2026. They include <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/gloriette-30-bedivere-street-yeerongpilly-qld-4105">Gloriette</a> at Yeerongpilly Green, a 25-storey tower within one of Brisbane's key Olympic precincts, and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/castile-47-skyring-terrace-newstead-qld-4006">Castile</a>, a recently approved 25-storey riverfront development at 47 Skyring Terrace in Newstead.

Hutchinson Builders will deliver both projects, with early works already underway at Yeerongpilly and Newstead expected to commence later this year.

The timing comes as Brisbane's fundamentals continue to strengthen, with strong interstate migration, population growth and vacancy rates remaining below 1.5 per cent.

Colliers Queensland researcher Pragya Sharma said Greater Brisbane is forecast to require around 40,000 new apartments between 2021 and 2031.

"There's a real mismatch emerging between when housing is needed and when it will be feasible to build," Sharma said.

"As a result, the period leading up to 2027 presents a key window of opportunity for developers to secure approvals, funding and construction capacity, while buyers will have greater choice before supply constraints intensify."

Colliers research outlines a critical pre-2027 window to start residential projects before labour squeeze: now is the time to buy

Joel Robinson

Developers, buyers on watch in South East Queensland ahead of construction crunch: Colliers

It's taken less than nine months for developer Sherpa Property Group to sell out all 51 apartments in its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-oasis-palm-beach-7-9-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Oasis</a> development in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/palm-beach-qld-4221">Palm Beach</a>, over a year before its anticipated completion.

&nbsp;

Located at 7-9 Sixth Avenue, the $67 million development has resonated strongly with both local owner-occupiers and downsizers seeking high-quality apartments within walking distance of the beach, dining precincts and everyday amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151449 project_image_fid=357458]

Christie Leet, Founder of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Group</a>, said the sell-out reflected both the strength of the Palm Beach market and the success of Sherpa's community-first approach to development.

"The sell-out of Oasis is a fantastic outcome and reinforces the strong demand we're seeing for thoughtfully designed apartments in lifestyle locations," Leet said.

"From the outset, our vision was to create a development that genuinely enhanced the Palm Beach community while providing residents with exceptional homes and wellness-focused amenities.

"We've been incredibly encouraged by the level of local support throughout the campaign, 72.5 per cent of buyers are locals, with a significant proportion of purchasers choosing Oasis as their future home rather than an investment."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151449 project_image_fid=357463]

Construction is now progressing following development approval, with trusted builder LPS Group delivering the project and completion anticipated in Q3 2027.

Oasis forms part of Sherpa Group's successful Flourish collection, which has become recognised for its focus on wellness, community and elevated coastal living.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151449 project_image_fid=357469]

Residents will have private access to a rooftop amenity space featuring a pool, gym, sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, spa and barbecue facilities.

"The success of Oasis demonstrates that buyers continue to prioritise quality, location and lifestyle," Leet said.

"We are proud to have delivered a project that has resonated so strongly with the market and look forward to bringing Oasis to life for our future residents."

Sherpa recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-palm-beach-1150-1160-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a>, its third instalment of the Flourish brand in Palm Beach following Flourish Oasis and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/amargo-6-12-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Amargo</a>.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151449]

Sherpa sells out Flourish Oasis in booming Palm Beach

Urban Property Group's <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/la-vera-macquarie-park-94-talavera-road-macquarie-park-nsw-2113">La Vera</a> is leading the next phase of Macquarie Park's residential evolution, with the new apartment development set to become the first of several new apartment projects in the precinct to complete.

The 169-apartment building has now topped out ahead of its scheduled completion in the third quarter of 2026, as new residential investment continues to reshape one of Sydney's largest employment hubs into a true mixed-use precinct.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=368645]

Cox Architecture has designed La Vera to capture the best of its unique positioning on Talavera Road, orienting the building towards Lane Cove National Park.&nbsp;The building features a sculpted northern façade with flowing curves inspired by the surrounding landscape, while its city-facing elevation adopts a more structured architectural expression to maximise skyline views.

"The vision for the project was to conceive a building that adopted an organic and curvilinear form to the northern portion that faces the Lane Cove National Park," <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a> Director Felipe Miranda said.

"The residents that reside in the northern portion of the building benefit by having beautifully crafted curved balconies that speak to the natural context and heighten the relationship of their internal living spaces to the external balconies."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=358802]

La Vera offers a diverse mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom configurations, with prices currently starting from $740,000. Buyers so far have been a mix of Sydney-based investors,&nbsp;metro commuters, owner-occupiers and downsizers from surrounding North Shore suburbs.

Both investors and owner-occupiers have been drawn to La Vera's proximity to Macquarie University, Macquarie University Hospital, Macquarie Centre and the Sydney Metro, infrastructure that supports both strong rental demand and a convenient lifestyle for residents.

The apartments feature full-height glazing, timber flooring throughout living areas, stone kitchen benchtops, SMEG appliances, floor-to-ceiling bathroom tiling and ducted air conditioning.

Residents will have access to a rooftop recreation level featuring a swimming pool, sauna, barbecue facilities and landscaped relaxation areas, complemented by additional communal space at ground level. Many apartments enjoy uninterrupted views across Lane Cove National Park, reinforcing the project's connection to its natural setting.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134951 project_image_fid=364551]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a>, a family-owned developer and builder with nearly four decades of experience, holds a 4.5-star iCIRT rating and was Australia's first developer to introduce 10-Year Latent Defects Insurance (LDI). La Vera is the first apartment development in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/macquarie-park-nsw-2113">Macquarie Park</a> approved to offer the additional insurance protection, alongside a five-year warranty on SMEG appliances.

Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias said the additional protection reflects changing buyer expectations in the off the plan market.

"Consumers are a lot more weary and a lot more concerned in buying off the plan than they ever have been. Having LDI is a tool to portray the confidence that we have in our product, and a confidence we want buyers to share," Elias said.

Following completion of the building later this year, buyers will move into their apartments well before Christmas.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134951]

La Vera closes in on completion as Macquarie Park continues residential transformation

Brisbane developer Red &amp; Co's decision to include dual key apartments in its debut Gold Coast apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/como-varsity-lakes-22-lake-street-varsity-lakes-qld-4227">COMO Varsity Lakes</a>, is proving to be one of the project's biggest drawcards, with buyers quickly snapping up the flexible residences.

More than half of the project's 36 dual key apartments have already sold, helping drive COMO beyond the 50 per cent sold mark within the first month of launch.

The strong response highlights growing demand for apartment designs that can adapt to changing lifestyles, with buyers increasingly looking for homes that accommodate multi-generational living, provide rental income opportunities or simply offer greater flexibility over time.

Located on the shores of Lake Orr, COMO will deliver 156 apartments across 16 levels, with the dual-key residences forming a limited release within the broader development.

Each combines a primary two-bedroom apartment with a fully self-contained studio on a single title, connected by a shared foyer and lockable internal door. The design allows owners to house ageing parents, adult children or guests while maintaining privacy, or lease the secondary residence to generate additional income.

Just 17 of the original 36 dual key apartments remain available.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135546 project_image_fid=367096]

The innovative configuration combines two fully self-contained residences on a single title, typically comprising a primary two-bedroom apartment alongside a separate studio residence, connected via a shared foyer and lockable internal door.&nbsp;

The model is proving particularly attractive to owner occupiers navigating changing family dynamics and the realities of the current housing crisis.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135546 project_image_fid=363511]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/npa">NPA</a>&nbsp;CEO Andrew Erwin said dual key living was resonating strongly with modern buyers because it delivered both financial flexibility and practical lifestyle benefits.&nbsp;

“The housing crisis and rising cost of living are fundamentally changing how Australians think about home ownership,” Erwin said.&nbsp;

“Dual key apartments provide a genuine solution for families who want to stay connected while maintaining independence. Parents can help adult children save for a future home, ageing parents can remain nearby without moving into aged care, and owners still retain privacy and flexibility.

“Importantly, buyers are also recognising the financial advantages. It creates the opportunity to generate additional income from part of the home without the holding costs associated with owning a separate investment property.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135546 project_image_fid=363509]

Unlike traditional dual occupancy arrangements, the residences operate under a single title, meaning owners only incur one set of body corporate fees, council rates and holding costs.&nbsp;

The secondary residence can also evolve over time - functioning as guest accommodation, a home office, creative studio or private retreat before later becoming an income-producing asset.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/red-co">Red &amp; Co</a>&nbsp;Director and Co-Founder David Laverty said the strong early sales reflected growing buyer urgency and changing priorities within the market.&nbsp;

“Securing more than half of COMO’s residences within such a short timeframe is an outstanding result and a clear endorsement of both the design and location,” Laverty said.&nbsp;

“Buyers are responding to the combination of location, connectivity and amenity, but ultimately it’s value relative to other East Coast markets that is driving enquiry.”&nbsp;

“We’re also seeing strong interest from owner occupiers looking for homes that can adapt with them over time. Flexibility has become one of the most important considerations for buyers in today’s market.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135546 project_image_fid=363515]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bda-architecture">BDA Architecture</a>, COMO features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom residences with 2.7-metre ceilings and larger-format floorplans aimed at owner occupiers, downsizers and lifestyle-focused buyers.&nbsp;

The development will feature an extensive rooftop recreation and wellness offering including a 25-metre lap pool, sundeck, barbecue and dining areas, gym, sauna, plunge baths, landscaped gardens, wellness spaces and rooftop pickleball and paddleball courts.

The remaining dual key apartments range from 137 sqm to 167 sqm and include generous three-bedroom layouts with separate self-contained studio accommodation and dual parking.&nbsp;

Erwin said the dual key concept represented a broader shift in how Australians would live in the future.

“People want homes that can evolve with their lives,” he said.&nbsp;

“A dual key apartment can suit a family today, support an ageing parent tomorrow, and potentially generate income later on. That adaptability is becoming incredibly valuable in the current environment.”

Prices currently range from $2,115,750 to $2,583,000.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=135546]

Inter-generational living drives demand for COMO’s dual key apartments as housing pressures reshape buyer priorities 

Builder-developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/ceerose">Ceerose</a> has doubled down on its Leichhardt ambitions, lodging its second State Significant Development Application (SSDA) in the suburb in the last six months.

Their newest proposal seeks to transform a former industrial precinct into a new residential community centred around the adaptive reuse of one of the site's heritage warehouse buildings.

The new project, on a 6,930 sqm block at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/40-76-william-street-leichhardt-nsw-2040">40–76 William Street</a>, will bring more than 200 apartments to a suburb that has seen little to no new supply in recent years. It follows Ceerose's late 2025 SSDA for a mixed-use apartment project on nearby Parramatta Road, signalling the developer's growing investment in Sydney's Inner West.

Ceerose Founder Edward Doueihi told Apartments.com.au the developer’s long-standing presence in Leichhardt and the Inner West had given it a strong understanding of how the area has evolved and where its future opportunities lie.

“Ceerose has had a long-standing presence in Leichhardt and the Inner West, giving us a unique understanding of the area’s evolution and future potential,” Doueihi said.

“Having delivered projects throughout the region, we have witnessed the suburb’s transformation first-hand and understand the opportunities for its continued growth.”

Doueihi said that understanding also informed the planning process, with a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Outcomes Report prepared before the application was lodged.

The report identified the key issues and concerns raised by neighbouring residents and other stakeholders, allowing those matters to be considered and incorporated into the design where appropriate.

He said the delivery of additional housing would also play an important role in supporting the revitalisation of Norton Street and the Italian Forum.

“By increasing the local residential population, the development is expected to strengthen demand for local businesses, encourage further investment, and help restore the vibrancy that made the precinct a thriving destination in the early 2000s.”

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7258c54c-8167-479e-8361-2d5fca9915b4" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010B%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%202.jpg?VersionId=S9DQfxu_jpcB5LrAEYFUbyMzg5odW6i5" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a>, the redevelopment would involve the demolition of four existing industrial buildings while retaining and adaptively reusing the site's most significant warehouse. The retained structure would anchor a new residential precinct comprising five interconnected buildings arranged around a large central landscaped courtyard, with heights stepping from five storeys along the surrounding residential streets to 11 storeys at the William Street corner.

According to the Architecture Design Report by Woods Bagot, the proposal "seeks to create a residential village centred around a generous green heart while celebrating the site's industrial heritage through the adaptive reuse of the existing warehouse building."

The development would comprise 203 apartments, with 188 proposed as build-to-sell residences, alongside 15 affordable housing apartments.

Rather than treating the retained warehouse as a standalone heritage object, Woods Bagot has sought to weave the site's industrial history throughout the masterplan. The proposal retains the north and west facades of the landmark corner warehouse, while new buildings reinterpret the site's brick-and-steel industrial language through their material palette and architectural expression.

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e8c64c2-881b-49e1-8c90-6b6acaaa45b6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010C%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%203.jpg?VersionId=Qm8_8H_Xrg_sc4Mdjc59vlAcKF_5wRTb" />

The design is organised around what Woods Bagot describes as a "green heart", a landscaped communal open space that reinstates the leafy character removed when the site became an industrial storage facility. A new pedestrian laneway running through the site would improve permeability between William, North and Francis streets, linking residents through landscaped public spaces while activating the ground plane.

Residents would have access to communal gardens and shared recreation areas distributed throughout the development. Sustainability has also been prioritised, with the project targeting an average 7.9-star NatHERS rating. Proposed initiatives include rooftop solar generation, rainwater harvesting, passive solar design, naturally ventilated lobbies, extensive cross-ventilation and the reuse of existing building fabric to reduce embodied carbon.

The adaptive reuse strategy became a defining feature of the application after heritage investigations found only one of the site's industrial buildings could feasibly be retained. The Heritage Impact Statement concludes that preserving the key warehouse façades while referencing the site's industrial character throughout the new development provides an appropriate balance between renewal and conservation.

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="efffafdb-594f-4e2b-a067-921fd51c05e1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010D%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%204.jpg?VersionId=DPmE4.k16YRt0i27hEZVtJAffarpvUfx" />

"Retention and adaptation of the site buildings has been explored but found not to be feasible except for the tallest building, whose street facades will be retained," the heritage report states.

"The proposed building will interpret the brick and steel character of the subject site, including reuse of some components and construction of a large 'sawtooth' structure in the proposed open space."

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3bfef2b5-83f5-40cd-9cab-767092f34266" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010E%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%205.jpg?VersionId=7asb3i_ql4ybbuJOUb5UHBEIy0Q9t.DF" />

The William Street site is located around 300 metres from Leichhardt North Light Rail station and a short walk to Norton Street's retail, dining and hospitality precinct. The surrounding area has increasingly become a focus for urban renewal given its proximity to public transport and the Parramatta Road corridor.

Doueihi founded Ceerose in 1998 and has grown the business to become one of Sydney's more active apartment developers in recent years, with completed projects including The Alex Collective in Alexandria, Abbie's Lane in Annandale, and the award-winning Munro House in Elizabeth Bay. They are currently delivering Belgravia, 17 luxury apartments in Potts Point.

First look: Ceerose doubles down in Leichhardt with adaptive reuse of former warehouse site

Homeless

<html><body>
For the first time in NSW, the Government and non-Government sector will combine to conduct large-scale street counts in regional and rural areas, to help inform the state’s homelessness investment.
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said the initiative would complement the $10.7 million expansion of assertive outreach services to Newcastle and Tweed Heads.
“This week is National Homelessness Week and I’m proud to be part of a Government that is leading the charge on this important issue,” Mr Ward said.
“We are committed to halving rough sleeping by 2025 and these street counts will assist with planning and investment around this ambitious target.
“We are supporting people at risk of homelessness by putting more boots on the ground in the form of assertive outreach teams, which engage directly with rough sleepers and help them into stable homes.”
Assertive outreach already operates in Sydney’s CBD, Parramatta and on trains at night. They work in partnership with health services, general practitioners and NGOs to provide a targeted response and case management approach.
Recent figures reveal that more than 455 people previously sleeping rough on Sydney streets have been housed since 2017, with 92 per cent sustaining their tenancies.
“The NSW Government’s assertive outreach program is achieving great outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our State,” Mr Ward said.
“However, we recognise that homelessness can also be hidden. Our $1 billion investment includes initiatives to address all forms of homelessness, including programs to increase the supply of social and affordable housing.”
In 2019, Sydney became the tenth city, and NSW the first state, to join the Institute for Global Homelessness Vanguard City program. The first trial street counts will take place in Newcastle, Tweed Heads and Western NSW in coming months with a statewide count planned for February 2020.
</body></html>

j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Efforts ongoing to shed light on regional homelessness

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
People experiencing homelessness and poor mental health are among Australia’s most vulnerable citizens. Without secure housing and an accessible mental healthcare system, recovery from mental illness is seriously compromised.
And the upcoming <a href="https://rcvmhs.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank">Royal Commission</a> into Victoria’s Mental Health System will be judged by how it responds to this crisis of mental health and housing.
In recent weeks, we conducted a <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Appendix3_Cooccurentmentalhealthhomelessness.pdf" target="_blank">census of data</a> from the Melbourne-based community agency, Launch Housing, and found 44% of the 2,023 clients were experiencing mental illness. Only half of these clients were receiving support from a mental health service.
Our interviews with these clients show how the Victorian mental health system repeatedly fails this group. Without exception, these clients emphasised the significance of safe and long-term housing to mental health stability and recovery.
One person told us:
"you’re homeless and that’s the most important thing […] your mental state, it’s just got to be put on hold […] you don’t want to go and see anybody about your mental state because you need housing and that’s all you’re really concentrating on: where am I going to sleep tonight?"
People often cycle through the mental healthcare system. This system includes primary health care services, and specialist community based and inpatient services in hospitals. Many then exit this system into homelessness, only to return repeatedly to hospital-based care, and sometimes the prison system.
In Victoria, for instance, more than 500 people are being <a href="http://chp.org.au/five-reasons-why-victorias-mental-health-royal-commission-must-examine-the-role-of-housing-and-homelessness/" target="_blank">discharged from acute mental healthcare</a> each year into rooming houses, motels and other forms of homelessness. And discharging someone into <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/homelessness-services/specialist-homelessness-services-2017-18/contents/contents" target="_blank">homelessness</a> is unacceptable.
Tragic consequences
These failures of the mental health and housing systems sometimes lead to tragic consequences.
A review of Launch Housing’s client <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Appendix7_Adverseeffectsonclients.pdf" target="_blank">death register</a> shows there were 45 known deaths of current or former clients for the period of June 2018 to June 2019.
Not all deaths are directly attributable to mental health. But of the 45 people who died of different causes in this period, mental health was a contributing factor to many of them. Thirty-seven people had a self-disclosed mental illness and 18 were in contact with mental health services at the time of their death.
These are not new problems, and past reviews of Australia’s <a href="http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/media-centre/news/national-review-of-mental-health-programmes-and-services-report-released.aspx" target="_blank">mental health system</a> have resulted in missed opportunities for action. Fortunately, there are known solutions.
Here are three steps Australia can take to <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/housing-is-good-mental-healthcare/" target="_blank">significantly improve</a> the mental health of people experiencing homelessness.
1. Sustain rental tenancies
Programs such as those sustaining a rental tenancy when someone has a mental health episode are immensely valuable.
They help households with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness by providing financial and practical assistance to establish and maintain their private rental tenancies.
With a persistent shortage of affordable private rentals and a gross under-supply of social housing in Victoria, sustaining tenancies is critical.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283442/original/file-20190710-44453-1kh594d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283442/original/file-20190710-44453-1kh594d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Akemi, a Launch Housing tenant who is living with a mental illness, says accessing mental health services while he was experiencing homelessness was virtually impossible. Author provided
2. Improve support from hospital with appropriate housing
During the transition away from hospital after a mental health episode, people should be supported with appropriate housing.
It’s common for adults experiencing homelessness and mental illness to be hospitalised and then discharged without a safe place to live, such as the hundreds of Victorians who left mental healthcare and landed into a form of homelessness.
What’s more, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144194" target="_blank">American research</a> from 2013 into intermediate care for people experiencing homelessness showed that medical respite programs reduce future hospital admissions, inpatient days, and hospital readmissions. They also result in improved housing outcomes.
Medical respite programs provide a supportive, home-like environment and services to people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, such as The Sister Francesca Healy Cottage (<a href="https://stvincentsmelbourne.blog/2016/08/03/the-cottage-2/" target="_blank">The Cottage</a>) in Melbourne. Sadly in Australia, such important services are in short supply.
3. Provide permanent supportive housing
Currently, people’s housing needs are “invisible” to the mental health system and there’s a presumption that patients are adequately housed.
So it’s important to boost the number of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing episodes of mental illness, and who are also heavy users of health and criminal justice services, crisis-related homelessness services and emergency housing services.
It also makes financial sense for the Victorian government to evaluate the need for permanent supportive housing.
This was recently shown by the Brisbane Common Ground <a href="https://issr.uq.edu.au/brisbane-common-ground-evaluation" target="_blank">initiative</a>. They found that each year, governments can save more than A$13,000 per person if the chronically homeless had access to secure, long term housing and relevant support services.
Launch Housing provides a Common Ground service in Melbourne, but it warrants expansion, as <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/lord-mayoral-frontrunner-proposes-lockers-and-housing-in-homeless-plan-20180404-p4z7s5" target="_blank">promised</a> by Lord Mayor Sally Capp in 2018.
The Royal Commission has the opportunity to recognise the research evidence showing homelessness and poor mental health outcomes are connected, and to recommend to the state government solutions that are known to work.
Such recognition will provide the Victorian state government with policies to make housing a feature of a reformed mental health system.
Without a place to live it’s nearly impossible to take care of your mental health needs.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119883/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Tony Dalton, Emeritus Professor, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
Andrew Hollows, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-hospital-to-homeless-victorias-mental-health-system-fails-the-most-vulnerable-119883" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

From hospital to homeless: Victoria’s mental health system fails the most vulnerable

<html><body>
The national level of homelessness increased by 14% from 2011 to 2016, with the increase most pronounced in NSW, up 37% to 37,715 persons. 
In 2008, the Federal government committed to an ambitious strategy to halve national homelessness by 2020.
But as successive governments regrettably abandoned the 2008 strategy and commitment, homelessness in Australia has been on the rise.
There are several levels of homelessness, but concerningly the numbers sleeping rough have been growing even faster.
This, the most visible and distressing form of homelessness, grew nationally by 20% between the 2011-2016 Census periods.
Academics point to policy failures within these trends. These include social security system changes, such as shifting welfare benefit recipients onto lower payments with more conditions of eligibility.
This week the Daily Telegraph reported one in 10 homeless people sleeping rough in NSW is a military veteran who has failed to get help from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
These and other policy failures have been critical in a housing market where, by international standards, subsidised social housing provision is minimal.
The geographical pattern of the homeless surge confirms the housing market is in part driving these changes.
An Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) report found increases in homelessness have generally been much more rapid in capital cities. Non-metropolitan areas have recorded much lower growth rates, or even reductions.
So, overall numbers were up by 53% in inner Sydney suburbs (2011-2016), but rose by a more modest 21% in Hobart, and fell in remote South Australia and Western Australia.
The vast majority of Australia’s lower-income population depend on an increasingly stressed private rental sector where the stock of low-cost homes is dwindling.
ABS statistics show the proportion of low-income tenants in rental stress has risen from over the past decade in New South Wales from 43% to 51%. 
Despite these stark trends, recent Australian governments, while footing the bill for homelessness services, have presided over cuts in social and affordable housing. An increasingly underfunded social and affordable housing system leads to a burgeoning cost of emergency services for those lacking homes. On its current path, the cost is set to exceed $1 billion by 2020.
Of course, mental health and homelessness are strongly associated. Some 30% of Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) consumers had a current mental health issue, according the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2018.
Academics noted this is significantly higher than the rate of mental illness among the general population of 16%. Mental ill-health captures issues, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
The interplay between mental health and housing pathways is the subject of a current national study being undertaken by Mind Australia and the AHURI.
It aims to identify failure points in the housing and mental health systems—failure points represent missed opportunities for early intervention and are potential key points for system improvement. A 2016 study found the significant share of rough sleepers with a mental health issue are not receiving any treatment, and their homelessness perpetuates their mental health issues.
The long term structural trends in the Australian housing system - falling rates of home ownership, an increase in private rental, declining stocks of social housing and lack of affordable housing for low-income households—combine as the backdrop in the housing issues facing the homeless.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph. 
</body></html>

jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Homelessness: Australia's policy complacency continues

<html><body><div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
The property industry, united through the Property Industry Foundation have rallied together to complete a $9 million redevelopment of Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Refuge at 19 King St.
In excess of $1.5 million in services have been donated pro-bono to the redevelopment by a large consortium of top-tier consultants. 
The pro-bono consultant team include Ashurst, Case Meallin, Slattery, Fender Katsalidis, Norman Disney Young, Built, Hendry Group, Equitable Access Solutions, Irwinconsult, Wood and Grieve Engineers and Urbis.
Frontyard, Victoria’s largest youth homelessness service provider, has been transformed into a four-storey building with two floors of new crisis accommodation and connected services.
Chairman of Property Industry Foundation Victoria, Peter Inge says, “We’re proud that our industry has come together to partner with Melbourne City Mission and successfully design and deliver the redeveloped Frontyard facility, which will service the most severely marginalised and disadvantaged youth in our city."
"Our committed team of pro-bono consultants from some of the largest players in the industry, have worked tirelessly to deliver this project on time and on budget.”
“It’s encouraging to see the property industry donate their time and expertise to a physical facility that will assist at- risk and homeless young people,” he added.
The redeveloped Frontyard is the first in the country to combine crisis accommodation with multiple support services 24/7, 7 days a week.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/5/30/180924%20L1%20Lounge.jpg" alt="">
“Only a fully-integrated service will effectively meet the needs of our most marginalised young people with complex needs who are currently falling through the cracks of siloed service systems,” says Vicki Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Melbourne City Mission.
“Without appropriate interventions, young people can become further entrenched in long-term homelessness and disadvantage. The pioneering Frontyard model aims to break this cycle by supporting young people to create a future where they can experience all the benefits of life we often take for granted.” Ms Sutton said.
City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Council has been supporting Frontyard Youth Services since 1990.
<div class="page" title="Page 2">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
“Homelessness is one of the biggest issues facing our city right now. That’s why we’re providing support for young people experiencing homelessness by investing $480,000 in Melbourne City Mission and their new Frontyard Youth Service,” the Lord Mayor said.
A large consortium of consultants and suppliers in the property industry, have donated their services and resources to the Frontyard redevelopment. 
Alongside the pro-bono consultant team, suppliers who have generously donated materials to this project include Harvey Norman, Highbury Plumbing, Haydens Ceiling and Partitions, Signorino Tiles, Taubmans Paint, Apec, AMP and AGL Energy.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></body></html>

Property industry completes $9 million youth homeless refuge pro-bono

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
On the night the 2016 <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2049.0" target="_blank">census </a> was taken, more than 116,000 Australians were homeless. This was a 30% increase from the decade before.
What has driven this increase is difficult to pin down, but research points to a lack of affordable housing, poverty and personal vulnerabilities such as trauma, mental illness and substance misuse as key factors.
We recently published a paper in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10940-019-09407-y" target="_blank">Journal of Quantitative Criminology</a>, exploiting a rich dataset derived from tracking 1,600 disadvantaged respondents over approximately three years.
And we found people who have been incarcerated are at a greater risk of becoming homeless. But interestingly, the reverse isn’t true – homeless people are not at greater risk of incarceration.
Identifying similarities
Like the homeless population, Australia’s prison population has increased by <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4512.0?OpenDocument" target="_blank">56%</a> in the past decade, from 25,968 to 40,577 people.
Social researchers and policymakers have long been aware of a strong association between incarceration and homelessness. Local and international <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1375/acri.39.1.20" target="_blank">studies</a> consistently report the homeless are over-represented in prison and ex-prisoners are over-represented among the homeless.
That such a strong association exists should come as no surprise.
Both populations share many similar characteristics – lower education levels, high rates of mental and physical illness and substance misuse, as well as high rates of economic disadvantage.
Yet, despite numerous studies, the question of whether this association reflects causal relationships has proven surprisingly difficult to answer.
One reason for this is that researchers have had to rely on samples of either prisoners or the homeless, and these samples are not suited to addressing questions of causality.
Are homeless people more likely to be imprisoned?
Our paper used data from <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/journeys-home" target="_blank">Journeys Home</a>, a study uniquely suited to shedding light on the relationship between incarceration and homelessness. Launched in 2011, Journeys Home not only tracks people exposed to homelessness and housing insecurity over time, but also it captures important information on their housing circumstances and contact with the justice system.
There is no universally agreed definition of homelessness, so we tested two different approaches – broad and literal.
Our broad definition included people sleeping rough, people in emergency accommodation, in boarding houses, couch surfing and people staying temporarily in a hotel or caravan park. This aligns with the way homelessness is commonly defined in Australia.
We found that homelessness, broadly defined, does not increase the risk of incarceration.
Being “literally” homeless is a more limited definition commonly used in the USA. It restricts the definition to those who were on the streets, in squats or staying in emergency or crisis accommodation.
Based on <a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1118&amp;context=spp_papers" target="_blank">previous research</a>, we expected this form of homelessness would be linked to a higher risk of incarceration.
To our surprise, it wasn’t. Being literally homeless also has no effect.
Why might this be the case?
When we examined forms of contact with the justice system, we found being homeless does not increase the risk of being apprehended or held overnight by the police or sent to court.
This suggests homelessness does not lead to incarceration because it does not increase any type of contact with the justice system usually preceding incarceration.
Are ex-prisoners more likely to become homeless?
The answer is yes, but the immediate effect is modest.
Our research shows the risk of ex-prisoners becoming homeless increases significantly six months after release, and this increased risk persists for nearly another year.
Responding to the delayed and persistent effect of incarceration is important.
Policy interventions such as <a href="http://www.corrections.vic.gov.au/home/release/transition+programs/" target="_blank">Reconnect</a>, a transition and post-release support program, provide assistance for a short period (up to 12 weeks) following discharge. While this is clearly warranted, our results suggest the need to broaden and extend existing interventions.
Many ex-prisoners rely on family and friends in the immediate period following release. Many appear to enjoy a “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J076v43n01_05" target="_blank">honeymoon</a>” period of six months or so.
At that point, ex-prisoners’ housing starts to breakdown. Many start to couch surf or live in boarding houses, where there is limited housing security and they are exposed to poor living conditions.
Clearly, families provide important social support to ex-prisoners, but they often have limited resources. Based on our research, we feel that policy initiatives should consider ways of engaging and supporting ex-prisoners’ families, as well as funding extended settlement support programs delivered through a range of supported housing arrangements.
A focus on assisting families and extending settlement support programs is the next step in developing policy approaches. These would more effectively mitigate the extended risk of homelessness and housing instability that our research shows ex-prisoners experience.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113570/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Guy Johnson, Professor, Urban Housing and Homelessness, RMIT University
Julie Moschion, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ex-prisoners-are-more-likely-to-become-homeless-but-the-reverse-isnt-true-113570" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Ex-prisoners are more likely to become homeless but the reverse isn’t true

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
A <a href="http://www.nightwingenterprises.com/downloads/nXqKw/YDA_Report_Card_WEB.pdf" target="_blank">National Report Card on Youth Homelessness in Australia</a> says government action over the past decade would earn no more than two stars under its four-star rating system. There has been under-investment in most areas. Promises made have been only partially delivered.
The report identifies the lack of a coordinated national strategy as an obstacle to achieving goals that were set a decade ago. The report card will be presented at the <a href="https://youthhomelessnessconference.org.au/" target="_blank">National Youth Homelessness Conference</a> being held in Melbourne today and tomorrow.
It’s the first national conference focused solely on homeless youth in Australia in 20 years. It will consider four proposed strategic reforms:
<ol>
<li>early intervention</li>
<li>rapid rehousing</li>
<li>engagement in education, training and/or employment</li>
<li>extending state care to the age of 21.</li>
</ol>
Losing our way even with a roadmap
The report card assesses progress since the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://apo.org.au/node/8435" target="_blank">2008 report</a> of the National Youth Commission (NYC) into youth homelessness, the second of two landmark inquiries.
Following the rigorous procedures of the 1989 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/childrens-rights/publications/our-homeless-children" target="_blank">Inquiry into Youth Homelessness</a> headed by Brian Burdekin, the NYC’s independent community inquiry held hearings all over Australia. There were 21 public hearings, 319 people gave evidence, and 92 written submissions were received.
The inquiry’s 400-page report, <a href="https://www.theoasismovie.com.au/pdfs/Homeless_report.pdf" target="_blank">Australia’s Homeless Youth</a>, made 80 recommendations and included a widely publicised ten-point Roadmap for Youth Homelessness. The NYC argued that implementing this roadmap could transform the face of youth homelessness in Australia.
In December 2008, following this report, the federal government released a white paper, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://apo.org.au/node/2882" target="_blank">The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness</a>. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a bold public <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/rudds-2020-homeless-pledge-welcomed-20081221-72rw" target="_blank">commitment to halve homelessness by 2020</a>. This involved three key policy strategies:
<ul>
<li>“turning off the tap” – early intervention</li>
<li>“improving and expanding services”</li>
<li>“breaking the cycle”.</li>
</ul>
How was the report card compiled?
The report card references the ten points of the NYC roadmap. It is a review of responses to youth homelessness over the past decade from a national perspective, and of what still needs to be done.
The 2008 white paper and all subsequent state and territory plans and strategy documents were systematically reviewed against information about what has been done for young people.
Progress under each point was rated using a four-star assessment. Experts and experienced leaders in the various areas then reviewed the preliminary assessments to finalise the ratings.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264056/original/file-20190315-28505-1rxmiw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264056/original/file-20190315-28505-1rxmiw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The National Report Card on Youth Homelessness ratings. Author provided
So what happened to the roadmap?
After the white paper, work began on a national strategy to tackle homelessness, but that project was shelved. The states and territories have issued their own plans and strategies, which are, despite some common features, somewhat divergent. The overall national response to homelessness would be hugely strengthened by working to an agreed national strategy like in other high-priority social policy areas.
The roadmap highlighted affordable housing for young people as a priority. This need has hardly been addressed. Young people make up a significant proportion of the homeless population, but <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://apo.org.au/node/63479" target="_blank">they are only 2.9% of tenants in social housing</a>.
Domestic and family violence is a known <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/policy/ahuri-briefs/what-is-the-link-between-domestic-violence-and-homelessness?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIusH7_9iC4QIViIqPCh19QQC4EAAYAiAAEgKGevD_BwE" target="_blank">cause of homelessness</a>. Only in recent years has there been a significant effort to make this a high social policy priority. A recent increase in funding for a range of services and initiatives is promising but overdue.
The white paper proposed “turning off the tap”, or early intervention, but little has been accomplished. <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/australianhomelessnessmonitor/" target="_blank">More Australians seek help from homelessness services now than in 2008</a>. This is arguably the single biggest policy failure. An early proposal to expand <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/families-and-children/programmes-services/reconnect" target="_blank">Reconnect</a>, the early intervention program that has existed since 1997, came to nothing.
Some effort has been made to reform state care and protection, especially the inadequate support for young people leaving care at 18. They are particularly vulnerable to homelessness. The idea of extending state care to at least 21 years of age is not new, nevertheless it is still not well resourced nor securely established nationally.
Some repair and expansion of the crisis system of homelessness services has been achieved. However, many communities complain they do not have even basic crisis capacity.
The roadmap called for improvement of specialist services for homeless youth such as mental health, drug and alcohol services, and employment services. Little progress has been made on drug and alcohol and employment services. Youth-specific mental health services is one area that has had significant development.
The roadmap also called for a new form of housing that linked supported accommodation with education, training and support into employment. These were foyers and foyer-like facilities <a href="http://foyer.org.au/foyers-in-australia/" target="_blank">modelled largely on the UK foyers</a>. Over a decade, some 15 foyers have been developed in Australia. This can be acknowledged as an achievement.
Lastly, the roadmap argued that support after homelessness (“post-vention”) is important for young people. The passage to independence should not simply be expected, but rather they need extended support (the kind of support most families provide their children) to “break the cycle” of homelessness. In policy terms, Australia has come late to this understanding and little has been achieved on this issue in the past decade.
In making an overall assessment of progress since the NYC roadmap, the report card acknowledges some positive initiatives and progress but also neglect and underachievement. The existing crisis-focused service systems are not reducing youth homelessness; proven early intervention approaches remain critically underfunded and underdeveloped. What has been done, or rather not done, over the past decade continues to fail young people who are at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness.
Overall, the report card gives a two-star rating – “developing – some progress under way” – to efforts to reduce youth homelessness over the past decade. As a nation, we cannot be satisfied with a below-average response to youth homelessness. The next decade needs to be a very different story.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113118/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
David MacKenzie, Associate Professor, Department of Social Science, Swinburne University of Technology
Tammy Hand, Research Fellow, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/youth-homelessness-efforts-get-a-lowly-2-stars-from-national-report-card-113118" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Youth homelessness efforts get a lowly 2 stars from national report card

<html><body>
ANZ has joined forces with the Property Industry Foundation to combat youth homelessness, with the bank committing to a three-year partnership worth $150,000 to support the Foundation’s PIF House Program.
The Property Industry Foundation works with the property and construction industry to build homes for disadvantaged youth and is set to deliver 125 bedrooms by 2021 under its PIF House Program.
ANZ’s support will contribute to the program’s development pipeline of 44 new bedrooms across several states, including an 18-bedroom crisis accommodation in Melbourne’s CBD, a seven-bedroom house in Orange, NSW and a six-bedroom house in Clayton, Victoria. 
ANZ’s head of property, Jason Cannock said: “The foundation has played a pivotal role in delivering housing outcomes for at-risk youth over the last two decades. 
“We want to play our part in supporting them, so it’s important we partner with our clients across the industry to help deliver more transitional housing to those most in need.”
Kate Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Property Industry Foundation, said ANZ’s commitment will create a long-term legacy.
“Homeless young people typically live in these PIF Houses for up to 12 months until they have the skills to live independently,” she said.
“It means each year, ANZ’s investment will give even more young people a new start. That’s the real value of the contribution.”
The program has completed construction of 32 bedrooms since 2016, with those rooms located in three PIF Houses where carers and counsellors provide support and mentoring to rebuild young lives. 
For 20 years, the Property Industry Foundation has used the resources of the property and construction industry to build bedrooms for homeless young people. 
Companies and people from across the sector in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland donate their time, expertise, resources and money to help reduce youth homelessness.
</body></html>

ANZ joins Property Industry Foundation to build homes for disadvantaged youth

<html><body>
Property professionals have joined the Property Industry Foundation (PIF) for the 6th annual Melbourne Corporate Charity Cycle Day, raising in excess of $100,000 to support at-risk and homeless young people.
The Charity Cycling Day, held in partnership with Event Sponsor Secure Parking and Principle Sponsor TM Insight, began from Cape Schanck along the Mornington Peninsula.
More than 180 riders from the property industry rode two cycling courses – 55km or 80km.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/11/21/Ride.jpg" alt="">
Peter Inge, Victorian chairman of the Property Industry Foundation, said "we are doing our part to help rebuild young lives with much-needed funds,” says 
“Our members’ determination to raise awareness for these young people and help to give them a way out of their situation and into a new future is truly motivating.”  
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/11/21/Cycle2.jpg" alt="">
“Funds raised from the ride are distributed to beneficiary charities, Chatterbox Bus an outreach service, and PIF Housing Program with industry members of PIF constructing these homes,” Inge said.
The 2016 census data reveals homelessness has jumped 14% over the last five years, with 42,000 young people now sleeping rough every night across Australia. 
Tour de France rider Koen de Kort, who is passionate about tackling the issues of youth homelessness, is the PIF Event Ambassador and led the Charity Cycling Day. 
He was joined by fellow professional cyclists Nathan Elliot and Mark O’Brien.  
Matthew Keenan and Sophie Smith, cycling commentators and journalists, also joined the Tour de PIF. 
PIF partners with its charity beneficiaries and the property industry to build homes to reduce youth homelessness. Over the last 6 years they have invested $12.6 million into vital programs, helping their Charity Partners to rebuild young lives.
</body></html>

jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Property Industry Foundation ride raises $100,000 for youth homelessness

<html><body>
They’re best known for putting roofs over heads when selling multimillion dollar homes, but last night real estate professionals, lead by auctioneer Damien Cooley of Cooley Auctions, hit the sack on chilly Bondi Beach to help youth in need.
The Real Estate Sleep Out was again well supported, and expanded this year to Melbourne and Brisbane.
Sydney had the coldest temperature getting down to around 8 degrees. Agents slept out at Reddacliff Place, Brisbane and St Kilda Beach in Melbourne.
It was organised to raise money and awareness for Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets, a charitable community program aimed at helping homeless and troubled youth.
2016's inaugural event chalked up more than $134,000 with over 100 attendees.
Last year that tally exceeded $278,000 with 180 attendees.
The preliminary tally last night was some $170,000.
Some of last night's top fund raisers included Frank Colacicco, David Gray and Gordon Macdonald.
Passionate about Father Riley’s community work, Damien Cooley (pictured below at this year's sleepout) has a longstanding relationship with the youth specific agency.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/7/27/Cooley%20Sleepout.JPG" alt="">
“Events like the Real Estate Sleep Out go a long way to keeping organisations like Youth Off The Streets alive.
“They rely on people like us.
“The sleep out is as much about raising money as it is spreading awareness of the incredible work Father Chris and his team do,” said Mr Cooley.
The tally stood at $150,000 when the sunset on a cold night across the east coast.
It was around $170,000 by dawn.
<div>
<div>
<div>Cooley Auctions raised close to $50,000 lead by Damien Cooley.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The BradfieldCleary and Cobden &amp; Hayson each raised around $20,000</div>
</div>
<div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div>
<div>Domain raised around $10,000 lead by Jon McConkey, the senior sales director.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
Property Observer donated webspace for the marketing campaign of the charity initiative. 
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div> </div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

Fundraising success for Real Estate Sleep Out for Youth On The Streets

<html><body>
EXPERT OBSERVER
New housing supply is simply not expanding affordable housing opportunities for the poor in a way that reduces the homelessness count. We <a href="https://cloud.3dissue.com/122325/122578/143598/WhyNewSupplyisnotExpandingHousingOptionsfortheHomeless/index" target="_blank">argue that</a> this is due to certain barriers that prevent new supply from filtering down to low-income groups.
Politicians and economists often claim <a href="http://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/speech/005-2017/" target="_blank">a housing supply crisis</a> is to blame for the lack of affordable housing in Australia. They say increases in housing stock are failing to keep pace with population growth.
In a 2017 address to the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Treasurer <a href="http://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/speech/005-2017/" target="_blank">Scott Morrison said</a>:
"… for certain Australian households, housing affordability is an issue regardless of where they live due to economic reasons … However, in Sydney and Melbourne where supply has failed to keep pace with rising demand, the problem is far more acute… The principal cause of declining housing affordability is the failure of housing supply to adjust to increased demand…"
Yet housing approval data from the Australian Bureau of Statics show the growth in housing stock has actually outpaced rates of population increase in all Australian capital cities.
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WGWnh/1/" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
Between 2005-06 and 2014-15, housing stock has expanded by over 22% while population growth has lagged behind at 19%. Despite this, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08111146.2017.1374945" target="_blank">median residential property prices nearly doubled</a> in the same period.
How it should work in theory
Increasing housing stock only works to make housing more affordable if certain <a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674543430" target="_blank">filtering processes occur</a>. This is how it looks if the number of new homes increases while the number of households stays fixed or increases at a slower pace.
Those in higher-income households may wish to upgrade to a newer, more expensive house. The established home they vacate would be more appealing to other households if it falls in price. This would then make it affordable to a middle-income household. And the home this middle-income household will vacate would then also fall in value and become affordable for a lower-income household.
Eventually, affordable housing opportunities would trickle down to the homeless, and the homelessness count would decline. But, in Australia, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2049.0" target="_blank">homelessness is on the rise</a>. Back in 2006, fewer than 90,000 people were homeless. Within a decade, that number has climbed by nearly one-third, to more than 116,000 people – a 10% increase.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227549/original/file-20180713-27018-kl93d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227549/original/file-20180713-27018-kl93d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
The number of homeless people in NSW has increased more than any other state. 
New South Wales has fared the worst. The number of homeless people in NSW has soared by 70% between 2006 and 2016. With the exception of the Northern Territory, all other states and territories witnessed an increase in homelessness in this period.
So, despite the rise in housing stock, most states and territories have failed to contain, never mind reverse, the rise in homelessness over the last decade. Why are the filtering processes not working?
Barriers to affordability
Deregulation of Australian financial markets and tax concessions have combined to make residential property an attractive investment, especially for higher-income households. So a higher-income earner would gain an additional property rather than swapping one for the other and leaving the vacated one affordable for the next in line.
And if a substantial share of new housing is being purchased as holiday homes or investments, this can stifle the trickle down of affordable housing opportunities.
The recent growth in net overseas migration is a likely barrier as well. Between 2004 and 2015, net <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3412.02015-16?OpenDocument" target="_blank">overseas migration climbed</a> by 30%, from 138,800 to 181,050. This has outstripped the 22% housing stock growth rate over roughly the same period.
While migration is included in overall population numbers, in this case, the houses migrants are vacating to move to Australia remain in their home country. So this doesn’t contribute to the filtering process.
Transaction costs (mainly high stamp duties) can deter people from trading up, or downsizing. Transaction costs are a <a href="https://www.taxinstitute.com.au/australian-tax-forum/stamp-duties-land-tax-and-housing-affordability-the-case-for-reform" target="_blank">drag on resident movements and suppress housing stock turnover</a>.
Finally, land and building regulations can play a role. Elderly people who may wish to downsize from a family home to an apartment usually <a href="/news">want to live in the same neighbourhood</a>. Yet planning interventions may prevent the construction of units in the suburbs downsizers would prefer.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95926/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Until these barriers are lowered, simply increasing new housing supply cannot be the silver bullet that fixes homelessness and the housing affordability concerns of the Australian population.
Rachel Ong, Professor of Economics, School of Economics and Finance, Curtin University 
Gavin Wood, Emeritus Professor of Housing and Housing Studies, RMIT University
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. 
</body></html>

Homeless

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Homeless

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News