Deirdre Coghlan Bursary Award

Background

Since 2016, Q Shelter has awarded a bursary in the name of Deirdre Coghlan, a founding and life member of Q Shelter. Deirdre was known to many Queenslanders as a champion of social housing and as an outstanding community development worker.

Deirdre contributed significantly to the founding of Bric Housing, through a collaboration involving four community housing providers. In her later years, Deirdre was also a proud tenant of Bric Housing and famously achieved an amazing level of community development with other social housing tenants in Redcliffe. She loved her role and the difference it made.

The bursaries, currently at $7,000 per annum, fund professional development activities for Q Shelter members who work or volunteer in the affordable housing and homelessness sector.

Congratulations to our 2025 winners of the Deirdre Coghlan Bursary Award, announced at the 2025 Q Shelter Annual General Meeting:

• Douglas Shire Aged Persons Home: Providing governance training for two of their volunteer Board members through the Institute of Company Directors Australia
• Kingston East Neighbourhood Group: Funding training in Compassion Fatigue for their ISA and IHRF teams
• Logan Zero: for two of their team members to attend the February 2026 Leadership Academy
• North West Youth Accommodation Service: for three case workers to attend the ‘She is not your rehab’ Domestic and Family Violence prevention conference
• Access Community Housing Company: for a key staff member to undertake the Diploma of Leadership and Management or equivalent training.

The recipients of the 2025 Deirdre Coghlan Bursary Award at the 2025 Q Shelter AGM: (L-R) Christopher John: CEO of YFS (Logan Zero), Aidan Lang: CEO of Access Community Housing Company, Sue Zahnow: Immediate Supported Accommodation team at Kingston East Neighbourhood Group, Heather Rowe: Senior Case Worker at North West Youth Accommodation Service, and Floyd Stephens: GM Capacity and Integration at Q Shelter. 

In 2024, the winners of the Deirdre Coghlan Bursary Award were announced at the 2024 Q Shelter Annual General Meeting:

• Riverbed Action Group Outreach & Support Service (RAGOSS) as part of North West Queensland Indigenous Catholic Social Services, Mount Isa. RAGOSS will use their bursary for Mental Health First Aid Training for their staff.
• 3rd Space Brisbane for Trauma-informed First Nations-led training for volunteers and staff.
• BABI Youth and Family Service for Domestic and Family Violence training for team, and the development of a version of the training that is “young person” friendly.

In 2023, Q Shelter was able to distribute the bursary to nominees from five member organisations:

• Yoorana Women’s Domestic Violence and Resource Centre
• Queensland Injectors Health Network
• The Immediate Support Accommodation Team, Kingston East Neighbourhood Centre
• Housing Older Women Movement
• WIN Housing Projects