Welcome to the President’s Chat with Karen Hartley, Director of Hartwood Hub.
A chat recap
I hope you enjoy this episode of the President’s Chat with Karen Hartley. She became widowed in early July of 2020, at the age of 52 and opened the doors of Hartwood Hub in May 2023. She wants to address the way a widowed or divorced women is treated by financial and government agencies and employment and housing sectors simply because she has become a widow or divorcee. Quite often, no other factor has changed, yet suddenly society deems that woman to be incapable of servicing loans, taking a lease, or holding down a job.
It is shocking to realise that in today’s society, women in Australia are still disadvantaged on such a basic level. I hope by highlighting an initiative that addresses this problem we can help women overcome this injustice. I do realise this is a profit for purpose initiative and would like to stress that this interview is to increase awareness of this problem and not specifically to encourage referrals.
– Dr Ira van der Steenstraten, President QMWS
Extract from Hartwood Hub
“Knowing that my husband’s end of life was growing closer, we thought we had everything sorted down to the finest detail. We could not have been more wrong. What I experienced shortly after being widowed can only be described as harrowing and, were it not for amazing legal and accounting support, a lot of “luck” and a good deal of personal courage, my life could very well have turned down a different path. Although I have not experienced homelessness, I have experienced the appalling effects of gender bias and its impact on the treatment of women in business, in banking, in superannuation, insurance and in everyday life.
I started Hartwood Hub because I needed a job. I decided I wanted to do something to not only help and financial support myself but to benefit other women who sadly find themselves experiencing similar hardships but who do not have the experience, networks, and educational skills I had.
I see educational and support programs as equally important, so we plan to build and establish suitable Learning Hubs where women can come to get support and help to do even the simplest of tasks such as learning to access essential resources or guiding them toward online courses to assist with return to work, preparing resumes and preparing for interviews etc. The Learning Hub building, once built, will be a “day centre” so that the clients staying at Fisher House can access the classes and programmes on offer for a nominal fee; additionally, women outside of Fisher House will be able to book to access our programmes, enabling us to help many more than our 21 in-house clients. Hartwood Hub’s Learning Hub will become a place of support, education, and, most importantly give these women a much-needed sense of belonging and community.”
Contact Details
Fisher House ph: 0403 132 646
29 Fisher Street e: [email protected]
East Brisbane QLD 4169 w: www.hartwoodhub.com.au
