Housing Older Women Movement

I've walked past people sleeping on grates, felt that pang of helplessness, and yes, I've heard the whispers (and sometimes said them myself): "Why don't they just get a job?" or "They must have done something wrong." This book, "They Just Need to Get a Job," by veteran advocate Mary Brosnahan, takes those whispers, those pervasive, damaging myths and holds them up to the blinding light of reality. It is not an abstract policy paper; it’s a gut-wrenching, clarifying, and essential correction to the stories we tell ourselves to feel safe.

Brosnahan, who led New York City's Coalition for the Homeless for decades, writes with the authority of someone who has looked systemic failure in the eye every single day. This book dismantles the convenient fictions that allow us to blame individuals for a societal catastrophe.

Here are the brutal, vital lessons it drives home:

1. Homelessness is Not a Character Flaw. It's a Math Problem.
The most powerful myth-busting in the book tackles the idea of personal failure. Brosnahan lays out the irrefutable, simple math: You cannot solve a personal problem with a societal solution. When a full-time minimum-wage job cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States, the problem isn't laziness. It's an economy that has decoupled work from housing. The lesson: Stop judging the person on the street, and start scrutinizing the rental market and wage sheets.

2. "Getting a Job" is Often Impossible Without an Address, a Shower, and Stability.
The cruel irony the book exposes is the catch-22 at the heart of this common myth. How do you get a job without a reliable mailing address, a place to store clean clothes, or a way to shower? How do you keep a job while sleeping in a shelter with a 5 AM curfew or while managing untreated health issues? The lesson: Housing isn't a reward for getting your life together. Housing is the foundation upon which you can build a life.

3. The Face of Homelessness is a Child's Face.
We picture a single, older man, but one of the fastest-growing homeless populations is families with children. Brosnahan forces us to see this, destroying the myth that homelessness is solely the domain of single, "troubled" adults. A child living in a shelter didn't make bad choices—they were failed by systems of affordable housing, childcare, and wage protection. This reframing is crucial for mobilizing real compassion and policy.

4. "They Choose to Be Homeless" is a Cop-Out for Our Collective Failure.
The book systematically dismantles the fantasy of "choice." Would a mother choose a crowded shelter cot over an apartment for her kids? Would a veteran choose a sidewalk over a home? What people are sometimes "choosing" is the perceived safety of a street they know over the trauma and danger of an overcrowded, chaotic shelter system. The lesson: What looks like a choice is often a desperate calculation in a landscape of terrible options.

5. The Solutions Exist. We Lack the Political and Moral Will.
This is the book's ultimate, urgent point. Brosnahan doesn't just diagnose; she prescribes. She details what works: Housing First. Permanent supportive housing. Living wages. Robust mental health and addiction services tied to housing. The lesson is that homelessness is not an unsolvable mystery. It is a policy choice. We know how to fix it. The question is whether we, as a society, will.

This book is a necessary, uncomfortable read. It will make you angry. It should. It will replace vague sympathy with targeted understanding. It is the most powerful tool you can arm yourself with to combat the ignorance, both casual and willful that perpetuates one of America's greatest shames.

If you've ever wondered what you can do, start here. Read this book. Share its truths. Let it change the way you see the person on the corner, and then let that changed perspective inform your vote, your donations, and your voice. It is a masterclass in turning empathy into effective action.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/4oErIkb

Enjoy the audio book with FREE trial using the link above. Use the link to register on audible and start enjoying!

A late notice for the Better Together Housing Coffee Chat at West End tomorrow. Would love to see you there 😍

📖Research Reads Friday👓
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute - AHURI has released new research this week showing lower-income households make trade-offs to afford their housing costs - but most of these trade-offs are not accounted for in the housing affordability measurements used by policy makers.

The report, 'Measuring housing affordability: Scoping the real cost of housing' says housing can appear affordable even though it is of such poor quality it affects people’s health, it is too expensive to heat or cool or it is located far from employment opportunities so that householders have very high commuting costs.

Read the report in full here: https://bit.ly/4euHObl

The report is just one of many and research articles curated on The Deck: https://bit.ly/4evt1xm

A 4-tonne machine just printed a house in the US. What can Australia learn? Texas just opened its biggest 3D-printed neighbourhood as a solution to its acute housing problem. Could it be the solution the Australian construction has been waiting for?

Warming to HVAC — Stellulata Cohousing Who knew air conditioning could be so complicated? We have learned a lot during this project and that includes an appreciation of HVAC – heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Women and Leadership Australia are offering scholarships up to $5,000 for women working across all areas of the Community Services Sector.

The programs are designed for women with limited leadership experience through to executive leaders and scholarships are available across four key levels.

An awesome opportunity for mob to continue to develop their leadership skills.

More info here: https://www.wla.edu.au/industry/community-edm/?utm_campaign=AU24Scholarships&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--SeHIPxhm1J5wKMoSie30i068UY_a-Owb0jR25_X9cCOBgO539amOd2ksu9MzGbSvwoU79y-UsvJ-VyPP1KHwfYMc_HQ&_hsmi=321816442&utm_content=321816442&utm_source=hs_email

QCOSS invites you to this special In Conversation to hear the Queensland Premier's response to the issues that matter to the community service sector.

Against the backdrop of this year’s QCOSS State of the Sector and Living Affordability reports, better contract conditions for social and community sector organisations, capping rent increases and targeted cost of living relief are among the important topics on the table for this discussion as we head towards the Queensland State Election in October.

𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 Steven Miles 𝗠𝗣
𝟭𝟲 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 | 𝟯:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝟰:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://www.qcoss.org.au/events/in-conversation-with-steven-miles-mp-queensland-premier/

Research released by The Council to Homeless Persons, shows that there has been a surge in employed people reaching out to homelessness services. And a staggering 70% of them are working women.

Many of our renters work, but just can't afford the prohibitive cost of rent in the private market. With secure and affordable housing, these women, many of them with children, can live with dignity, have happier and healthier lives and be active in their communities.

Homes end homelessness.

Australia could be ready to say goodbye to negative gearing Politics and timing are inextricably linked — sometimes, the Zeitgeist suits your story, other times it doesn't. Kamala Harris and Bill Shorten both know that the hard way.

Explore Joanna Macy's Timeless Wisdom September 21st - November 9thThe Essential Joanna Macy Facilitated by Lydia Violet. Curriculum by Joanna Macy and Lydia Violet. Save your spot Come on in! Have you been hearing the name “Joanna Macy” over the years, as you’ve explored sustainability, activism, climate grief, engaged Buddhism, ...

How can Queensland maximise opportunities for an enduring housing legacy from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and minimise adverse impacts on low-income and vulnerable households?

Q Shelter Manager of Policy Engagement, Jackson Hills, will speak on this key issue next Monday in a panel discussion featuring key experts from housing, planning and Games delivery and legacy.

Hosted by National Shelter, this panel discussion will be held after the National Shelter AGM and will include networking opportunities.

📆 Monday 16 September
🕟 4:30pm: AGM
🕔 5:15pm: Panel and networking drinks
📍Urbis Brisbane
🎟️Register: https://bit.ly/4geBbvD

Community Led Affordable Housing for Greater Sunshine Coast Region https://events.humanitix.com/sunshine-coast-my-home-your-home-our-homes-project-seminar-and-workshops-lgmhh2ka