{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/blog/{{slug}}" }, "headline": "{{title}}", "description": "{{desc}}", "image": "{{image}}", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "url": "https://www.bankaust.com.au/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Bank Australia", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ecdff8/64d5d5beb2a67e9491ece00c_BA-logo-white.webp" } }, "datePublished": "{{datePublished}}", "dateModified": "{{dateModified}}" }
Alert notice

1 July 2025: updates to privacy and credit reporting policy - We have updated our privacy and credit reporting policy, effective 1 July 2025. Learn more.

2025-07-01 9:47 am
Alert notice

2 July 2025 – Qantas cyber incident. We are aware of a cyber incident at Qantas that has resulted in the release of some Qantas customers’ personal information. Learn more.

2025-06-19 11:58 am
Back to blog
Impact

How your morning coffee can help end youth homelessness

Photo journal

Around 28,000 young Australians don’t have a safe place to sleep at night. But the team at social enterprise and Bank Australia customer For Change Co are changing that, by creating a hospitality training and development program as a pathway out of homelessness.

Every night, around 28,000 young Australians don’t have a safe place to sleep. While most of us are tucked up in bed, these young people – aged between 16 and 24 – are sleeping rough, couch surfing, or trying to find a way out of unsafe or unstable housing.

Melbourne-based social enterprise and Bank Australia customer For Change Co. is working to change this. The team, headed up by co-founder and managing director Tenille Gilbert, pictured above, began operating in 2015, as a way to create a pathway for young people who are at risk of homelessness.

They did this by starting a small range of venues, acting as both training and employment spaces. Each of these enterprises – coffee carts, cafes and a food truck – plays its own unique role in the For Change Co ecosystem. The profits from every coffee, toastie and crepe go towards housing, education and employment, as well as building confidence and community.

Entry into the program – called home.plate – starts at two of For Change Co partner accommodation spaces: Launch Housing and Melbourne City Mission. Here, young people can to connect with social workers and think about their next steps while receiving a roof over their heads.

“If they’ve got an interest in hospitality, or have had a negative work experience, that’s when their youth worker might refer them to us,” explains Tenille.

The program starts with two weekly shifts at a coffee cart at RMIT University. “Some of them haven’t worked before, so they’re not used to being on their feet for three hours, let alone not having a break,” Tenille says. “This helps them develop some of those skills and an understanding about the workplace.”

From there, they move to Brunswick’s cosy home.one café, where they build skills in both food and customer service. “This is where their confidence really starts to grow. There’s a great community, so participants tend to feel really welcomed and supported,” she explains.

At the busier home.two cafe at the University of Melbourne, the focus is on becoming autonomous employees. By now, they’ve honed their skills and can navigate the café’s fast-paced environment.

A person leans by the door of a coffee shop

The final step is Open Shift, an employment-networking program.  “That’s where we reach out to partner employers and say ‘Hey, we’ve got this young person who we know is amazing and would be a great employee for you’,” Tenille says. “Open Shift is about creating those opportunities for our graduates.”

Everyone moves through the six-month program at their own pace to ensure they’re learning as much as they can, without feeling like they’re being rushed.

“Many young people have had negative experiences in the education system, which has told them ‘time’s up, you have to move on now’,” Tenille says. “That’s not the model we go for.”

Around 70% of home.plate participants graduate, with 100% of graduates going on to complete further education or find jobs. Tenille credits the high rate of employment to the transition phase between graduating and finding work that’s right for them.

“Our Program Manager, who works with participants throughout the program to help them achieve their goals, stays in touch after they graduate to make sure they feel confident in taking those next steps,” Tenille says.

For Change Co has been with Bank Australia for three years, becoming customers due to an alignment in values, particularly around sustainability.

“Our core mission is around youth homelessness, but sustainability is our secondary mission,” Tenille says. “If we don’t focus on creating a sustainable future that young people can really thrive in, what’s all our work for?”

Find out more about For Change Co here.

Related stories

Impact

Partnering with purpose: Bank Australia and Muru Office Supplies

Who we do business with matters. That’s why we’re proud to announce our new partnership with Muru Office Supplies—a Supply Nation certified, Indigenous-owned business that shares our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable future.

Impact

“Doing well and doing good”: How Coffee Club Investment Group is creating beautiful accessible housing

In a quiet, tree-lined street just 11kms from Melbourne’s CBD, a residential development is reshaping how Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) can look and feel. Named “Bumblebee”, this ten-apartment complex is more than a housing solution – it’s an example of purpose-driven design.

Read how Specialist Disability Accommodation is being reshaped in Melbourne.

Impact

“Stories of strength, resilience and self-determination”: Victorian Aboriginal News is amplifying First Nations voices

From his van on Country to the airwaves across Victoria, Uncle Charles Pakana is amplifying First Nations voices through Victorian Aboriginal News. We spoke to Uncle Charles about how the independent media project, backed by Bank Australia, is changing the narrative around reconciliation.

Read how Uncle Charles Pakana uses his VAN as a voice for the future.

Impact

How Nalderun is helping young First Nations people thrive

On Djaara Country in Central Victoria, Bank Australia community customer grant recipient Nalderun has been changing the lives of young First Nations people for over 15 years. Their aim? To help their kids thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Impact

First Nations Recognition and Respect: An update one year on from our strategy launch

In May 2024, Bank Australia launched its First Nations Recognition and Respect strategy, setting out our vision for walking together towards First Nations justice, reconciliation and self-determination. One year on, we spoke with Rafe Pfitzner Milika, our Manager Reconciliation Strategy, to reflect

Read the highlights one year on from our First Nations Recognition and Respect strategy Launch

News

We've signed up to Respect and Protect – Combating financial and domestic abuse

We’re proud to announce that Bank Australia has signed up to the ‘Respect and Protect’ program where we join like-minded customer-owned banks in updating our terms and conditions to better protect customers from domestic and financial abuse. We recognise the significant responsibility we have in add