Head Start Homes Presents at the 4th Annual Affordable Housing Australasia Conference
What happens when we empower women to achieve home ownership by putting people before property?
This question sat at the heart of Head Start Homes' presentation at the 4th Annual Affordable Housing Australasia Conference in Sydney, where housing leaders, community organisations, financial institutions, developers and policymakers came together to discuss Australia’s current housing landscape on 29 July 2026.
Our session, Closing the Homeownership Gap: Scalable Solutions to Help Women Overcome Know-How, Deposit and Supply Barriers, focused on the barriers many women face on the journey to home ownership and the practical pathways that can help overcome them.
While housing affordability is often discussed through the lens of supply, finance and policy, Head Start Homes shared a different perspective.
Housing is ultimately about people.
Behind every housing challenge is a person with aspirations, strengths, responsibilities and a desire for a safe and stable home. That belief sits at the heart of our philosophy:
People Before Property.
A Vision Built from Lived Experience
The session commenced with presentations from Head Start Homes Directors Jo Formosa, Leanne Pilkington and Pam Jackson, before moving into a panel discussion moderated by Karen Walsh, a long-time supporter of Head Start Homes.
Jo Formosa shared our vision:
A safe and stable home for everyone with fair and practical pathways to home ownership.
Jo reflected on how Head Start Homes was founded through lived experience, including the experiences of Founder and Managing Director Stephen Woodlands and his family, together with the lived experience and professional expertise of the broader Head Start Homes team and clients.
She also highlighted our Empowerment Products and Services, which have been designed to help people build confidence, financial capability and readiness for home ownership through practical, personalised support.
Supporting First Nations Women and Families
Pam Jackson, Executive Director responsible for First Nations Collaboration and Liaison, brought a powerful First Nations perspective to the conversation.
As a proud Bundjalung woman, Pam spoke about the importance of culturally safe, practical and empowering support for First Nations women and families.
Pam highlighted the importance of trust, relationships and genuine engagement, as well as the positive outcomes that can be achieved when support is designed around First Nations People's strengths, aspirations as well as their communities.
Today, the majority of Head Start Homes' successful home ownership outcomes have been achieved by First Nations households.
For many First Nations women and families, home ownership is about more than housing.
It creates stability.
It strengthens families.
It builds confidence.
And it helps create opportunities for future generations.
Bringing Industry Expertise to the Conversation
Drawing on more than four decades of leadership within the property industry, Leanne Pilkington, Chief Executive Officer of Laing+Simmons, shared valuable insights into the challenges many women continue to face in the housing market.
Leanne highlighted the importance of education, confidence, trusted advice and practical support in helping women move from hopelessness to hope, aspiration to action and ultimately into home ownership.
Kamini's Story: Empowerment in Action
One of the most memorable moments of the session was when Jo shared a video highlighting our client Kamini's home ownership journey.
For many attendees, Kamini's story brought the conference theme to life.
More than a story about purchasing a home, it demonstrated what can happen when people are provided with the right support, guidance and opportunities.
Kamini's journey showed that home ownership is about more than property.
It is about empowerment.
It is about confidence.
It is about dignity.
It is about stability.
And it is about creating opportunities that may once have seemed impossible.
Her story was a powerful example of what becomes possible when women are supported to overcome barriers and achieve their goals.
Empowering Women Through Home Ownership
A central focus of the presentation was the reality that many women face structural barriers long before they begin searching for a home.
Lower lifetime earnings. Caring responsibilities. Single-income households. Deposit constraints. Reduced borrowing capacity. Housing affordability pressures.
These barriers rarely exist in isolation. Instead, they accumulate over time.
For many women, the challenge is not a lack of aspiration. The challenge is accessing practical pathways that help them navigate and overcome those barriers.
The presentation highlighted the experiences of women over 50, one of the fastest-growing cohorts experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness in Australia.
Many have spent years navigating rental instability, caring responsibilities, financial hardship, domestic and family violence, financial coercion and repeated barriers within traditional housing and finance systems.
Yet these are also stories of resilience and hope.
Today, 91% of Head Start Homes applications include women, and we have supported 40 women into home ownership, including seven single women aged between 50 and 63. These outcomes demonstrate that with the right support, guidance and opportunities, home ownership remains achievable for women who may have previously believed it was out of reach.
Empowering women through home ownership is about far more than housing outcomes.
It is about opportunity.
It is about belonging.
It is about confidence.
And it is about creating long-term financial security and independence.
Innovation Through Collaboration
Following the presentations, Karen Walsh facilitated a panel discussion exploring how housing providers, government, financial institutions, developers, philanthropy and community organisations can work together to create practical and scalable pathways to home ownership.
This theme was reinforced throughout the conference, including through Kirsten Steedman's presentation on developer-led innovation.
Kirsten highlighted the importance of partnerships and innovative housing models in creating new opportunities for people and communities.
The partnership between Coronation and Head Start Homes was recognised as an example of how organisations can work together to deliver innovative housing and home ownership solutions that put People Before Property.
We sincerely thank Karen Walsh, Chairperson of the conference, Karthik Rao and the broader Marcus Evans team for delivering an outstanding event and creating a valuable forum for collaboration, innovation and practical discussion across the housing sector.
