Subscribe to Mercy Foundation e-News
To subscribe to the Mercy Foundation E-News please enter your details in the form below and select 'Submit’.
Description.
The Mercy Foundation’s Social Justice Small Grants program is now open. Grants up to $10,000 are available for community initiatives working to address social justice issues at the grass roots. Projects regarding First Nations peoples will be prioritised.
Applications are due in by 11 March 2024.
In the 2022/23 financial year, the Australian Federal Police received 340 reports of human trafficking, an increase of 46 compared to the previous year.
The AFP received:
Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index reports that there may be as many as 41,000 people living in modern slavery in Australia.
The NSW Government is expanding its Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper trial to include victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.
For participants in the program, the NSW Government will contribute up to 40% of the purchase price for a new home or 30% for an existing home. Eligible participants will secure a property with as little as 2% deposit. They will not require lenders mortgage insurance either.
Survivors of domestic violence are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. This program will create a new pathway to home ownership.
Whilst this program will suit some survivors, there is still a great need for a large and ongoing investment in social and affordable housing to provide a safe and secure place to live, particularly for families and individuals living on low incomes.
The NSW Government announced the launch of the Essential Housing Package to increase social housing supply and trial innovative solutions to housing.
According to the press release, “The Essential Housing Package will help strengthen the safety net for those experiencing housing insecurity and provide wrap around support and services for some of our most vulnerable. The package includes crucial funding to extend access to temporary accommodation to create a better place for people in crisis, along with funding to specialist homelessness services that provide certainty and stability for the people who need it most.”
Older women are not always top of mind when we consider violence against women. Violence against older women is driven by gender inequality and ageism. Older women are more likely than men to be victims of intimate partner violence, other forms of family violence, violence from children and intergenerational violence.
Older women face particular forms of gender inequality throughout their lifetime. Examples include unpaid caring roles, low rates of pay, lack of superannuation, limited control of finances or decision making. Additionally, we don’t see older women in media, government and business. Violence against older women is often ignored or overlooked because of their invisibility.
Our work on older women and homelessness indicates that domestic or family violence is a causal factor for homelessness. Lack of housing options can force women to either stay in a violent relationship or become homeless. Investing in housing that is affordable and appropriate for the needs of older women is paramount.
OurWatch offers the following actions that can help prevent violence against older women:
All of us have a role to play in addressing violence against older women.
Preventing and addressing the abuse of older persons living in manufactured home villages is the prime concern of the Manufactured Home Owners Association (MHOA) of Victoria. This passionate group of volunteers is committed to upholding and protecting the rights of older persons who are experiencing emotional and psychological abuse in manufactured home villages.
Most residents are 55 years or older and many are single women. Residents in land lease residential villages in Victoria have few legal protections and many are unaware of their rights and unaware of any support available.
A Social Justice Small Grant to MHOA Victoria is helping to promote, advance, maintain and safeguard the combined and individual interests of manufactured homeowners throughout Victoria, by offering support for other residents facing abuse and advocating for better protections for elderly residents of manufactured/relocatable homes and lifestyle villages elderly residents.
The first stage of the project is now complete. A website providing information, resources and membership to support owners of manufactured homes is now live.
Visit the new website www.mhoavic.com
A new service has opened in Queensland to support older women seeking support for a housing crisis or homelessness. The Housing Older Women’s Support Services (HOWSS) is a Specialised Housing and Support Hub for Older Women funded by the Department of Housing. This Footprints Community service offers a Brisbane-based Hub, and a Queensland wide online navigation and support service that is inclusive of all older women experiencing housing distress or homelessness.
Contact: https://howss.org.au/
Tel: 1800 366 877
HOWSS provides a place where older women can receive:
This week, a report by the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce to the Australian Government detailed their 10 year plan to address women’s inequality, specifically economic inequality, in Australia.
The report ‘Unleashing the full capacity and contribution of women to the Australian economy’ offers seven primary recommendations to the Government, including immediate and long-term actions, focusing on the key themes of care, work, education and skills, the tax and transfer system and Government processes.
According to the report, Australia is not reaching its full social and economic potential as a result of pervasive and systemic gender inequality.
The introduction states that:
Entrenched and rigid gender norms and enduring bias maintain a social context where gender inequality is assumed, accepted and encoded in everyday life.
Current data shows that inequality is prevalent and persistent, and it impacts a woman’s public and private experiences across her entire lifetime. Many women face even greater barriers and disadvantages because of their intersecting identities and experiences.
Women’s economic inequality has become normalised and is often assumed to be ‘natural’ or the result of women’s personal choices. There is clear evidence to show this thinking is out of step with the ambitions and interests of our highly educated female population and with forging a fair society. It also clashes with the development of a modern and vibrant global economy.
Addressing women’s economic inequality is key to addressing the economic challenges our country faces in the coming decade, including global economic uncertainty, inequality, transitioning to clean energy, climate change challenges, an ageing population and rapid technological advances.
These challenges also provide opportunities to shift Australia’s economic policy settings and unlock the value of women’s full economic participation.
A research report released this week by AHURI investigated the key links between housing and poverty. The research looks at policy settings, tax and transfer systems, housing assistance and place-based dimensions and individual capabilities.
The cost of housing is a barrier to exiting homelessness for people living in poverty, whilst the exorbitant cost of housing can push people currently in housing into deep poverty, making it difficult to address its causes.
A number of issues are highlighted such as:
Read the Executive Summary here.
