It's well-documented that homelessness is a hugely gendered issue. So, with our latest project, Project Daffodil, we set out to explore what solutions for women over 45 could look like when it came to affordable housing. Where we landed was unexpected. Far from a bricks and mortar solution, our research revealed an opportunity for intervention well before homelessness becomes a reality. It’s a contributing root cause that is often overlooked; by women themselves, by the organisations that serve them, and by the government more broadly.
The invisible risk
At Sefa, we have long understood the gendered nature of homelessness. Women over 45 are the fastest-growing group of people experiencing homelessness in Australia – often the result of financial insecurity, relationship breakdown, and limited access to affordable housing.
Through our work in social and affordable housing finance, and with a particular lens on what this means for women, we set out to tackle the issue head on:
How could we make affordable housing for older women more investible for private capital, and deliver better outcomes for communities?
But as we tested this hypothesis through research and sector collaboration, we discovered something that changed our course entirely.
The real gap came earlier.
Rather than focusing only on building supply, we asked:
What if we could intervene before crisis hits? What if we could give women the tools to recognise their risks earlier, and take small steps to stay housed and independent?
Many women never make it into support services at all – because they don’t realise they are at risk.
Instead, women at risk of homelessness are often “invisible”: still housed, still working, but financially vulnerable and unaware or actively avoiding thinking about their risks. Financial abuse, outdated gender norms, and a lack of financial self-efficacy compound these risks.
By the time women seek help, they are already in crisis.
If we were serious about system change, we needed to go upstream.
Address financial avoidance before crisis
Undertaking one of Sefa’s most innovative projects yet, we worked with Latitude Network, Housing Choices Australia and in partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to design a behavioural intervention aimed at financial avoidance – the hidden factor that leaves many women vulnerable.
Our solution is a structured, step-by-step approach to:
Reach invisible women with relatable, non-stigmatising content
Prompt self-recognition and reflection on financial behaviours
Connect women to existing and tailored services earlier, when prevention is still possible
This approach recognises the root causes that are too often overlooked – the complex interplay of financial insecurity, social norms, and behaviours that can increase a woman's risk of experiencing homelessness.
Early results: promising signs, but more investment needed
In early 2025, we ran a small national social media pilot campaign to test the concept. We shared stories of financial avoidance, drawn from women's lived experiences captured during the research phase, and directed women across Australia to resources that could help them take action.
In just three months, the pilot reached over 440,000 women and showed strong engagement – with women even sharing their own lived experiences of financial avoidance and invisibility in the comments.
While still early stage, the pilot reinforced our hypothesis:
Women will engage when they feel seen, respected, and offered practical pathways forward.
But this is just the beginning. To move this pilot to the next stage, we need partnerships to ensure that women are supported through their journey from awareness raising, to intention forming to action. This requires collaboration with the sector, further investment and a permanent home for full scale launch.
A national shift: recognising the role of financial abuse
The Australian Government’s recent launch of Building for the Future signals a long-overdue shift in recognising financial abuse as a core driver of domestic, family and sexual violence. Affecting one in six Australian women, financial abuse strips women of their independence, locks them into abusive relationships, and leaves them highly vulnerable to homelessness.
Yet for too long, national policy responses have treated homelessness and economic insecurity as downstream problems, rather than addressing the gendered financial risks that build over decades.
Building for the Future’s commitment to women is an encouraging step forward, committing to stronger prevention, early intervention, and protections within financial systems like superannuation.
But prevention will take more than policy settings – it requires behavioural solutions that empower women to recognise financial risks early and act before crisis hits.
This is exactly where Project Daffodil leads: addressing avoidance, building resilience, and creating the conditions for women to stay safe, independent, and housed.
The role of philanthropy in backing bold early interventions
Philanthropy has a crucial role to play in creating systemic change. Funders can:
Back bold, preventative innovations like Project Daffodil – solutions that reach women earlier, address systemic barriers, and create lasting change.
Invest in early-stage models, co-design processes, and long-term capacity building – shifting the system from crisis response to genuine prevention.
Provide patient capital that supports iteration, learning, and scaling over time – recognising that building lasting solutions takes time.
Fund work that addresses root causes, not just symptoms – ensuring women are supported earlier, more effectively, and with dignity, long before crisis hits.
At Sefa and Sefa Partnerships, we are committed to going beyond the immediate transaction – building the insights, solutions, and partnerships that drive system-wide change across Australia.
Because real prevention doesn’t start in crisis. It starts long before – upstream – with bold ideas, shared commitment, and action.
Ready to join forces?
References:
Women's Agenda: https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/soapbox/finally-a-long-awaited-plan-for-tackling-economic-abuse/
Building for the Future: https://alp.org.au/news/labor-s-commitment-to-women/