Shelter Me: QLD’s oldest charity unveils new initiative

Through the project, The Trust is aiming to reduce the number of women and children that are living in motels, increase the availability of urgent two to three night accommodation for young women at risk of homelessness, and address the fact that In Brisbane there are 10 times more beds for homeless men than women.

“There is a significant shortage of urgent two to three night accommodation for women, so if the property and development, and not-for-profit sectors work together, we can acquire shelters for these women and children, and together we can help rebuild lives,” Ms Lyon Reid said.

Hon. Leeanne Enoch MP, Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation, who attended the Trust’s recent 130th birthday event, pledged her support for The Trust by saying she is determined to help make a change to the housing system and aims to allocate funds to this area.

In any calendar quarter in Queensland, 350 women and 1200 children under the age of 9 are living in motels with no cooking or laundry facilities, due to their critical circumstances.

“It is clear there is not enough safe shelter for women and their children facing homelessness in Brisbane, and this calls for a drastic change to Queensland’s accommodation services,” Ms Lyon Reid said.

The Lady Musgrave Trust accepts young women aged 18 to 30, often with young children, into its shelters located across Brisbane, where they stay for up to several months to get back on their feet with steady employment, education, and other support networks, until they are ready to transition into private housing.

Ms Lyon Reid said corporate partnerships are an important element to the Shelter Me campaign, as it is a challenge for not-for-profit organisations to keep a flow of income.