Web resource:	http://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/vital/access/services/Download/swin:24750/SOURCE1
Type:	Electronic publication
Title:	Going it alone : single, low needs women and hidden homelessness
Authors:	Sharam, Andrea
Keywords:	Policy;Personal stories;Older people;Risk factors;Housing
Year:	2008
Publisher:	Women's Information Support & Housing In The North, Brunswick
Notes:	General Overview: Single, low-need women (i.e., who do not have a disability or mental health/addiction issue), aged 30-64 years tend to be unrepresented in homelessness statistics while experiencing significant housing stress. To identify how prevalent the problem is and to learn more about women turned away from homelessness services, Dr Andrea Sharam conducted research into the housing needs of this group of women in Melbourne, on behalf of Women’s Information, Support and Housing in the North (WISHIN) and North East Housing Service. Discussion: This report outlines the methodology, findings and implications of the research undertaken into the housing needs of older, single, low-income, low-needs women. The context of the study included the predicted growth of single female households in Australia between 2001 and 2026, the increasing gender wage gap, the continuing crisis in housing affordability and the targeting of homelessness services according to ‘personal risk’ factors such as domestic violence and mental health. Consequently, the research was interested in exploring structural factors contributing to housing stress and homelessness among single women, particularly the intersection between gender and housing affordability as a pathway to homelessness. The report begins by providing background information and a definition of homelessness before describing the qualitative methodology employed by the research. A brief review of the literature regarding the cohort of interest is presented, followed by an analysis of findings that emerged from interviews conducted with 26 women from the target population. Key themes addressed included: employment status; housing careers; health and wellbeing; and finances and economic restructuring. Significantly, all of the women interviewed were experiencing a degree of housing stress that suggested they could all become eligible for crisis services in the future. Key recommendations from the research includes: the need for further gender-aware research into ‘hidden’ homelessness in Australia and the role of partnering in meeting women’s housing needs; increased resourcing of homelessness services to meet demand; developing mechanisms to increase the number of affordable dwellings for single women; and improving employment and retraining opportunities for women experiencing housing instability.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/21396
ISBN:	9780646502564
Physical description:	51 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
Appears in Collections:	Online resource

Items in ANROWS library are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.