UQ MBA alumnus Matt Granfield is on a mission to change the way we think about homelessness, one room at a time, via his not-for-profit organisation Spare Keys.
While working as an executive at a large hotel company, Matt realised there were often many hotel rooms that went unused each night. Having witnessed a family member experience homelessness in the past, and with a personal mission statement of helping those in need, Matt wondered why these empty rooms couldn’t be made available to people who were going through a tough time.
“It seemed like such a waste to see rooms go vacant when there were people who didn’t have a place to sleep”, says Matt.
After experiencing some resistance to the idea from the hotel chain he worked for, Matt set out on his own to build a platform and connect with people who could bring his vision to life. This culminated in the launch of Spare Keys, a registered charity that matches empty hotel rooms and unused airline seats with people experiencing tough times.
