Project Daffodil: Preventing Women’s Homelessness
“Many women never make it into support services at all – because they don’t realise they are at risk.”
Key Findings:
- Women at risk of homelessness often remain "invisible" - housed but financially vulnerable
- Financial avoidance, abuse, and outdated gender norms compound risks
- By the time women seek help, they're already in crisis
The Solution:
Working with Latitude Network, Housing Choices Australia, and the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, Sefa developed a behavioral intervention targeting financial avoidance through:
- Non-stigmatizing content to reach vulnerable women
- Tools for financial self-recognition and reflection
- Early connection to support services
Early Results:
A 2025 social media pilot reached 440,000 women across Australia, confirming that "women will engage when they feel seen, respected, and offered practical pathways forward." The project now requires cross-sector partnerships to scale effectively.
Policy Progress:
The Australian Government's "Building for the Future" initiative recognizes financial abuse as a core driver of homelessness, affecting one in six Australian women. However, prevention requires both policy change and behavioral solutions that empower women to act before crisis.
Call to Philanthropic Action:
Philanthropy can create systemic change by backing preventative innovations, investing in early-stage models, providing patient capital and funding work addressing root causes rather than symptoms.
As Sefa concludes: "Real prevention doesn't start in crisis. It starts long before – upstream – with bold ideas, shared commitment, and action."
About Sefa
Sefa is a financial organisation that supports social purpose organisations while generating positive returns for investors.
