Supporting women to reach their independent homeownership goals.
Where it began
Listen + Do worked with a local broker, who was one of our clients, to carry out customer research and develop a strategy to understand what people need and to turn what we heard into a purpose-driven brand, service, and approach to community engagement. During this process, many women stepped forward to share their stories of being left out of services and facing discrimination on their path to homeownership.
Who we’re talking to
Building on what we heard during this work, Listen + Do continued these conversations beyond the initial research and started some desktop research to see what services currently exist and where gaps remain. While there are services available, they are fragmented and complex. There is no single service that supports women through the whole journey—from getting ready, accessing finance, buying a home, to most importantly, ensuring they stay safe and secure in their new home.
Listen + Do designed a version of what this support could look like, and went out to test it. We visited two local women’s community centres and one community hub to drop off a mock flyer, gather feedback, and validate the need. We were warmly welcomed by Moongalla Women’s Community House in Bentleigh East, where we spoke with their Crochet Group and Walking Group during the Chatty Café. We spoke to women who ranged from 18-92.
We are now planning a broader public consultation where women from across Glen Eira, Kingston, and Greater Dandenong will come together to share their experiences, challenges, and any discrimination faced during the homeownership pathway. They will be invited to be continually involved as the Open Doors for Women project grows.
Emerging insights
Women are experiencing gender-based discrimination in their homeownership pathways that is leaving them feel defeated and that home ownership is not for them
75% of mortgage brokers in Australia are men. Women report stories of brokers who knock them back or mock them with words like “you’ll never get a loan”.
Women are more likely to be rejected for finance and not meet lenders criteria when impacted by factors like single parenting, unpaid care work, family violence, disability, cultural background, or because of their age.
There are very real stories of these women being scammed into getting finance and property especially in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Some multicultural women we met were told “you would not get custody of their children unless you own a home”.
The process of buying a home is confusing and doesn’t make sense. Women report being lost in paperwork, unsure who to trust, and unsupported throughout key stages. This gets worse when they are experiencing hardship.
Even women who have improved their financial and property knowledge still don’t get it, so this isn’t a financial literacy problem, it is clearly an accessibility issue within finance and property services industry
Women over 50 are the fastest growing group facing homelessness in Australia. Women know and feel this and some women see home ownership as a way for this not to happen to them
Even when finance is not needed and an independent women has access to their own funds they still experience generalised discrimination in the homeownership pathway
This experience for women goes beyond just getting a home and extends to the experience of owning a home independently. Women report being ripped off or treated poorly when accessing home maintenance and trades
When women do experience hardship in their mortgage there is limited consideration or supportive policies that take a womens experience into consideration and getting support through these times can be difficult
When going through hardship as a independent homeowner it is very difficult to get crisis support without a healthcare card. Many women have to get rid of this support in order to prove they can own a home. So when hardship is faced they are really left on their own.
There is a very real risk for women to experience homelessness after owning a home. The lack of support during this crisis means they can drop of the ledge very quickly without having the networks of safety and security in place.
There is no single, supportive pathway to guide women through getting ready, securing finance, buying a home, and staying safe and stable once they own it. This project plays a role in our current housing crisis and there is a need for this support.
Project stage
We are currently listening to women across Glen Eira, Kingston, and Greater Dandenong to understand the challenges they face around homeownership. We’re seeking initial funding to carry out focused research and engagement, and to design a pilot program. This pilot will include developing a funding and service delivery model, plus impact measurement and evaluation.
This funding can come from multiple interested partners, ideally working together from the start and staying involved throughout. We’re open to collaborators from any of the three local areas, and splitting the funding across them could help build strong local ownership and impact.
At Listen + Do, we turn insights into meaningful action by working alongside partners and the community. We’ll lead the research, design, and pilot phases, collaborating closely with those involved. Over time, we will step back, supporting partners to continue the project independently. Our goal is to create a pilot that can be shared and offered in other communities.
Role of Listen + Do
Listen + Do bring deep experience in research, design, and building scalable projects for impact. We have consulted across government, non-profits, private, and social sectors, with a strong focus on advocating for inclusion and accessibility. Check out our creds and experience
What’s next
We’re working to confirm a venue and invite collaborators and women to a public listening circle to hear more about women’s experiences with independent homeownership. Once confirmed, we will host the event to share and gather stories about women’s homeownership journeys.
After this, we will break until we secure funding to design the pilot. This break is also an opportunity to invite collaborators interested in the long-term delivery of Open Doors for Women to join us and be part of the project from the very start.
Who is invited to collaborate
Women who want to share their stories about independent home ownership
Women leaders with access to resources and funding who want to help lead the project and bring resources together
Women passionate about improving homeownership pathways and closing the gender equity gap in home ownership
Women working in social and community services who can provide local support when women face challenges on their homeownership journey
Open Doors for Women will be 100% women-owned, women-led, and serviced exclusively by women.
We also acknowledge that there are men already supporting women into homes and advocating for them. After listening and learning from women, we’ll begin conversations about how these men might be meaningfully involved in future stages of the work.
Open Doors for Women Flyer
We created this flyer to help you start conversations about the Open Doors for Women project. At Listen + Do, we believe in listening deeply and turning what we hear into meaningful action—together. We encourage conversations, learning from experiences, and working in collaboration.
To start a conversation about the Open Doors for Women project, you’re welcome to download or print this flyer. And please do reach out and introduce yourself to us so we can get to know you! ♡
