second chance programme

www.homelesswomenaustralia.com.au  

In the late 1990s a group of ‘concerned citizens’ got together to raise money for the Anglican Women’s Hostel. We had been upset to learn that while there were many single homeless women in Brisbane (maybe hundreds!) there were only 14 beds to accommodate them. They were at the Anglican Women’s Hostel, and it was facing financial difficulties.

The plight of the women was shocking; the need for money and support was overwhelming; and our determination to ‘do something’ was boundless. But we really had no idea what we were up against.

• homelessness was a taboo topic – it not only stopped dinner parties it stopped some corporate sponsors: ‘why would we want to support homelessness?’ one marketing manager asked us. ‘We put money into winners –like Ian Thorpe – we wouldn’t waste our money on losers’. Clearly, raising awareness and changing the culture became one of our priorities

• women’s homelessness was invisible: ‘Are there really homeless women?’ we were asked. And so we went to the authorities to get the numbers. But no one kept gender statistics – though everyone agreed that women were the hidden homeless. Living on the streets is so dangerous for women that they do their utmost to stay invisible; what’s more, even though they are homeless they are often called by another name --  like bag lady – or prostitute.

 The problems seemed never ending; even gaining tax deductibility  as a group of ‘concerned citizens’ – proved to be a complex and difficult exercise.

But we did it. The Second Chance Programme Fundraising Group is now entering its 4th year of fundraising and is making a difference in the lives of some women.

The SCP holds its own fundraising events – film nights, breakfasts, fashion parades etc; it raises awareness through speaking at Zonta clubs, Rotary clubs, schools, corporate meetings and golf days. And every such organization is encouraged to ‘do their own thing,’ and raise money – and name the Second Chance Programme as the beneficiary. This promotes awareness in many sectors of the community. The committee has enjoyed the most fantastic support.

So that the money raised can be used for the best possible outcomes, SCP has looked at the different strategies and initiatives associated with the homeless, and developed its own policy in relation to women. The committee has lobbied government at all levels, and come up with its own priorities:

• At the crisis accommodation level, SCP funds one bed at the Anglican Women’s Hostel – a bed which would otherwise not be available, and which therefore keeps one woman from having to sleep rough on the streets. The ’story’ of each women who has Bed 14 - and what it has meant to her - is published in the SCP newsletter.
• With the Brisbane Housing Company, the SCP has entered into a ‘bridge the gap’ partnership. Women who have been  homeless and who seek accommodation in the BHC’s attractive boarding rooms and studio apartments, are often unable to do so, as the amount of money they have available falls short of the required rental payment -   often by as little as anything from $9 to $20. Second Chance Program ‘bridges the gap’ and thereby ensures that more women are able to leave homelessness behind them.
• For those who are moving on from hostel or boarding house accommodation, the SCP has furnished a 3 bedroom house (plus lawnmower) to assist in the transition

 SCP then promotes all these solutions to the community. Corporate citizen, or private citizens, can likewise sponsor a bed, bridge the gap, or help furnish an apartment or house. Those who have responded generously include ‘Babes in Business’ and Brisbane Girls Grammar School.