We know first-hand that the stereotypical profile of a person experiencing homelessness as a single older male is far from the norm. In fact, the majority of people supported by specialist homelessness services are women.
As Juno works specifically with women and gender diverse people experiencing homelessness, we also understand that their experiences of homelessness are fundamentally different from cis men’s for a lot of reasons. Yes, there is a shortage of affordable housing (and this is a critical issue), but women and gender diverse people are especially at risk of homelessness due to gender-based social and economic inequalities.
The main reasons they are pushed into homelessness relate to gendered poverty and family violence. Overall women earn less than men and are more likely to be victim survivors of family and domestic violence.
Unfortunately, embedded attitudes and perceptions about homelessness often overlook the diverse experiences of women and gender diverse people, and continue to influence policy and the way support is delivered across the homelessness sector.
Drivers of homelessness for women: Overall women earn less than men and are more likely to be victim survivors of family and domestic violence
Through our long history of partnering with women experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, we know that supporting women and gender diverse people also means understanding the various complex issues that may act as a barrier to them securing safe, long-term housing.
The link between structural gender inequality and homelessness is clear – unequal pay and family and domestic violence, among other factors, affect access to suitable housing.
Despite this, many women and gender diverse people continue to be seen through generalist homelessness services who may struggle to respond to the complex needs of them and their children. More than half of the unsupported requests made to homelessness services for support were made by women.
Prior to connecting with Juno, many of our clients have presented to mainstream homelessness services who have been unable to support their family violence issues or high-risk safety concerns and referred them to family violence services. Meanwhile, family violence services refer people a homelessness service if they see homelessness as the primary concern, leading them to bounce between two systems. Find out more.
We know from experience that women and gender diverse people will remain vulnerable to future housing crises without a holistic, trauma informed response that targets the drivers of homelessness.
People at increased risk
People of all ages and backgrounds can be at risk of experiencing homelessness, but according to the stats and our own experience, some people are at even greater risk.
Where gender inequality, poverty, and a lack of affordable housing intersect with other forms of discrimination and marginalisation, some groups are made particularly vulnerable to experiences of homelessness and family violence. These experiences can be understood through the framework of intersectionality.
Groups at higher risk among women and gender diverse people:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
- LGBTQIA+ communities;
- People with disability;
- People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities;
- People with mental health needs;
- People using alcohol and other drugs;
- Criminalised people;
- Older people;
- And people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Intersectionality considers an individual’s unique experience through the intersect of various dimensions, such as their lived experience or identity. Someone recovering from the impacts of the trauma associated with family or domestic violence, living with a disability, or a mother, for example, faces discrimination or oppression that is unique. This means that their needs are also unique.
We know that for women and gender diverse people to have the best possible chance of maintaining a permanent and safe home, policy, housing, and service delivery requires consideration and understanding of the specific needs of these distinct populations.
Read Juno’s Submission to the Homelessness Inquiry here
Find out more
- Find out more about the LGBTQIA+ experiences of homelessness at Rainbow Health.
- Homelessness and Women Factsheet created by the Council to Homeless Persons.
- Homelessness and Domestic and Family Violence Factsheet by the Council to Homeless Persons
- Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Homelessness Factsheet by the Council to Homeless Persons.
- Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort: Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home – a framework by the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum.
- Explore more research on the gendered lens of Homelessness through the Women’s Housing Alliance.
