Women’s Property Initiatives (WPI) mission is to build a secure future for women and children in need by developing and providing good quality, long term affordable housing. In partnership with Platinum Institute Australia (PIA), a registered training organisation operating in Ballarat, Geelong and Braybrook), WPI is seeking a two-fold approach to build more social housing across Victoria and build strategies to positively impact the places where people live, learn, work and play by providing safe and affordable homes for families, particularly those escaping domestic violence. This partnership will provide real outcomes and a life-changing difference for women-led families in need of secure housing and enable students to receive positive education and attain the social skills and professional qualifications needed for a successful future and employability.
Vulnerable women face severe financial disadvantage with 70% -80% of women in need working in low paid jobs, with 40% working part time or casually. By focusing on women who are predominantly suffering from financial disadvantage and domestic violence, WPI is trying to close the housing and financial gaps for women and their children by providing safe and secure housing to women-led households. Moreover, PIA provides excellence in training for disadvantaged students, focusing on breaking cyclical behaviours through promoting the merit of hard work and developing pro-social skills.
1. 'Homes to Help' houses will be donated to WPI to provide a home to women-led families escaping family violence and other women in need
This quarterly built home donation is central to the WPI-Platinum Institute partnership with students helping to design and build the residence. Students will construct modular and transportable homes, which WPI will use to house disadvantaged women and survivors of domestic violence. Each new cohort of students will build a new dwelling and develop a greater awareness of family violence and the various social dilemmas which necessitate this project.
2. Provision of employment, training and employment pathways for young students in regional Victoria.
Annually four times a year of students will be enrolled in the 2338VIC Certificate II Building and Construction Pre-Apprenticeship course for 16 weeks. PIA will work closely with the students to support them through the full program and help them along a pathway to future employment in the sector.
3. A tangible response to prevent violence against women and their children in regional Victoria.
By creating the Homes to Help residence and working with disadvantages students, this initiative directly addresses the Communities of Respect and Equality (CoRE) plan to prevent violence against women and their children in regional Victoria.
WPI reports on its social impact annually through qualitative and quantitative measures using an award-winning impact framework. A social return on investment evaluation found that for every $1 invested in WPI, $11.07 of social value is created. Impact figures are published on our website, here: https://wpi.org.au/our-work/our-impact/
Formal acquittal reports will be provided to our philanthropic funders for this project and will detail the impact of their support.
Newsletters and story-telling on this project will be shared with all of WPI’s and Platinum Partner’s communities, including current donors and philanthropists. Storytelling will be provided on an ad hoc basis through our combined social channels: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Think lens, think glasses. Glasses correct limitations of vision and enable clearer sight. And so it is with a gender lens, which helps us to see more clearly the role gender plays in shaping our male and female lives, our work, experience and choices.
Also known as Australian Women Donors Network (ABN: 28 141 197 471), Australians Investing in Women is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR1) under a special listing, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.