Older Women's Network

Homes for Older Women

Homes for Older Women

This project aims to end the homelessness of older women in the Blue Mountains region. It is spearheaded by the Blue Mountains branch of the Older Women’s Network NSW through ‘Homes for Older Women (HOW)’ program. The target group is women aged 55+ who are grappling with housing insecurity and homelessness. With 33,000 homes in ...

GOAL

$150,000

Australia > NSW > Regional
03/01/2025 > 03/02/2026

Field of Interest

  • Housing and homelessness
  • Social inclusion and justice

Target Population

  • People experiencing or at risk of homelessness
  • Seniors (65+)
Older Women's Network Older Women's Network

The Older Women’s Network has been a vital, strong and consistent voice for older women in NSW for more than 37 years.

We have been at the forefront of progressive change, activism and advocacy since our humble beginnings when a group of women from the NSW Combined Pensioners Association decided to do something for older women in 1985.

We have gone from strength to strength as a dynamic members-led organisation expanding throughout NSW with around 18 groups.

Over the years, OWN has developed services and resources for older women and has written and contributed to numerous influential reports on key issues for older women such as income security, homelessness, ageism, wellbeing, abuse of older people and domestic violence.

We have played a big part in putting these issues at the forefront of public policy debates. Equally important is OWN’s history of friendship, mutual support and, of course, fun!

Project Summary

This project aims to end the homelessness of older women in the Blue Mountains region. It is spearheaded by the Blue Mountains branch of the Older Women’s Network NSW through ‘Homes for Older Women (HOW)’ program. The target group is women aged 55+ who are grappling with housing insecurity and homelessness. With 33,000 homes in the Blue Mountains and low occupancy, HOW will work to connect older women who are homeless/housing insecure with empathetic homeowners who can provide suitable accommodation options such as spare bedrooms or granny flats at an affordable rate.

We have received a grant for seed funding from the Mercy Foundation that enabled us to employ a part-time Program Manager to oversee the HOW program for 12 months. This funding ends in March 2025 and we are seeking further funding to continue employing the Program Manager from March 2025 to March 2026 and beyond. To amplify the impact of the project, we are also seeking funding for the employment of an Program Assistant to widen the reach and impact of the program.

A significant amount of work has already been undertaken to establish the project, thanks to pro bono support including legal advice and marketing, as well as website design. The feedback received from older women and the community is that this project is necessary and provides a lifeline for older women who are housing insecure.

Project Outcomes

The key outcome for the project is the reduction in the rates of homelessness of older women. This is achieved through the following:
- Connection to Stable Housing
- Older women will be linked to stable, long term rental accommodation. HOW will identify homeowners who have affordable offerings and connect them with housing insecure older women.
- Wraparound Service for Vulnerable Older Women.
- We connect housing insecure older women who require additional support with local organisations which can help them with their physical, psychological and financial wellbeing so they can maintain their tenancy, avoid eviction, and address any housing-related challenges they may face. This is facilitated through the links provided by our Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from Blue Mountains City Council, the Blue Mountains - -
- Women’s Health and Resource Centre, Mountains Community Resource Network, Link Wentworth and the Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains.
- Enhanced Housing Safety and Quality
- HOW will provide the vetting service to ensure that homeowners are genuine so that the older women can be assured of safe, secure, long-term housing that meets their individual needs.
- Empowering Older Women
- By providing the fundamental basis for enabling older women to age in dignity, this project will support older women to concentrate on strengthening their capability to address the other challenges in their lives. Our Advisory - Committee representatives and other community organisations will be offering skill-building activities, financial literacy training, and support with goal setting to help recipients maintain their housing over the long term.

Budget Breakdown

TOTAL BUDGET: $186,000
FUNDING
Funding source Amount
Private Funding (confirmed) $30,000
OWN NSW (confirmed) $1,000
OWN BM Fundraising (confirmed) $5,000
Funding gap (unconfirmed) $150,000
EXPENSES
Expense item Amount
Program Manager (including on costs) $100,000
Program Assistant (including on costs) $58,000
Communications (print, flyers, website, etc) $11,500
Vehicle allowance for two staff $4,500
Volunteer training (to ensure volunteers assisting the program understand data integrity & security) $2,500
Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting $3,000
Office expenses $4,000
Meeting expenses $2,500

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Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

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