The Lady Musgrave Trust held its 15th Annual Forum on Women and Homelessness on 2 August, at QUT Gardens Point.
Sandy Smith attended on behalf of NCWQ and reported that one panel in particular attracted attention:
Panels chaired by MC Rachel Mealey, ABC Journalist.
After the welcome and setting the scene of a critical shortage of affordable housing, we heard from Aicha who spoke from heart about her own experiences of homelessness and her journey towards achieving her dream of owning her own business through the Positive Transition Program.
Awareness was raised of The Women’s Safety & Justice Taskforce, its recommendations and tracking of what is happening now with the implementation. The conversation involved a panel of brave men who called for a culture shift towards healthy masculinity where beliefs are challenged and changed. We heard about programs making a difference, and initiatives where the problem is starting to be addressed through new and innovative approaches giving a sense of hope for the future.
Key take-aways:
- Check out the Older Women’s Community Guide an online resource and Aicha’s ‘You Glow Girl’.
- The housing crisis is real for a population as large as a city twice the size of Cairns.
- Progress is being made but lateral thinking is needed to address this problem.
- The Townsville Yumba Meta community services support centre is a model of what to do including prevention, intervention and a wrap around service to help those affected.
- The cultural shift is happening, progress is being made.
- Early intervention through education is better than the 1% who engage in programs to change beliefs.
- We all need to take action to not be a bystander- speak out and join the movement toward promoting healthy masculinity.
Watch a recording of the Men Making Change panel here.
Read more about the forums and watch here.
By Sandy Smith
Recording Secretary NCWQ
