Bold plan to end homelessness

MULLUMBIMBY businesswoman Dionne Payn is on a mission to inspire one million women to invest $5,000 to end homelessness by 2030.

The author of E.T.H.I.C.A.L Property Investing founded the organisation Women 4 Homes after spending years raising capital for property developers creating affordable and sustainable homes through her company, High Impact Property Investments.

UK-born Payn moved to the Northern Rivers in 2005 after holidaying in Byron Bay with her husband.

“Both of us had the opportunity to study and I was awarded a scholarship to complete a PhD looking for natural medicines in sugarcane waste products,” she said.

“My concern for homelessness grew when I started working on property developments in the Northern Rivers. I undertook an affordable housing project in Ocean Shores, where I realised that not only could I achieve a good return as a developer, but I could also provide much-needed affordable housing for locals.”

One of the first buyers was a friend who otherwise would not have been able to afford a home in the region.

“This experience made me see that it was possible to develop affordable housing while working with community housing providers to ensure rental options remained accessible,” she said. “From there, I wanted to scale my impact by helping developers raise capital to build more affordable homes.”

Payn established a retail fund that allows investors to participate in housing projects that generate strong financial returns while increasing the availability of affordable, sustainable and inclusive housing.

She also hosts the Financially Empowered Women podcast, which educates and supports women in areas such as superannuation, negotiating for better pay and work opportunities and ensuring assets are distributed fairly when going through separation or divorce.

Payn said the housing affordability crisis has worsened significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the rising cost of building materials due to supply chain disruptions, increasing land prices in the region and resistance to development.

She said women are disproportionately affected because of career interruptions due to caregiving responsibilities, which can limit career progression and superannuation contributions, and lower confidence upon returning to the workforce, often resulting in part-time or lower-paying jobs.

For more information, visit women4homes.com