For most of us, home is our safe place, a haven where we go to relax at the end of the day.

It is sobering then to read that for one in four Australian women, this is not the case. According to a report from Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety, this is the number of women who have experienced at least one incident of violence from an intimate partner.

Being in this kind of situation can make ‘home’ a scary place.

In response to the crisis of domestic violence in Australia, Women’s Property Initiatives was established as a registered housing provider and licensed estate agency. The goal of this important organisation is to provide high quality, safe and affordable housing to disadvantaged women and their children.

The women who come to live in housing via WPI are only charged 75% of market rental rates. The properties are ‘community’ housing rather than ‘public’ housing, meaning that they are fully funded by WPI rather than through the Government’s Office of Housing.

This highly necessary property initiative is not only available to women who have suffered from domestic violence. In recognition of the fact that women are more likely to face discrimination when it comes to rental accommodation, WPI also helps to organise affordable housing for women who are suffering financially, particularly as single parents.

The team at WPI focuses on development opportunities, purchasing land and property in order to increase the supply of long-term rental houses in metropolitan and regional Victoria. Currently the properties in this not-for-profit’s portfolio range from an apartment block in Footscray to several fully detached houses in Epping North and Truganina.

By helping to provide places to live for disadvantaged women, Women’s Property Initiatives hopes to create a valuable return from them as well as the wider community. The benefits of providing affordable housing  include:  

• Reducing intergenerational poverty

• Reducing the costs of welfare, counselling and rehabilitation to the Government

• Improved mental health of children

• Better academic performance for children

• Better employment opportunities for women

The team behind Women’s Property Initiatives include lobbyists, financial experts and property experts. CEO and Principal Estate Agent Jeanette Large has extensive experience across the housing sector and in 2015 was named a Victorian Finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Women’s Property Initiatives runs largely on donations from philanthropic organisations as well as support and pro bono work from Victorian councils and businesses.

Anyone from the public or the real estate industry is welcome to make a donation to this worthy cause via the website www.wpi.org.au.

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