Why Women's Housing?

Affordable, appropriate and secure housing is a basic need and right that is not currently being adequately provided for by the public or private sectors.

The rental vacancy rate is at a 25 year low, and rents have increased by about 3 times the rate of inflation. During the last decade, average house prices relative to income have doubled, pricing an increasing number of low income housholds out of the market. The supply of low cost housing stock, particularly in inner and middle suburbs, has declined through "gentrification" of these suburbs. Over the same period, the provision of social housing by governments has declined by 20%.

The situation is exacerbated for women and children. Almost 90% of single headed households are women with children. Close to half of sole parent families with dependent children (in comparison to 11% of couple families) have both low income and low wealth. Lack of affordable childcare hinders women re-entering the workforce and if they do, they will often compromise their work opportunities because of their primary carer status and then wind up in a pattern of irregular, part-time and casual work and hence unreliable sources of income. Victorian women's earnings are 19% lower than those of men. Government pensions and allowances are the principal source of income for 61% of sole parent families. Women also face discrimination in gaining access to private rental accommodation, financial loans and the mortgage industry.

UN Report

"Women experience violations of housing rights alongside other members of their family and community. However, women also face violations of housing rights because of situations which predominantly affect women. For example, women are much more likely than men to be the victims of domestic violence, and this often threatens their housing rights as they are forced to flee the violent home. Women may also suffer different impacts as a result of the housing right violation. For example, the great majority of single parents are women. If a single mother is made homeless, she also has to find resources to care for her children. Also women may not have the same access to redress in law as other members of the family or the community. Any pre-existing discrimination women may be facing because of their sex/gender and because of their class, ethnicity, race, disability or other status, may have a further impact on preventing women from asserting their right to adequate housing."
Source: Coalition of Non-Government Workers throughout Australia, The report to the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing Women and the Right to Adequate Housing in Australia

Some Statistics on Housing and Homelessness

It is estimated that:

1.5 million low income Australians are now suffering from housing stress compared with 742,000 households in 1999
Approximately half of these households are renting privately
On any given night 100,000 people are homeless

Why should we be concerned?

Affordable, appropriate and secure housing is a basic need and right that is not being adequately provided by the public or private sectors.
The right to adequate housing contained in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) is:

"The right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself [sic] and his family including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions."
This right is also contained in other human rights instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Stable housing is a critical element of well-being, labour market efficiency and social cohesion within communities.
Lack of affordable, appropriate and secure housing creates social, economic and spatial polarization within communities and leads to 'social unrest' and is socially unjust.

None of the Victorian registered Housing Assoociations providing social housing have a specific focus on women. Many women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and women who have experienced sexual abuse and/or domestic violence, are not comfortable with and will not approach a generalist service for assistance. VWHA has been able to overcome these barriers and meet the need. However demand far outstrips supply. VWHA aims to grow significantly, to better meet this demand.