Women and children ‘bearing the brunt’ of Tasmanian housing crisis, report finds

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The housing crisis is Tasmania is proving to be particularly challenging for women and children. Advocates say action needs to be urgently taken, and for their needs to be reflected in the state’s housing strategy.

Transcript

00:00Caught in a violent relationship and a housing crisis, Kodi faced an impossible decision.

00:09It was a choice of either stay or be on the street.

00:12She searched desperately for housing in Tasmania's northwest.

00:16There was really nowhere to go. A single mother with four kids and a dog.

00:22Like, no one was willing to look at me.

00:24At least here they had a roof over their head even if it wasn't the best.

00:28Kodi says her abuser was eventually forced out of their home by police and moved to the mainland.

00:34She counts herself fortunate to still be in her rental, knowing that's not an option for many.

00:41A recent report by Impact Economics and Policy found the rate of homelessness among Tasmanian women

00:47surged between 2016 and 2021, especially in the state's north.

00:53And women needing three or four bedroom homes are waiting an average of 19 weeks longer

00:59than people who only need one bedroom.

01:02Workers at the Coalface are seeing the impact.

01:06This shelter is only supporting a fraction of the women and children who present needing accommodation.

01:12Historically, when I look back seven years ago, generally women were staying at shelter for about six weeks.

01:20But we have families living here. We have families that have been here six, nine months.

01:25So what that then creates is a bottleneck.

01:28With nowhere to go, more than 900 Tasmanian women are returning to a violent partner

01:34or becoming homeless each year.

01:37Women and children need multiple bedroom homes.

01:41The current approach, federally and state, is often to build smaller homes.

01:46And we're not actually seeing that gain of new two, three, four bedroom homes.

01:52Impact Economics and Policy estimates Tasmania needs more than 4,000 new homes for women and children,

01:59including 900 for those fleeing violence.

02:03The Tasmanian government aims to deliver 10,000 social and affordable homes by 2032.

02:10Housing Minister Felix Ellis says victim survivors are often given priority access,

02:15but did not respond when asked how many new homes would have multiple bedrooms.

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