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A few of the Elevation Architecture team recently attended the annual Property Industry Foundation (PIF) Trivia Night, held at Felons Brewing Co., Howard Smith Wharves, where more than $37,000 was raised on the night for PIF's ongoing work supporting young people experiencing homelessness or at risk of it. We were delighted to be part of it and had a lot of fun, but the most memorable part of the evening was hearing from a young woman who had experienced homelessness with her daughter...
She moved into one of PIF's supported homes on Christmas Eve, into a room that was ready for them to call home and celebrate Christmas together.
Having that stability gave her the confidence to start looking beyond simply getting through the day. Within months, she had enrolled at university to study nursing.
On the night, she stood on stage and shared their journey, celebrating moving out of the facility and into the next chapter of her life, making her room available for the next young person who needed it.
It was a beautiful reminder that a safe home can be the beginning of something much bigger.
You may have heard the name Property Industry Foundation (PIF) around the property and construction industry, but if you haven't come across it before, it's worth knowing what sits behind it, at its core.
PIF is a national not-for-profit established in 1996 with a simple idea: if the property industry has the skills, people and resources to create places, could we bring that same capability together to help young people experiencing homelessness?
Almost 30 years later, that idea has grown into a network of property and construction businesses working together to create safe, supported homes for young people across Australia.
The focus isn't simply on building a roof over someone's head. PIF partners with specialist youth charities who provide the support that sits around the home, helping young people move towards education, employment, independence and longer-term housing.
A safe home is more than four walls.
One of PIF's key programs is The Haven Project. Industry partners contribute funding, professional expertise, materials, construction and time to create or transform properties into supported accommodation. Once complete, the homes are operated by frontline charities who understand the needs of the young people they support.
And there are some great examples right here in Queensland.
Haven House Woolloongabba is currently transforming an existing Brisbane property into six self-contained one-bedroom apartments and a shared Youth Hub for young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. The project is being delivered with The Salvation Army Youth Services QLD, with a long list of property and construction industry partners contributing to the project.
Haven House Logan (Jinndii Waijung) opened in March 2025 in partnership with The Lady Musgrave Trust. It provides four self-contained homes for young mothers aged 18 to 24 and their children, along with spaces for support and learning. The project can provide up to 4,000 nights of safe transitional accommodation each year. Blight Rayner was the architect and McNab the building partner.
There's also Haven House Kingaroy, which created two new two-bedroom duplexes for young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability in the South Burnett region. The homes are operated by South Burnett CTC and provide not just accommodation, but case management and life-skills support while residents work towards more permanent housing.
And another lovely example of the industry coming together is Falconer House in Brisbane. PIF, Brisbane Youth Service, Brisbane City Council, the Queensland Government and industry partners transformed a four-bedroom property into a safe home for young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Companies including Kane Constructions, MinterEllison, Built, MBM and Saunders Havill Group contributed to the transformation.
For an architecture practice, PIF is an interesting model because the contribution isn't limited to writing a cheque.
Our industry can actually contribute what we know how to do.
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Design
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Planning
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Documentation
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Project management
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Construction
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Materials
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Furniture
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Professional advice
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Connections
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Time.
It's a pretty powerful idea when you think about it: bringing together an industry that knows how to create buildings with organisations that know how to support people through homelessness.
And ultimately, these aren't just projects or buildings. They are homes, places of safety and a chance for someone to get back on their feet.
What can architects actually do about homelessness?
There are lots of ways we can support PIF Queensland, whether that's through fundraising and events, volunteering our time and expertise, contributing to a Haven Project, or simply helping raise awareness across our industry. As an architecture practice, we have skills that can make a genuine difference, and it's worth thinking about how we might use them to help create safe, supportive places for young people who need them.
