WHAT
WE DO
Since 1887, The Queen's Fund has been dedicated to supporting single women & children in Victoria who are in distress, crisis, or emergency situations. We work tirelessly to provide financial assistance to pay for shelter, food, and essential services to those in need.
ENABLING DIGNITY THROUGH CHOICE.
At The Queen’s Fund, central to our application process is the ability of an applicant to choose exactly the type of funding that she needs, be it for basic necessities such as food, household goods or petrol, or help with a utilities bill. Maybe an applicant needs text books or a laptop for a child who won’t be able to participate at school without these educational supports. Perhaps there’s a pharmacy bill that is causing anxiety and a deterioration of already fragile mental health, because without payment, vital medication will be inaccessible.
This funding discretion allows an applicant crucial autonomy over her own life. So many women who apply for grants from The Queen’s Fund are already dependent upon other institutions that continually require the demoralising obligation to prove adequate need and to fit those needs into prescribed categories. By enabling choice and control, whether it is requesting school shoes for her children, a mattress so she no longer needs to sleep on the floor, or simply the ability to buy exactly the food that she and her family enjoy, a woman can engage directly with her own healing and the rebuilding of her life. At The Queen’s Fund, we are grateful that we have been allowed to empower women through choice, and at the most vulnerable times in their lives, assist them in finding dignity through agency and self-determination.
1. Prevention of Homelessness.
The Queen’s Fund provided $235,178 in funding to 609 women with funding with assistance for rent/ bond for a new tenancy, storage facilities and moving costs and most importantly with basic necessities.
4. Increased sense of
self-worth, skills and knowledge
through education
and training.
The Queen's Fund's emphasis on upskilling single women meant that through our education fund last year we were able to assist over 164 women with $58,608 in grants.
7. Enabling
attendance at
school & essential
appointments
and helping women feel safe by keeping their car on the
road.
The costs of transportation are hidden costs of day-to-day living but are crucial for women and their children, if displaced because facing domestic violence, still to attend school and/or work.
We helped 195 women with $70, 028 in grants last year.
10. Provision of crucial
breathing space so women can get their lives back on track.
Basic Necessities and Utilities applications represent each 1/4 of our overall grant allocations. 614 women are struggling to buy food and vital items, and 296 women are worried about having no heating, hot showers, and light for themselves and/or their children. With the help of The Queen's Fund, these worries can be minimised and these women can start planning a better tomorrow.
2. Enabling espcape from domestic violence.
The Queen’s Fund provided $333,956 to 862 women with funding for basic necessities, moving and storage costs along with household goods, and help with utility bills.
5. Prevention of disconnection of essential utilities
With the help of our partnership with Origin, The Queen's Fund has been able to assist 296 women with $173,830 in grants to pay for outstanding electricity/gas bills.
8. Alleviation of
financial pressure and assistance with social inclusion for children by payment of school costs
3. Making life easier by replacing/
repairing vital household items
The Queen's Fund assisted 259 women who were mostly facing domestic violence with $95,916 to replace or purchase household items such as mattresses and fridges.
6. Improved health
through the payment
of essential medical
bills & purchase of essential
medical items
Medical bills are often pushed aside in time of needs, The Queen's Fund is able to assist when others can't. Last year 163 women received assistance to a total of $53,166 to pay for medical bills.
9. Increased access
to employment
opportunities so they can become
more self-reliant.
Learning requirements can have multiple forms. A uniform, an iPad, a camp, registration fees... these costs often challenge the weekly struggle. Last year, we helped 129 women with $47,677 to support their children's education.
With the help of our Education grant, transport, moving, and storage costs assistance, we are aiming to assist women to overcome the logistics pressure that is to be transient while facing domestic violence and homelessness, so they access employment opportunities quicker.
MiCare
“As a result of the funding the client has financially managed to meet daily living costs including food on the table and utility bills.”
WHY $400?
$400 corresponds to an unforeseen or unusual expense: a power bill, a car repair, an emergency relocation…
This amount we donate makes the difference between a hurdle and a wall in the lives of women.
When we help with a hurdle, we help women take control back of their lives and move forward.
By donating $400, your help with assist a Victorian woman to avoid a crisis.
Open Place
“[The client] has 5 children all with complex health issues and disabilities. She has multiple appointments to attend with them and her car is her only suitable form of transport. She is very relieved to have her car registration paid as she did not know how she was going to manage otherwise.”
City of Darebin
“She will be able to establish her tenancy with basic kitchen items for the family.”
Sacred Heart Mission
“My client is so pleased that she is able to learn this new graphic design program. It will increase her skills and ability to attain employment!”
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Our annual reports detail The Queen's Fund's achievements, financial goals, mission statements and overall performance for each financial year.
