Movie Night
In the lead up to International Women’s Day our movie night fundraiser attracted its biggest crowd ever. This event is always a great opportunity to thank our supporters and talk about new projects. Fabulous raffle prizes were donated by Alpha60, Christine Gilbertson and Liz Besson. Guests thoroughly enjoyed the screening of hit movie, On the Basis of Sex. Thanks to all who attended and dug deep for the raffle.
Pakenham Project Funded!
With the help of a generous grant from the Edward Wilson Trust we have reached our fundraising target for the Pakenham development. The project is now funded, our planning permit is approved, and the builder contracted, so it’s full steam ahead on our 6-home development. SJD Homes are now working toward construction.
We are extremely grateful to the Victorian Property Fund for their generous grant, the Edward Wilson Trust, Cardinia Council and all of the individuals who contributed to our Changing Futures Fund. Thank-you to the many people and organisations who have supported this development with donations and in-kind contributions. You are changing the lives of six worthy women and their children. We want to get these houses on the ground as soon as possible to provide desperately needed accommodation for local families.
This is just one of our projects. Please donate to help us with some of the others!
Brian O'Donnell House
In April, we were delighted to accept the keys to Brian O’Donnell house in Ashwood, a beautiful 3-bedroom home donated to us by the Victorian Homeless Fund (VHF). The VHF is a group of volunteers supported by the Housing Industry Association who work year-round to assist the homeless by building and renovating houses. Named in honour of a former committee member of the VHF, Brian O’Donnell House was officially opened by Housing Minister, Richard Wynne. The next day it became home to a single mum and her three sons. After some rough times, they are desperate for stability and security, and are beyond ecstatic about their new home.
The home was developed by the VHF and built by SJD Homes (also the contracted builders for our Pakenham development) who generously contributed to the project along with a wide range of suppliers and trades. The project is an example of people coming together to make a difference and help those in need!
Older Women’s Program
Our planning permit for the 4-home pilot of our Older Women’s Program in Beaconsfield is now approved! The program is designed to assist women with some savings (but not enough to buy a property of their own) to invest in secure, high quality, affordable housing, and at the same time, maintain their capital. This model prevents them from depleting their savings in the private rental market and later requiring more costly social housing.
The project has received generous support from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Gandel Philanthropy, Homes for Homes and the Mercy Foundation. A full evaluation of the pilot, with a view to rolling it out on a wider scale, will be carried out with funding from the Ian Potter Foundation and the Westpac Foundation. We are so grateful for the support of these organisations and we look forward to this becoming an accepted model for housing older women and preventing homelessness. Please get in touch if you'd like more information about the program.
Bequests
Many of our supporters are not able to make donations right now. But have you ever thought about helping women and children facing homelessness by leaving us a gift in your will? Bequests are a practical and valuable way to give. You might think that bequests are just for the wealthy, but that’s not the case. Every gift, large or small, helps us create new beginnings for women and children with safe, permanent and affordable homes.
There are several ways to do this, such as gifting an amount of money or a property. Get more information about how to leave us a gift in your will.
Property Initiatives Real Estate
Our real estate agency, Property Initiatives, continues to grow, with over 150 properties under management. After an exciting auction result late last year, they have another fabulous sales listing in the superb Port Authority building in Melbourne’s CBD. Read more about this listing and others. Don’t forget if you want to make a difference with your real estate investment, 100% of Property Initiatives profits are used to provide housing for women and children facing homelessness. It's real estate that changes lives.
Contact the team on 03 96633275!
Social Housing Volunteer Awards
One of our fabulous tenants, Helen, was recognised in the 2018 Victorian Social Housing Volunteer Awards. Helen didn’t classify herself as ‘homeless, thinking this only applied to rough sleepers. Now she knows the term applies to all sorts of precarious housing arrangements like couch-surfing and rooming houses.
Helen went through some really hard times, including an living in a rooming house for an extended period where she felt frightened, unsafe and had no privacy. Now she lives in a WPI home in Coburg.
Secure and permanent housing has had a profoundly positive impact after years of stress and trauma. It's given Helen the confidence to use her experience to help others. She gives her time generously to advocacy initiatives and talks about the challenges faced by people who don’t have safe housing. Well done, Helen!
Retiring into Poverty
WPI is part of the National Older Women's Housing and Homelessness Working Group. The group is calling on all political parties in the lead-up to the Federal Election to prioritise measures to address the rapid rise of older women experiencing housing stress and homelessness.
The next Federal Government needs to urgently address how vulnerable people with few resources, who are reliant on the aged pension will be adequately supported. Housing providers and women’s services across the country are seeing more and more older women being rendered homeless and the data backs this up.
Between the 2011 and 2016 Census’ there’s been a 31 per cent rise in homelessness among older women. Alarmingly, compared to 2006, there is a 97 per cent increase in the number of older women forced to rent in increasingly unaffordable private markets. We are very concerned that this group of women is at great risk of homelessness. Action is urgently needed.
Read the Retiring into Poverty report.
Workplace Giving
Does your organisation provide opportunities for workplace giving. Many employers offer matched giving to increase your impact. When donors give through workplace giving, the tax benefits are immediate. There is no need to organise receipts at the end of June and no risk of missing out on claims through lost paperwork. We will use your contribution to create homes for women and children in need and we would love to be your chosen charity. You can search for us on Good2Give if your organisation uses it. Otherwise email admin@wpi.org.au to discuss us participating in your workplace giving.
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