Jenny’s Place was the grateful recipient of a $55,960 grant from the NSW Government’s Homelessness Innovation Fund. Check out our recent media coverage to learn how we’ll be using this funding to support women and children impacted by homelessness.

ABC Newcastle

Jenny Marchant interviews Dawn Walker, CEO Jenny’s Place

Newcastle Weekly

Olivia Arigho
May 8, 2025
Originally published in Newcastle Weekly

Jenny’s Place thrilled with state funding to help more homeless women

Women experiencing homelessness in Newcastle will soon have access to faster, more targeted support, thanks to funding from the NSW Government.

Local service Jenny’s Place recently secured $55,960 from the Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF) to establish a new support hub.

The financial windfall, announced as part of the 2024/25 NSW Budget, is one of more than 40 grants awarded under the state’s $16.6 million initiative tackling homelessness.

Jenny’s Place’s latest centre will assist with expedited housing and financial applications and aim to fast-track temporary accommodation into long-term tenancies.

CEO Dawn Walker admitted the HIF would help address two social priorities.

“The first is to establish a Newcastle Housing Forum, which brings together all of Newcastle’s housing stakeholders and work towards building sustainable and innovative housing solutions,” she said.

“Secondly, the grant will be directed to relocation support for homeless women needing to establish themselves in a new property and further channelled to homelessness prevention.

“Many are living on the brink of homelessness and, with this funding, we’ll be able to provide financial support to help them sustain tenancies.”

The Homelessness Innovation Fund is part of the broader $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program, the largest investment in public housing and homelessness services in the state’s history.

Since its launch, it’s backed 42 projects, added 504 new crisis beds and targeted key groups including women at risk of homelessness.

The announcement comes as 2025 Street Count data reveals an 8% increase in rough sleepers across NSW.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp welcomed the funding, praising the organisation’s impact on the community.

“Jenny’s Place is a stalwart of the Newcastle community and this $55,960 will empower them to continue their vital work supporting women experiencing homelessness,” he said.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson explained the HIF was created in response from people with a lived experience of homelessness.

“Many of the projects which have received funding so far have already transformed outcomes for vulnerable people in our communities and there are so many more benefits to come as we continue to roll out this program,” she said.

Ms Walker also stated access to homelessness support was bottlenecked across the region and this collaboration was a step toward clearing those barriers.

More than $80 million in Homelessness Innovation Fund grants remains available over the next three years, with the government encouraging accredited housing providers and homelessness services to apply.

For more information on the Homelessness Innovation Fund, click here.