YWCA Australia (YWCA) is a proud women’s specialist organisation with a 140-year-old history, we focus on young women’s leadership, women’s safety and housing in our commitment to a future where gender equality is a reality. Despite being the largest and oldest women’s organisation in the world that routinely gets mistaken for our by-association links with a certain song of famous trade-showcasing Village People, we are here for women’s safety to highlight the need for us all to have a safe home.
‘As a woman in the trades that has been privileged to super change my leadership skills in gender equality systems change supported by the YWCA this couldn’t be an area I’m more passionate about. Getting fellow tradies on board to support women’s safety and being able to show the massive amount of job creation and maintenance roles that comes with investing in housing as critical social infrastructure is a win-win’
Taylor Perrin – Commercial Project Manager/Estimator for Capital Veneering, YWCA member and former YWCA Young Women’s Council
You may have seen in the news the upcoming Women’s Safety Summit where governments and experts are coming together to end violence against women and their children. Sadly housing, a critical key part of tackling violence isn’t on the agenda. This is where you and your business/union come in. We are looking for supporters and allies to join us in the need for investing in social and affordable housing for those experiencing violence.
In collaboration with Equity Economics, Everybody’s Home and key partners our latest Nowhere To Go report is clear:
- If the Commonwealth Government invested in 16,800 additional social housing units costing $7.6 billion there would be immediate economic benefits of $15.3 billion and the creation of 47,000 new jobs.
- Not only would we see the obvious economic benefits, but we would see a variety of other savings by investing in housing – for example generating savings of $122.5 million in a year due to women not returning to a violent partner and a further $257 million in a year in savings due to women not experiencing homelessness after leaving their homes due to family and domestic violence.
- These 47,000 jobs would impact growth in jobs through trade, construction and maintenance in some of our most affected regions.
- The safety, homeless and housing security initiatives in Australia so far have not addressed the need for intersectional and gender-responsive analysis and as a result, has failed to appropriately support and invest adequately in First Nations self-determination, leadership and communities.
For the Government this is an invest now, save forever type approach we see as a win-win for women and the trades and construction industry. We are sure you will too.
Some facts you may or may not know
- 1 in 6 women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or previous partner since the age of 15
- 1 in 16 men have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or previous partner since the age of 15
- Family and domestic violence costs $22 billion per year
- A woman was murdered every 10 days by an intimate partner in 2018-19
- Our housing system is broken and thousands of women return to violent partners because they can’t access affordable housing
What can you do right now?
With a few clicks, you can really help make a huge difference.
- Share ‘Tradies for Women’s Safety’ social tiles on your business Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn profiles, which you can download below. Pick whichever ones work for your audiences and don’t forget to tag us @YWCAAus (Twitter) @YWCAAustralia (LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram) and #Housing4Safety #Tradies4WomensSafety.
- Join us and thousands others and add your name to the Everybody’s Home petition headed to the PM – A great link to share with your employees and show solidarity with survivors of violence.
- Help amplify #Housing4Safety and #Tradies4WomensSafety and write to your local MP and the PM -We’ve attached a simple letter you can send to your local MP through to the PM – this is a really powerful way to help link this investment to the growth of the economy and safety – personalise the attached copy and send on without delay! You can find you local MP here and write to Scott Morrison, Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing Michael Sukkar or Minister for Women’s Safety Anne Ruston.
- Connect with YWCA Australia and help us make gender equality part of your vision too If you need more information on how to be more involved or to set up a meeting with YWCA to discuss future collaborations, especially in our prevention of violence and housing projects please email CBF@YWCA.org.au.
