Outcomes of the Forum

The forum was funded by the Lady Mayoress Charity Trust and nearly forty people attended for the day. The Lady Mayoress, Mrs Lisa Newman opened the forum and discussed issues surrounding homelessness for Brisbane women. She spoke to the effects homelessness has on families and how short term responses are a beginning but that long term solutions must be found. She raised examples of partnerships between the corporate, government and community sectors as an avenue for achieving some solutions.

Forum participants endorsed the need for the Queensland Women's Housing Network to continue its role of advocacy, policy input and projects to respond to housing need. Specific areas were discussed as being part of that forward planning for the network, including:

• Working in partnership with the corporate and building development sector to respond to housing needs of women

• Working on developing further models of ongoing housing, vocational and educational support for women

• Responding with Queensland Shelter to legislative policy reviews, state and federal budgets and other government programs and activities around women's housing

• Information sharing within the network around more effectives methods of working together and linking with other organisations, networks and Shelter Branches around Queensland

• Approaching housing organisations working with women to discuss the appointment of a staff member as their Queensland Women's Housing representative and for that role to be incorporated into the job description for that position

• Applying for grants to support a range of housing needs identified at the forum as well as policy development, distribution of resources and for the core functions of the network

• Working with the private rental sector around discrimination issues for women

• Lobbying with Queensland Shelter political parties around women's housing needs

• Developing a comprehensive document, as a lobbying tool, which outlines the actions and housing responses needed to bring about significant change in the lives of disadvantaged women in Queensland.