At BROOK Recruitment, we're proud to partner with Homes for Homes in their mission to tackle Australia’s housing crisis. With over 122,000 people homeless and many more in housing stress, their innovative funding model allows homeowners and renters to contribute towards social and affordable housing.

This month, we sat down with Tracy Longo, Chief Operating Officer of Homes for Homes, to explore how businesses like ours can make a meaningful impact.

• For those that aren’t aware of Homes for Homes, can you explain how you’re addressing the homelessness crisis in Australia, and why this issue should matter to Australian businesses & their employees?

Research shows that there is a deficit of more than 600,000 social and affordable homes in Australia. This is projected to be more than 1 million by 2036. The crisis can’t be solved by any one organisation or government alone. Over 122,000 people in Australia sleep homeless, while another 1.5 million live in housing stress. At Homes for Homes, we believe everyone deserves a safe, secure and affordable home. Homes for Homes is an innovative funding model to increase the supply of social and affordable housing. It’s a simple promise that when a home sells, whenever that is, 0.1% of the sale price will be donated to Homes for Homes. These donations are pooled and granted to create social and affordable housing for those in need. Renters can also participate by donating 0.1% of their monthly rent. Addressing homelessness is critical as having a place to call home is linked to well-being. It enables us to lead a positive life, to do things like wash and cook meals, hold down a job or attend school, and it affects how others see us too.

• How does the Homes for Homes funding model make it easy for businesses and individuals to contribute, and what impact have these donations had so far?

For homeowners or renters, it’s as simple as registering your participation on our website, which only takes a few minutes. If you are a homeowner, once your property is registered with Homes for Homes there is nothing more to do until your property sells in the future, whenever that maybe. When it does sell, your donation to Homes for Homes will come automatically from the proceeds of the sale. For businesses, there are many ways they can get involved and become part of the solution, just like BROOK Recruitment. To date, Homes for Homes grant rounds have seen more than $2 million in funding granted to 22 social and affordable housing projects across Vic, NT, Qld, NSW, SA, WA and the ACT. These projects will provide housing for over 300 people. A further $740,000 is expected to be granted in 2025.

• How can businesses integrate support for Homes for Homes into their CSR programs and employee engagement strategies, and what are the biggest challenges in growing participation?

CSR practices are important for businesses as employees value having a sense of purpose in the work they do and are increasingly looking for companies that give back to the community. For businesses, measuring social impact can often be challenging. Homes for Homes demonstrates our impact using qualitative and quantitative data, with donations raised granted to experienced organisations that specialise in delivering social and affordable housing, ensuring donations have the greatest impact. As a community lead solution to ending homelessness, the more businesses who link arms and get involved the greater the impact, we therefore encourage readers to learn more.

• Can you share a success story of companies partnering with Homes for Homes, and how businesses can encourage employee participation through their rent or home donations? 

Denman Prospect in Canberra was Australia’s first entire suburb to commit to Homes for Homes.  Thanks to our inaugural Property Partner Capital Estate Developments, over $1 million has been raised and granted since opening the suburb, creating housing for more than 40 people in the ACT. Every block of land in Denman Prospect is registered with Homes for Homes before it is sold. Over 30 years, these 4,000 homes will generate more than $10 million for investment in social and affordable housing in the ACT. This partnership was recognised for its Project Innovation at the Property Councils Innovation and Excellence Awards in 2023. Homes for Homes also have some amazing Community and Industry partners who promote the initiative and actively encourage employees to support the initiative by registering their own properties.

• What trends have you observed in terms of business participation? Are there specific industries or company sizes that are leading the charge in supporting Homes for Homes?

With the housing and homelessness crisis only growing, we are increasingly being contacted by businesses keen to support Homes for Homes, therefore our partners come in all shapes and sizes. Homelessness is one of Australia’s greatest social issues and is simply too big for any one business to solve on their own, however through the collective power of many, impactful change can be made. With many Australians’ increasingly finding it challenging to maintain housing, we would encourage all businesses to get in touch regardless of what industries or size.

• Can you share any upcoming partnership opportunities or events where businesses can get involved and make a bigger impact?

We would encourage businesses to contact us to discuss how they can become involved as each partnership is unique and can be tailored to the size and scale of the business. Individuals and organisations can also make a tax-deductible one-off donation at any time via our website https://go.homesforhomes.org.au/donations.

The work Homes for Homes is doing to address homelessness in Australia is inspiring, and their innovative approach shows how small contributions can lead to big results. As we’ve seen through the success stories of businesses like Denman Prospect, real change happens when organizations come together for a common goal. BROOK Recruitment is excited to be part of this mission, and we encourage all businesses to explore how they can integrate Homes for Homes into their CSR strategies. By working together, we can make a meaningful impact and help end homelessness in Australia.

For more information on how your business can get involved, visit Homes for Homes and join us in making a difference.