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Design and construction of youth foyers

Youth  Foyers are designed to be good neighbours, and provide homes for young people that are safe, resilient, affordable, accessible, practical, comfortable, green and healthy.

The optimal design and location of a youth foyer balances:

  • the local demand for services

  • the ability to include the right mix of apartments and shared spaces

  • sustainability through value for money and service delivery.

Location

Young people living in youth foyers are working to achieve their education or employment aspirations.

When choosing the location of a new youth foyer, consideration is given to the proximity to local education institutions, public transport and connection to local amenities and services.

Design principles should reflect the local climate, existing place character, and culture and community values.

Design

Balance

The design of a youth foyer balances the practical requirements of an independent home environment with shared spaces to positively support young tenants.

This requires the right mix of spaces where young tenants can learn tenancy and life skills, while engaging with peers and support providers as needed:

  • self-contained units with study areas

  • shared outdoor, socialising and recreational areas

  • private meeting rooms, office and training spaces.

Off-street car parking and covered outdoor areas are also built into the design.

The design of the youth foyer considers the diverse needs of young people and local demand for supported accommodation to help young people achieve longer-term social and economic outcomes.

The youth foyer model in Queensland has been designed with young people, service providers and adapted to meet the specific needs of each community.

Co-design

In many cases, youth foyer developments are designed cooperatively with the community. For example, Bark Architects led the co-design of the Logan Youth Foyer with local stakeholders including:

  • Logan City Council
  • the on-site service providers (Wesley Mission Queensland)
  • the property and tenancy managers (Community Housing (QLD)  Ltd.)
  • current and former young residents of the existing Foyer.

Expanding the existing Logan Youth Foyer

The Logan Youth Foyer expansion project reached practical completion on 17 June 2019. Read more about Logan Youth Foyer​.

New youth foyer developments

The Gold Coast reached practical completion on 29 June 2021.

A new Townsville Youth Foyer is expected to start construction in 2022. It will provide much-needed supported housing for local young people. We will provide regular updates and information on the development on this website.

More about youth foyers

Last updated: 
3 March 2020