Tour de PIF NSW raised $300,000 for homeless youth.
“Under no circumstance should an environment like that be a better option for a 13-year-old girl than her own home.”
Fortuitously, Gillian attended a property industry lunch later that day. She was seated next to a PIF member, who encouraged Gillian to channel her emotional response into making a difference through the organisation. Gillian has been on the Foundation’s Beneficiaries Review Committee ever since.
After a long association with PIF, in 2024, Architectus stepped up as the National Partner of the Foundation, the highest-possible partnership. We offer pro-bono design services for youth accommodation projects and recently entered a team of 29 runners, walkers and cyclists as a Major Partner of the NSW Tour de PIF last week, helping raise an incredible event total of $330,000.
“We are so proud to have Architectus as a Major Partner of the NSW Tour de PIF 2024,” says Penny Kaleta, PIF NSW State Manager. “As one of our most enthusiastic and impactful partnerships Architectus always goes above and beyond. From supporting multiple projects in 2024, through to Art Auctions, the City to Surf and the Tour de PIF, we are incredibly grateful for their support of the Foundation and our mission to have a tangible impact on homeless youth.”
The mission of PIF still resonates strongly with Gillian, who grew up in the Western Sydney suburb of Dharruk and attended Mt Druitt High School. Gillian witnessed a large amount of youth homelessness, despite being grateful to have always had a safe and stable home herself.
“My dad was an electrician and my mum did data entry at night. They were good people,” says Gillian, who thanks the universe that her family home was opposite the local basketball court — a way of staying out of trouble.
“There was always a bunch of us playing basketball and at the end of the evening, there were always some kids who had nowhere to go.”
On reflection, says Gillian, those kids — who her mum would often invite for dinner and then to sleep on the family sofa — were homeless.
“Couch surfing is homelessness if you don’t have a safe place to sleep regularly.”
Youth homelessness is driven by factors such as poverty, a lack of affordable housing and domestic violence, with other contributing factors including mental health problems and substance abuse.
Architectus CEO Ray Brown after riding in the Tour de PIF. Image: Supplied
Architectus designed a refurbishment of Haven House in Dulwich Hill, which provides five beds for 13-18 year-olds. We also recently upgraded the kitchen and dining room at St Laurence House, Kingsford, which offers accommodation to six young people. Gillian says the opportunity to meet some of the residents of these projects has been touching for the team.
“I’ve heard kids be grateful to see matching shampoo and conditioner,” she says. “We take so much for granted and we can contribute so much.”
Architectus has also designed upgrades to Jarjum College in the Sydney suburb of Redfern, which educates primary-school aged Indigenous children who are not participating in school because of personal circumstances.
It’s a valuable challenge for the team to create beautiful spaces despite certain constraints.
“In architecture typically we’re specifying beautiful finishes and fixtures, but in this instance we’re relying on suppliers donating things. So quite often we’re choosing from three tap options, or from six types of benches. That’s a great challenge to have in a way, to make things beautiful.”
Architectus worked on the refurbishment of Jarjum College in Redfern this year.
