Updates from Women's Property Initiatives Update April 2024 I have mixed emotions providing updates on Women's Property Initiatives' work and progress for the last time before my retirement at the end of April. It has been a great privilege to work with so many outstanding individuals and organisations during my time at WPI to advance the provision of housing for vulnerable women and their families. To say that the past 19 years have been rewarding would be an understatement. On behalf of the team, I warmly welcome incoming CEO, Roberta Buchanan, to continue this essential work and drive WPI forward. Roberta has decades of experience in the community housing sector and is strongly committed to changing the lives of vulnerable women and children through secure and affordable housing. The leadership of WPI will be in very capable hands. It is so exciting to announce that we have now funded 23 of the 25 new homes that we aim to deliver by 2025. We set this goal on our 25th Anniversary and this is very satisfying progress. That's 25 more female led households that will have secure homes as a foundation to lead happy and healthy lives. Thank you so much to the many contributors to this achievement. We are very grateful for your commitment to changing the future for vulnerable women. The team are working hard on funding the remaining two homes to reach this target which will be the focus of our next Opening More Doors Giving Day. You will hear more about this very soon. Once again, I would like to thank all of you who have supported me both personally and professionally throughout my career. I will intensely miss the work and interacting with such passionate people, but I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming travel that I have planned and my next adventures. I look forward to our paths crossing in the future. Please continue to support the growth of this wonderful organisation. Warm Regards Lucy Simms Appointed Chief Commercial Officer We are delighted to announce that Lucy Simms, previously Head of Strategy, Fundraising and Partnerships, has been appointed WPI’s Chief Commercial Officer. Lucy will work alongside the team and new CEO, Roberta Buchanan, to advance WPI’s ambitious growth strategy. She will lead our revenue strategy and business development as we strive to deliver housing growth that will change the lives of women and women led families experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness. Lucy’s track record of revenue raising and securing partnerships speaks for itself – we are very fortunate to have her focus on growth and impact. The Nest Exciting steps have been made on the Nest in Shepparton with contracts signed with our appointed building partner, Modular Spaces, and a building permit about to be issued. We expect very rapid progress in the coming months with in factory construction underway on these innovative modular homes designed by Schored Projects. Volunteers have undertaken preliminary land scaping and on site works will also commence very soon in preparation for the modules to be delivered in the middle of the year. The Nest is a partnership between the Property Industry Foundation, Women’s Property Initiatives and The Bridge Youth Services (TBYS) to build three 2-bedroom homes where young mums (up to 25 years old) can live independently with their child or children. These young mums can live in the homes for up to five years with ongoing support. The homes will be built on land owned by TBYS who will also provide the essential wraparound support for these families. As well as providing stability, support and safety, these homes will enable these young women to establish a rental history to help them with future access in the private rental market. The Property Industry Foundation, committed to alleviating youth homelessness, will fund a large part of the construction supported by The Danks Trust, ISPT, Mercy Foundation, Home for Homes and The Flora and Frank Leith Trust. WPI has received generous funding for the project from The Felton Bequest, The Wood Foundation and the Jack and Ethel Goldin Foundation. International Women's Day Events March is always a busy month as we celebrate International Women's Day and the achievements of women. The theme this year was "invest in women: accelerate progress" and we believe one of the most important ways of investing in women is the provision of secure and affordable housing. As well as holding our own International Women's Day lunch at the beautiful Alexandra Club attended by 100 friends and supporters, we were extremely fortunate to be the charity partner for the Property Council of Australia's IWD lunch, where $43,000 was raised for WPI. It was also wonderful to be invited to other events by organisations who have generously supported us and who are committed to championing women including Scalzo Foods and Piccolo. It is always a pleasure to shine a light on our cause. Read more. WPI Partners With Arden Homes We are absolutely delighted to be joining forces with Arden Homes to improve the lives of women and women led families who have been living in housing crisis. In late 2023, Arden through the NEX Charitable Foundation donated $40,000 to help WPI support two families moving into new homes on the Mornington Peninsula with desperately needed furniture and appliances and provide crucial seed funding for seven new homes we will build in the area. Through the NEX foundation, Arden have committed to three years of funding, an arrangement that will make a huge difference to women and children at risk of homelessness. WPI is very fortunate to be working with Arden, an organization that shares our determination to deliver more homes that provide women and their families with a foundation for happier and healthier lives. This is a very significant partnership for WPI. Read More. The rewards of our work Our Office Manager, Sue, recently showed some of our newest renters through their homes and she provides some insights on what we all consider the best part of our work. "I was the first to show these women through their beautiful, new, three-bedroom homes with great light and space. I was assisting another team member on this occasion and it was a wonderful experience. The first young woman was Laura* who came through with her parents. Laura and her three children had been living with her mum and dad for a year after escaping family violence. Laura slept on the couch & her three girls, all of whom have additional needs due to a rare condition, had the spare room. Laura’s parents were obviously highly devoted but it was clear that it had been hard on them all. Their emotional reaction was very moving and I struggled to maintain my own composure! As a mum, the reaction of her parents really resonated with me." Read More. |