MEDIA RELEASE: Launch of landmark report on women’s experiences of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand
New research finds women are fifty percent of those experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa, with wāhine Māori disproportionately affected
The Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness has partnered with kaupapa Māori researchers, Ihi Research and analytics firm, Taylor Fry to shine a light on women’s experiences of homelessness.
Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga: Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women’s Homelessness in Aotearoa sets the voices of women and kaimahi captured by Ihi Research alongside Taylor Fry’s analysis of Census 2018 and Census 2023 data.
The research reveals the hidden nature of much of women’s homelessness and highlights systemic inequalities for women and key opportunities for intervention, including for wāhine Māori, older women, and younger women with children.
Key findings highlight wāhine Māori, single mothers most impacted
The research shows that women represent 50% of those experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa, making us atypical internationally - in OECD countries women typically account for 22% of people experiencing homelessness, on average.
Wāhine Māori are most impacted by homelessness, consistently accounting for one third of women experiencing homelessness in the 2018 and 2023 data, with Pacific women and Asian women also overrepresented.
The report finds other groups of women who are most disproportionately impacted include:
• Single mothers: Report experiencing heightened discrimination in accessing housing, employment, and support services, as well as higher reliance on the sole parent benefit than housing deprived men.
• Older women: Report facing rising homelessness rates due to factors including widowhood, divorce, elder abuse, and financial insecurity.
• Young women: Report struggling with complex challenges, including untreated mental health issues and limited financial support, as well as economic barriers such as lower rates of driver’s licensing.
"Our research highlights that homelessness is not just about lack of shelter. It's about a complex set of intersecting challenges that disproportionately impact women, especially Māori women, including a huge lack of women’s only housing services that address women’s specific health and support needs," said Victoria Crockford, Project Director for the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness.
"We are calling on the government and all of those who want to see our women well-housed to read these stories and pay attention to the data when designing social investment approaches, social services, and housing developments.”
Intersecting challenges reveal gendered nature of housing insecurity
The research uncovers the gendered ways in which women experience homelessness in several key areas, including in relation to unmet mental health needs, higher risks of sexual or family violence and related trauma, and a lack of accessible housing to enable women (who are living longer than men) to age in place - a particular concern for older wāhine Māori forced to move off their whenua.
It also reveals that women have increased vulnerability during pregnancy, with many interviewees describing a lack of maternal healthcare options in transitional and emergency housing.
“We need to come from the starting position that not all experiences of homelessness are driven by the same realities. This research shows that we can’t keep responding to homelessness as if it is a homogenous issue because when we do, women’s needs are not being met. We need to be able to offer a range of housing options and a continuum of services that are adaptive and meet people’s gender, cultural, and access needs - including as they age”, said Crockford.
As a result of the research, the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness is calling for:
1. Government agencies to develop comprehensive policy and operational frameworks that specifically address women's housing needs, including improved gender disaggregated data collection and analysis.
2. A national strategy dedicated to women's homelessness that provides targeted support for wāhine Māori, Pacific women, older women, single mothers, and other marginalized women's groups.
3. Stronger, coordinated partnerships between government agencies, community providers, Māori, and iwi organizations to deliver holistic support.
4. Prioritization of targeted prevention and early intervention programs for women at high risk of homelessness. With a social investment approach, special focus should be given to older women facing financial insecurity, single mothers, and women experiencing domestic violence.
5. Implementation of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to continuously assess the effectiveness of interventions and policies targeting women's homelessness.
ENDS
About the report
The full report can be found online on the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness website here.
