Richard Crookes Construction (RCC) is our Principal Partner for SleepOut for Homeless Youth, being held on 10 April at Centennial Park, Sydney.

Future leaders from the property and construction industry will roll out their sleeping bags for SleepOut for Homeless Youth  in Sydney’s iconic Centennial Parklands, a night sleeping under the stars in support of vulnerable young people. 

As a group they’ve set a fundraising goal of $100,000 to go towards projects like Haven House South Dowling, a 19-bed development in Darlinghurst providing accommodation and pathways towards independent living for at-risk youth.  

“Funds raised support Haven House South Dowling – a new project providing over 346,000 safe nights of sleep for young people over the next 50 years,” says Kate Hannaford, General Manager, New Business & Marketing at RCC. “As Sydney faces a housing and accommodation crisis, we are keen to support the Foundation who are enabling this critical social infrastructure through fundraising and partnership.”

“SleepOut for Homeless Youth is the largest future leader’s event in the industry – the event is expecting 150 people across the construction and property sectors,” says Kate.

SleepOut for Homeless Youth is a chance for emerging leaders in the industry to come together and raise awareness of the struggles faced by homeless youth, including housing instability, unemployment, trauma and mental health issues. 

RCC has a team of 20 attending and has already raised funds of over $23,000 – currently topping the SleepOut Champions team leaderboard. “We have three people flying interstate and two driving over two hours to attend,” says Grant D’Arcy, General Manager – Sydney and Major Projects. “Varied departments and roles are getting involved – from Project Managers, Head of IT Service Delivery, Senior Planners, Site Engineers to Legal Counsels.”

Sleeping out, even for a night, is a reminder of the grim reality facing our homeless population. “Every night in Australia, nearly 46,000 young people face the fear and uncertainty of not knowing where they will sleep,” says Kate. “Many sleep rough due to a housing crisis, inadequate living conditions or family breakdowns. By raising $100,000, property and construction teams aim to directly address these issues and drive change for homeless youth.”