Partnership with Built

WPI is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with Built to deliver more homes for women and children at risk of homelessness.

Built has named WPI its Victorian Charity Partner and will be supporting us with fundraising and volunteers on some key projects and across a range of skillsets. Recently we met with some of the Built team, including National Director, Ross Walker. It was also an opportunity for one of our wonderful tenants to bravely share her experience of family violence with the group to demonstrate the impact that Built’s support will make to women facing disadvantage and abuse.

On behalf of their clients, Built has generously donated gift cards for the women and children living in WPI homes this festive season. Receiving these gifts was overwhelming for some of our tenants. This donation will have a very powerful impact for these women and their families by helping them to cover some of the costs of the holiday season.

This was the response from one of our tenants: " I received our gift cards today & just wanted to say thank you SO SO much, I honestly couldn’t be any more grateful. 

Definitely not only made my day but made Christmas a little less stressful. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get my daughter something she really wants. It meant so much to me and for my daughter."

Give the gift of a secure home this Festive Season

A secure roof overhead is something most of us take for granted. But for many women earning low incomes, and in many cases supporting families, a secure home is out of reach. Making a donation to our End of Year Appeal will make a big difference to women like our tenant, Zora. Read more about Zora and the impact a secure home has had on her life. 

Older Women's Housing Project

It was wonderful to gather with supporters of our Older Women's Housing Project to show them through these wonderful homes. There were representatives from Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, Gandel Foundation and Homes for Homes who provided generous funding for this project, as well as Studio Bright who worked tirelessly to design and execute these homes, Brickworks who donated the striking bricks, and ULS Group who completed the beautiful landscaping. The project has also been generously supported by BlueScope Steel, Eckersley Garden Architecture and RK Design and Build.

Many women have too many assets to qualify for social housing, but not nearly enough to own a home of their own. This leaves them in a very vulnerable position in the private rental market. These thoughtfully designed, adaptable homes are available now for older women who want to invest in a secure home for the future. To find out more visit https://wpi.org.au/older-womens-housing-project/

Partnership with Strathcona Girls Grammar

We are delighted to partner with Strathcona Girl’s Grammar in 2022. Strathcona students will participate in fundraising, donation of goods and acts of service. They will also have the opportunity for hands-on learning through a range of initiatives.

We recently had an opportunity to meet a truly impressive group of young women who will take up student leadership positions next year. As future leaders, the young women at Strathcona can help us raise awareness in the broader community about the issues surrounding gender equality, women’s financial security, family violence and the gendered nature of homelessness.

Strathcona’s first initiative to support WPI was to create wonderful hampers for our tenants, who  often don’t have the opportunity to treat themselves at this time of year.  

Nightingale Village

Nightingale Housing recently took us on a site tour of Evergreen and Skye House, two of the six buildings that form Nightingale Village. We were accompanied by the Board of  Matrix Guild. Matrix, who raise awareness of the health, housing and care needs of older lesbians, are long term supporters of WPI. With a bequest from one of their founding members, Sara Elkas, they have made a significant contribution to and will hold nomination rights for four of the nine apartments we have purchased in Nightingale Village. Funding was also received from the Victorian Government's Social Housing Growth Fund.

It was a very busy building site with fantastic progress being made, including kitchens and bathrooms being fitted. We can't wait to see them complete in the first half of next year. 

Thanks for the tour Nightingale Housing!

Equality Media

We are very excited about a new relationship with Equality Media who will be contributing their time and skills to support WPI, in particular around promotion and fundraising during our 25th anniversary year. They have also made very generous donations to WPI this year! We we can’t wait to achieve great things with the enthusiastic and create team at Equality.  

Mt Atkinson House

Exciting progress has been made on our block in Mt Atkinson with the frame now up. This land was donated to WPI by the Scalzo Family and will be the site of a new five bedroom, large family home. We are thrilled to partner with the Victorian Homeless Fund on this project and we are extremely grateful for generous contributions from Lendlease and ISPT to make it possible to build this home. Construction will be undertaken by Dennis Family Homes who are also making a generous pro bono contribution to the project. We look forward to opening this beautiful home to a woman led family in 2022.

The Nest - Building Solid Foundations Together

In 2022, WPI and The Bridge Youth Service will be working together to provide homes for young mums. The Bridge support young people in northern Victoria with a wide range of services, including early intervention in mental health and wellbeing, help with housing, school and education support, parenting and family services and mentoring. The Bridge and WPI are committed to working together to deliver homes for young single mums where they can be supported while they adjust to family life, earn a rental history, and continue with their education and employment.

The Bridge have purchased land in Mooroopna in Northern Victoria which is well located in proximity to services, and will grant a long term lease to WPI to develop, own and operate three two-bedroom homes on the site. These homes will be tenanted by clients of The Bridge. Aptly named “The Nest”, the project will create solid foundations for these young women to build happy and healthy lives.

Image credit: Schored Projects

Big Housing Build

In partnership with Homes Victoria, we are delivering five new homes for vulnerable women and children on the Mornington Peninsula, as part of the Victorian State Government's Big Housing Build. The homes are within a larger development with construction underway and completion scheduled for late 2022. The Big Housing Build will deliver more than 12,000 new social housing homes and create more than 10,000 jobs over the life of the program.