Gendered Violence and Homelessness Week

As we’ve seen at rallies and marches across the country demanding an end to gendered violence, we can’t have a conversation about gendered violence without talking about housing security. It is unacceptable that women, gender diverse people and their families are faced with the choice of violence or leave their home with nowhere to go.

There is a crucial role for gender responsive solutions to play in addressing these challenges and building a healthier housing system for all.

Efforts to reduce homelessness without also addressing domestic and family violence (DFV) are efforts wasted. Funding to address the DFV crisis without supported housing solutions are also in vain.

The dual crises of gendered violence and housing insecurity and homelessness presents an urgent challenge for policy makers, sector leaders and advocates across Australia and it requires collaboration and a wholistic approach to solutions.

DFV is the number one driver of homelessness for women and accounts for 45 per cent of all women seeking assistance from homelessness services nationally. Behind these statistics are real people who are forced to choose between safety or shelter.

Take Alannah’s journey, one of our residents. She experienced a lifetime of unstable housing, compounded by a history of domestic violence and mental health struggles. After leaving her last unsafe relationship, Alannah like many other women, had nowhere to go. Whilst receiving support after her traumatic experiences, Alannah was referred to YWCA for housing. Now settled in her home, Alannah is thriving.

“For the first time ever, I believe that I am safe. I now have the belief I do have a positive future after all of my history of trauma.”

Coordinated responses between specialist support services and housing providers are crucial to the safety of women like Allanah and funding and policy approaches much support pathways to long term housing outcomes for women and gender diverse people.

Governments must work hand-in-hand with specialist organisations like YWCA, who understand the gendered drivers of these intersecting challenges and design programs that deliver better outcomes for women experiencing DFV and housing insecurity.

The Commonwealth has recently announced some great steps forward – building on the solid foundations of the federal government’s overall housing package – including:

• $1 billion to the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to better support housing for women and children experiencing domestic violence and housing for youth.
• $1.9 billion in financing for community housing providers to deliver under the Housing Australia Future Fund and National Accord.
• The doubling of federal homelessness funding at $400 million to be matched by states in the new National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness.
• The spending measures to address gendered violence, particularly the $925 million over five years to make the Leaving Violence Program permanent.
• While these are welcome steps, there are clear areas where further action is needed.

Any investment in housing must sit alongside investment in frontline homelessness and DFV services to arrest and reverse the impact of gendered violence on the housing security of women and their families.

Through strategic investments in gender responsive long-term housing, homelessness and DFV supports, we can not only address housing shortage but also create a more gender equal housing future for women and gender diverse people.