Cocoon

This project addresses a critical gap in Australia’s response to homelessness: the lack of scalable, cross-sector solutions and limited engagement of business in driving change.
Homelessness is rising, with young women and gender diverse people disproportionately affected. Housing shortages, domestic violence and economic instability are increasing vulnerability, while public narratives often reinforce stigma rather than understanding.

At the same time, government and community services are under strain, and the role of business remains underutilised. The system continues to default to the same approaches, with limited progress at the scale required.

Cocoon refuses to accept those constraints. It centres lived experience to shift perception and build empathy, while demonstrating a practical, replicable model that mobilises community and business to create real impact, through a gender-informed lens that reflects the experiences of young women and gender diverse people.

This project aims to reframe homelessness in Australia by shifting it from a marginalised social issue to a shared national responsibility, with business playing a central role in driving solutions.

By combining lived experience with real-time action, the series seeks to challenge stigma, increase public understanding, and influence how homelessness is perceived and addressed. It aims to activate businesses to move beyond awareness into tangible engagement, demonstrating practical pathways for corporate involvement that are scalable and replicable.

The long-term vision is to catalyse cross-sector collaboration between business, government, and community, contributing to more effective, sustainable responses to homelessness. Through storytelling that drives both empathy and action, the project aspires to create measurable impact in public discourse, partnerships, and outcomes for people experiencing housing insecurity.

Through Cocoon, we aim to reset a stagnant national conversation on homelessness, achieving both immediate awareness and long-term, measurable impact in how it is understood and addressed in Australia.
In the short term, the series seeks to humanise homelessness by sharing lived experiences, challenging stigma, and shifting public perception. By bringing audiences closer to the realities behind the crisis, the project aims to foster empathy and a more informed national conversation.

A key objective is to activate business as a driver of change. By showcasing real examples of organisations stepping into the solution, the series provides clear, practical pathways for others to engage, invest, and take responsibility. This includes influencing corporate behaviour, encouraging partnerships, and demonstrating scalable models that can be replicated across industries.

The project also aims to strengthen cross-sector collaboration between business, government, and community organisations.

This project is grounded in direct relationships and ongoing work within the homelessness sector through Bridge It.

As Founder and CEO, Carla Raynes has worked in the homelessness field for over 20 years, building strong partnerships with businesses, service providers, and individuals with lived experience. The series is embedded within Bridge It’s current work, providing real-time access to the team, partners, and participants involved in Cocoon.

These established relationships ensure authentic access, ethical engagement, and a high level of trust with those whose stories are being shared.

The series will call on businesses to take an active role in solutions, through funding, partnerships, and contributing resources to deliver housing outcomes. It will encourage policymakers and government to strengthen investment and accountability, and to support more collaborative, cross-sector approaches.

For the broader public, the call to action is to challenge stigma, support organisations working in the space, and engage in conversations that drive demand for more effective responses to homelessness.