Matrix Guild Victoria Inc. was founded in May 1992 by a group of lesbian feminists.
- It was established by and for the benefit of lesbians over forty years of age
- The Matrix Guild is a public charitable incorporated association with Deductible Gift Recipient status
Aims and Objectives
- To promote appropriate care and support for older lesbians
- To provide some accommodation that caters to the needs of ageing lesbians who experience financial disadvantage
- To support aging lesbians’ accommodation choices
- To challenge ageism and to oppose discrimination against older lesbians
- To advocate on behalf of older lesbians to governments and other relevant bodies
- To promote social contact and support among older lesbians
- To research lesbians’ experience of aged care
What We Do
- We support the care and accommodation choices of older lesbians in Victoria.
- We advocate for lesbian friendly services in the areas of:
- Independent housing
- Home-based care
- Aged care
- We work towards enhancing the wellbeing and quality of life of older lesbians, who are marginalised, at risk, disabled and/or frail
We do this through:
- Providing information on lesbian friendly care and support services.
- Lobbying and liaising with government agencies and service providers to develop more appropriate lesbian friendly services and increased housing options for older lesbians.
- Providing some social housing and information on lesbian friendly accommodation services
- Undertaking research on discrimination of lesbians who use aged care services, examining strategies to combat this and creating guidelines for lesbian-sensitive staff training.
- Educating service providers and the community about the needs of older lesbians. The Guild may provide training to aged care staff on issues relevant to caring for lesbians. We hope to increase awareness of lesbian culture and provide guidelines for lesbian-sensitive care.
- Raising funds through bequests, grants and fundraising events. Our fundraising has generated a stream of income that has enabled Matrix Guild to undertake projects to assist older lesbians and inform the wider community about our needs.
Projects
The projects that we have undertaken using the income we have generated from grants, bequests and fundraising events include:
Publications
- Lesbian Health, Independence & Well-Being resource, 1997
- Coming Home: Interviews with Women who Came Out After 40, 2004
- My People. Exploring the experiences of GLBT in aged care, 2008
- Permission to Speak. Determining strategies towards the development of GLBT friendly aged care services, 2009
- We Live Here Too: A Guide to Lesbian Inclusive Practice in Aged Care, 2011
Housing
A recent generous bequest has enabled us to embark on a housing project to provide 3 wheelchair accessible apartments for older lesbians experiencing financial disadvantage. We hope that future bequests and grants will help us to provide additional secure accommodation for older lesbians in housing stress.
We are currently working with Women’s Property Initiatives and a co-housing group called Urban Coup on some environmentally sustainable, affordable housing for our members who are in housing stress.
What Can You Do?
- Become a member
- Become a volunteer
- Organise and / or attend Matrix Guild Fundraisers
- Include Matrix Guild Victoria Inc. as a beneficiary in your will
- Make a (tax deductible) donation
Matrix Guild Membership Benefits
- Matrix Guild Newsletters
- Information on Matrix Guild Support Services
- Information on Matrix Social Events
- Eligibility for Matrix subsidised housing
Committee Members
We warmly welcome more lesbians to join the management committee. View the Committee Member bio’s here.
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