"Home?" What is it? A home is having shelter, feeling secure, safe and connected. There are 105,237 homeless people in Australia (Homelessness Australia, 2012). Homelessness arises from many situations such as domestic violence, unemployment, mental illness, family breakdown and drug and alcohol abuse. These can all contribute to the level of homelessness in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011). Being homeless can mean that you are socially excluded from your community. For the homeless this can mean a greater risk of them having poor physical health, an increased personal safety risk and their psychological well-being is also a lot worse off. The homeless have lost the basic human rights of having a stable living life, health …show more content…
On Census night 2011 there were 105,237 people experiencing homelessness, with 45,813 or 44% of these are women. There are over 2,200 women in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping rough (Homelessness Australia, 2012). The major causes of homelessness amongst women include domestic violence, sexual assault and family breakdown. These experiences force women from their home, along with their children, in search of a safer place to live. Women who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless often lack control over their lives because they are dependent on others to provide accommodation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2008). Over a third of women over the age of 15 have experienced physical, psychological and/or sexual violence at the hands of a current or former partner. Domestic violence is the number one reason why people present themselves to specialist homeless services, with 55% of female clients citing this reason (Homelessness Australia, 2012). These women are at risk of a shortage of affordable and available rental housing. If these women do leave the abuse it is harder for them to find and afford housing, this is due to them being the primary carer for the family and for this reason are more likely to be unemployed (Homelessness Australia, 2012). If women do leave there house to flee the abuse, housing and support options for this group of women are very