Team CGW sleeps rough for Qld’s young homeless

Four Cooper Grace Ward team members joined a gathering of young professionals and students from the property and construction industry last night for the annual PropertyBlitz Street Sleep event, which raises money toward tackling youth homelessness in Queensland.

‘Team CGW’ – Camille Tewari, Gabrielle Honey, Sarah Dewar and Miranda Bird – slept under the stars at Brisbane’s RNA Showgrounds with little more than a sheet of cardboard for comfort in order to experience the reality facing more than 26,000 young Queenslanders every night.

Thanks to numerous donations from colleagues, family, friends and the CGW partners, the team raised more than $4,500 and were one of Queensland’s top fundraising teams.

Cooper Grace Ward has a strong corporate social responsibility program and is committed to making a meaningful contribution to the community. Our team’s participation in Street Sleep is just one of many examples of how we are giving back to those less fortunate.

All funds raised from the Street Sleep event go towards the Property Industry Foundation (PIF) House Program, which acquires and renovates houses to be presented to charities. These houses then become homes for disadvantaged young people.

In Queensland, the renovated home will be donated to Youth Emergency Services. The PIF PropertyBlitz committee has recently completed renovations on a house in Windsor, Brisbane.

Youth homelessness is a huge issue in Queensland, with more than 26,000 young people aged 12 to 18 living on the streets. Our rate of youth homelessness in this age bracket is well above the national average.
In many cases, these young people have fled from dysfunctional and abusive environments only to find themselves in a far worse predicament on the streets.

Australia-wide, PropertyBlitz Street Sleep has raised more than $153,000 in 2014 towards making a tangible difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

You can find out more about PropertyBlitz Street Sleep at http://www.propertyblitzstreetsleep.com.au/