Leaders in the property industry are preparing to spend a night sleeping rough as part of Australia’s largest sleepover to raise funds for young homeless Australians.

The Property Industry Foundation campaign StreetSLEEP will see hundreds of young leaders gather at the Dexus property in Pyrmont, Sydney to participate in the sleep out. The funds that they raise will go towards building homes for young people in need of a safe place to sleep.

Head of Office Portfolio at Dexus, a real estate investment sponsoring the sleep out, Richard Garing, said: “Homelessness is an upsetting reality for some young Australians in our cities and an issue which needs to be tackled through initiatives such as StreetSLEEP.”

Across Australia, 42 per cent of homeless people are aged 25 and under and many are struggling to find a safe place to sleep each night. By opting to spend a night on a piece of cardboard, StreetSLEEP participants will experience the real, uncomfortable conditions that young homeless people face each night.

Funds will contribute to the Property Industry Foundation House Program, where 125 bedrooms will be built to provide at-risk youth with a place to stay in Sydney.

The foundation aims to address issues around homelessness by working closely with charities, including Weave, Marist180 and Kari.

Property Industry Foundation CEO, Kate Mills, said the great aspect of StreetSLEEP is that it really gets people thinking about what it means to be homeless.

“If you have to sleep on a concrete floor in a car park, it makes the issue a bit more personal. There’s also a fantastic team spirit among people participating and they come with a group from their companies really eager to make a difference.”

Through events and initiatives like StreetSLEEP, the foundation is closer to increasing the number of bedrooms available for young people in need of shelter.