Women’s Butterfly Project: empowering mature women to maintain secure housing

This project designed by QUT and Griffith University aims to empower mature women (aged 55+) to maintain secure housing when experiencing a change of circumstance, by equipping non-traditional early responders (a professional source of support who is not directly associated with homeless services) for conversations and support with mature women. We aim to combine high touch approaches (conversations) with high tech flexibility (digital support) through a digital hub for women and a toolkit for early responders.

This project has involved co-design with mature women with lived experience of homelessness and expert proxies who work with women who have experienced homelessness. Of note is the strengths-based approach to women experiencing vulnerability which leverages and empowers, with solutions designed with them not for them.

To find out more visit the Women’s Butterfly Portal.

Chief Investigators

• Professor Rebecca Russell-Bennett
• Professor Melissa Bull
• Dr Kate Letheren
• Dr Jinglan Zhang
• Dr Joy Parkinson
• Dr Nick Kelly

Team

• Dr Ryan McAndrew
• Dr Kathleen Chell
• Dr Abigail Foluké Badejo
• Sam Ong
• Jess Greentree
• Alexandra Zimbatu

Project Partners

• Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy
• Q Shelter
• Tenants Queensland
• Mission Australia
• PwC
• Suncorp
• Moreton Bay Regional Council
• Griffith University