Presentation of the Lady Bowen Trust Grants

Minister for Housing and Public Works, Minister for Digital Technology and Minister for Sport, the Honourable Mick de Brenni MP; Members of the Lady Bowen Board of Advice; Chief Executive Officer of the Public Trustee of Queensland, Mr Peter Carne; ladies and gentlemen – welcome to Fernberg!

On your way here today you will have had a little taste of our Brisbane winter.

Apparently we have had the coldest start to winter in over ten years. For most of us that means putting on a thicker jacket during the day and putting another blanket on the bed at night.

But as we know, for those experiencing homelessness the remedy is not so simple. There is no wardrobe to get a jacket out of, no cupboard from which to pull out an extra blanket. And no soft, warm bed to curl up in, safe from the wind and the rain and the cold of winter.

The reality for many of those without a home is long, hard nights on a cold concrete floor, or huddling beneath everything you own on a park bench, or couch surfing from place to place.

The causes of homelessness are complex, and no one suggests that the solution is simple or straightforward, or that there is any one solution that applies to all situations.

And that is why the grants awarded by the Lady Bowen Trust are so important.

Each grant recipient will provide practical, targeted assistance to specifically address the individual needs of the people they support.

Each organisation is different in their approach but they are united in their desire to make a life-changing difference in people’s lives.

The work that they do can mean the difference between continued despair and the beginnings of a new future.

It is my hope as Patron of the Lady Bowen Trust that hundreds of lives will be touched and profoundly altered through the work that will be done by the recipients of the 2018 Grants.

I would like to thank those sixteen organisations, and every organisation who applied for a grant, for their part in providing hope and practical support to those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

I would like to extend my thanks to all the organisations with whom the Trust partners, to the Public Trustee for its role as Trustee, to all the supporters of the Trust, and to the Board of Advice and the dedicated employees who work with the Trust.

Your efforts are truly appreciated.