Home of Your Own recognised in Australia’s Good Design Awards for excellence in design and innovation
30 Sep 2024
MEDIA RELEASE
On 20 September 2024, Justice Connect’s newest, online self-help tool Home of Your Own was awarded a prestigious Good Design Award in the Social Impact Category, for exceptional design and innovation.
Home of Your Own empowers women and children facing family violence to understand their rights and options as renters, and take early, proactive steps to stay safely housed and avoid the financial burden caused by family violence on renters.
The tool builds on the impact of Justice Connect’s award-winning online tool, Dear Landlord, and Justice Connect’s best-practice, wraparound Women’s Homelessness Prevention Project that breaks the links between homelessness, financial insecurity, and family violence.
The Good Design Awards Jury praised Home of Your Own, commenting:
“The Jury applauds the Home of Your Own initiative for its profound impact on at-risk renters across Victoria. This free, online self-help tool provides crucial support for those facing the threat of homelessness due to family violence, enabling them to take preventative action and avoid financial distress.
The project exemplifies how good design can make a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals. The Jury was particularly moved by the project’s ability to address such a pressing social issue with a thoughtful and accessible solution. This is a prime example of how design can drive meaningful social change and provide invaluable support to those in need.”
This marks Justice Connect’s fourth Good Design Award, having previously received accolades for Dear Landlord (2021), The Missing Majority Report (2021), and our Gateway Project (2019).
“At Justice Connect, we recognise the role that digital tools play in increasing access to legal support,” says Justice Connect’s CEO Chris Povey. “With Home of Your Own, more Victorian renters affected by family violence can now access free, personalised legal information and documents to help them take steps to stay safely housed.”
“I especially extend my thanks to the survivor-advocates and community workers whose insights contributed to bringing this award-winning tool to life.”
The 2024 Australian Good Design Awards showcases design excellence in a ceremony at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney, attended by over 1,000 guests from design, architecture, engineering, and business sectors.
This year’s theme, “The Design Effect” underscored the crucial role design plays in shaping better products, services, spaces, and experiences.
With its roots dating back to 1958, the Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s most prestigious international accolade for design and innovation. This year’s entries were rigorously evaluated by more than 80 Jurors from around the globe, including designers, engineers, architects, and industry leaders.
Rachel Wye, Managing Director of Good Design Australia, remarked, “The Australian Good Design Awards are proud to recognise the truly inspirational work that is being done across different design disciplines, sectors and industries in Australia and overseas. […] We are honoured to celebrate this year’s Winners, whose work not only represents design excellence, but also inspires future designers, architects and innovators. These projects stand as a testament to the power of good design and its ability to make a significant, positive impact in our world.”
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Emily Malone
Head of Engagement
Emily.Malone@justiceconnect.org.au
About Justice Connect
Justice Connect is a legal service organisation and charity that designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.
About Justice Connect’s Homeless Law
Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist homeless law legal service, providing wraparound legal and social work support to Victorians experiencing or at risk of homelessness.