YWCA Australia welcomes new research on Gendered Housing Matters

YWCA Australia welcomes new research released today from the Australian Housing Urban Research Institute (AHURI) “Gendered Housing Matters” which reinforces the pressing need for gender-responsive housing and homelessness solutions.

YWCA Australia is the only national women’s housing provider in Australia and has long been advocating for gender-responsive housing and homelessness solutions.

Michelle Phillips, CEO YWCA Australia applauds the AHURI “Gendered Housing Matters” report, urging policymakers to recognise the importance of gendered housing solutions.

“This report underscores the urgent need for policies that reflect the unique experiences of women and gender diverse people,” Ms Phillips said. “Only then can we truly solve Australia’s housing crisis and achieve a more gender-equal housing future”.

“Women and gender diverse people face distinct structural barriers in accessing housing over their lifetimes, including the gender pay gap, unequal burden of unpaid work, disrupted employment, economic consequences of divorce and separation and lower superannuation balances,” said Ms Phillips.

“This is why we advocate for gender-responsive housing and homelessness supports and why we developed our Women’s Housing Framework, an Australian sector-first model, that identifies best practices in designing, acquiring, and operating housing for women.”

YWCA’s Women’s Housing Framework is a practical tool that outlines small changes an organisation can make to ensure they are working with residents to support them in achieving positive housing and individual outcomes linked to broader gender equality outcomes.

“This research strengthens our call on Governments of all levels to work closely with specialist organisations, such as YWCA Australia, to design and deliver gender-responsive housing and homelessness solutions whilst ensuring specific needs and experiences are heard and appropriately addressed.”

YWCA congratulates AHURI on this important research and welcomes collaboration with government and the wider housing and homelessness sector on developing and delivering tailored and targeted solutions.