‘Home Truths’: A Queers in Property x Shelter NSW event for Pride Month 

Queers in Property and Shelter NSW hosted an event for Pride Month on 5 June, ‘Home Truths’. It included a presentation and panel discussion around the Shelter NSW report released last year, in collaboration with Teremok and the City of Sydney: ‘Examining the intersectionality of housing needs for the LGBTIQA+ community across the City of Sydney’. The panel discussion included Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, Zann Maxwell, Shelter NSW’s CEO, John Engeler, and report author Kath Buden (Teremok), and Caroline Tomiczek (Urbis). The conversation focused on the specific challenges of finding housing as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Inner West Council releases ‘Our Fairer Future’: A new plan to guide development in the Inner West 

The Inner West Council has released ‘Our Fairer Future for the Inner West’, a new plan to guide development in the area. The plan aims to support supply of diverse, high-quality housing, including affordable rental housing, primarily located near transport hubs and town centres.  

John Engeler, Shelter NSW CEO, attended the launch of the plan, where he spoke about Shelter NSW vision for good growth: development supporting inclusive, diverse communities by providing accessible, affordable, high amenity housing. While Shelter NSW supports higher levels of affordable housing contributions being levied in the plan, we see ‘Our Fairer Future’ as a great start for good strategic planning delivering benefits for all. While we would have liked to see this level of contribution to be applied from the get-go, we are particularly supportive of the 5% of Gross Floor Area (GFA) affordable housing contribution levy, to be applied to all development in the Inner West, commencing in five years. Initial rates will be set at 2% of GFA. 

‘Our Fairer Future’ sends a positive message to every other council across Greater Sydney and beyond. Through careful and considered strategic planning and community consultation, local government can support ambitious housing supply, including affordable housing delivery, while preserving local character and supporting inclusive and diverse communities. 

Property Council’s ‘NSW Housing Summit’ 

The NSW Housing Summit, hosted by the McKell Institute and the NSW Division of the Property Council of Australia, brought together a range of stakeholders and experts from the property development, building, and housing and homelessness sector. Strange bedfellows make for powerful and innovative policy development, and Shelter NSW was pleased to not only have a seat at the table, but to hold the talking stick. 

John Engeler, our CEO, moderated a panel session titled ‘Bridging the Gap’ which brought together Janelle Goulding (Landcom), Nicola Lemon (KPMG), Robert Tawaf (AXA Investment Managers) and Michael Wheatley (Homes NSW), to look at the changes needed in policy, financing, and partnerships to deliver affordable housing at scale, as well as the ways in which Community Housing Providers can achieve long lasting social impact.  

John Engeler, Shelter NSW CEO, moderating the ‘Bridging the Gap’ panel discussion with fellow panel members from NSW Government and the private sector. 

Foyer Foundation 2025 Conference: ‘The Foyer Advantage’ 

How do we address homelessness in a way that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of young people? What are the pieces of the puzzle that we must bring together to create a world where youth homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurrent? These questions were at the core of the 2025 Foyer Foundation conference, ‘The Foyer Advantage’, which brought together panel discussions around best practice from the 16 accredited Youth Foyers, art, stories and music from Youth Foyer residents, and new and disruptive ideas to work towards the end of youth homelessness.  

John Engeler, Shelter NSW CEO, moderated a panel titled ‘Innovating for people, place and purpose’. The panel looked at ever-changing communities and the needs that accredited specialised foyers can meet for young people. The panel brought together Amy Cumming, Practice Lead, Foyer Warrnambool, Narelle Clay, Southern Youth & Family Services’ CEO, and Percy Martin, a resident of Logan Youth Foyer, for a most fruitful conversation looking at the future of service and housing delivery in the youth homelessness space.  

(From left to right) John Engeler, Shelter NSW CEO, John Macmillan, Yfoundations CEO, and Liz Cameron-Smith, Foyer Foundation co-CEO at the Foyer Foundation DISRUPT festival.