BIC Services is excited to announce our national partnership with The Property Industry Foundation (PIF). As a family-owned business providing smart solutions to support healthy communities, PIF’s commitment to combatting youth homelessness is something we’re proud to back.
As a family-owned business, we see our 2000+ employees and the communities we service as part of our extended family. We see it as our duty to provide smart solutions for healthier communities, and our partnership with the Property Industry Foundation allows us to extend this commitment and build a brighter future for vulnerable young Australians.
The growing problem of youth homelessness
Every night, 44,000 young Australians are homeless, and 16,000 are 12 years or under. There has been an alarming upward trend, with the last census showing a 46% increase in homelessness for 19-24-year-olds over the previous 5-year period. To make matters worse, 1 in 3 people are turned away from homeless shelters every night.
How the Property Industry Foundation is addressing the problem of youth homelessness
PIF had developed the PIF House Program to increase the availability of transitional housing for homeless youth aged 25 or under. Transitional housing is vital in giving vulnerable youths a stepping-stone between crisis accommodation and more permanent forms of housing.
This transitional housing means young people can have the security and stability to develop routines, continue with education and move towards employment and independence.
What is transitional housing?
Transitional housing provides interim housing for young people who have previously been living in crisis accommodation. Crisis accommodation provides very short-term accommodation, while transitional housing gives young people a stable home for 12-18 months.
PIF builds some crisis housing, but its main focus is building transitional housing through the PIF Housing Program.
How the PIF House program works
The PIF House Program harnesses the expertise of the Property and Construction Industry to build transitional housing at half price. The PIF House Program uses 50% cash donations and 50% donations of labour and goods from the industry, meaning that every dollar donated to the Program is doubled.
How BIC Services will support the Property Industry Foundation
As a national partner of PIF, BIC will play an active role in rolling out the PIF House Program. That means we’ll be on the front line of providing housing to vulnerable young Australians. Our contribution to PIF will go beyond our corporate donation; we’ll also:
- Provide goods and services to projects on a pro-bono basis
- Contribute to PIF Boards/Committees
- Engage our staff to work on PIF House refurbishments
- Work collaboratively with the PIF team to identify new opportunities to make a positive impact through the solutions and services we specialise in.
Supporting our community and harnessing our passion, knowledge and experience to drive positive change is something BIC Services was built on and embeds in all of our business activities.
