The Lady Musgrave Trust to transfer the Handy Guide for Older Women to Footprints Community

Since 2019, The Lady Musgrave Trust has distributed The Handy Guide for Older Women – a practical guide for older women that provides key information about where to go for housing crisis support. The purpose of the guide is to educate, inform and empower older women who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, support their self-determination and connecting them with essential services.

In early 2023 The Lady Musgrave Trust reached out to Footprints Community and commenced conversations about the next phase of this resource, and we are thrilled to announce that from 17 July, Footprints Community will be responsible for the ongoing ownership of this critical resource for older women experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 

The Guide is an important tool, developed in consultation with organisations including the Office of Aging, Office for Women, and many community assistance organisations, and only possible thanks to the financial support of The Cromwell Property Group, Eastern Star Foundation and Zonta City of Brisbane Chapter. Footprints Community recognises and thanks Zonta City of Brisbane Chapter, Zonta Club of Brisbane North Inc. and Zonta Clubs of SE Queensland for making the Guide possible and distributing throughout Queensland.

Footprints Community will continue to work with organisations across the State for future editions of The Handy Guide for Older Women and tackle the biggest housing issues that older women face, including:

• housing affordability and the availability of public housing
• women’s perception of homelessness while in temporary accommodation
• the increasing number of women aged 50+ who have lost secure employment, impacting their long-term rental status
• improving community understanding of senior rentals and retirement villages.

Footprints Community would like to commend and thank The Lady Musgrave Trust for the work they have done supporting older women at risk of homelessness, developing the Handy Guide for Older Women and empowering women to access housing options and support.

Since 2019, The Lady Musgrave Trust’s Older Women’s Handy Guide has had 20,133 page views and just under 15,000 copies have been distributed throughout the State – thanks to the generosity of the Zonta City of Brisbane Chapter, Zonta Club of Brisbane North Inc. and Zonta Clubs of SE Queensland.

We recognise The Trust’s commitment to ending homelessness for older women and are honoured to host the Handy Guide for Older Women which will be available for download from Footprints Community’s Housing Older Women’s website and available for print orders on 17 July 2023 by going to https://howss.org.au/the-handy-guide-for-older-women/.

Footprints Community will continue The Lady Musgrave Trust’s legacy of engagement and collaboration to update the directory in July 2023 with a view to print by the end of 2023.