Women and Homelessness: Innovative Practice and Exit Pathways

The face of women now appears as a significant feature of the ‘new homelessness’. While the ideology of the traditional nuclear family model persists in spite of changing demographic trends, it is argued that homelessness is defined in terms of men’s experiences and practices or men’s subjectivities hides women’s homelessness. Fifty-five percent of homeless people seeking assistance in 1999 in Australia, for instance, were women. This paper reports on recently completed research on women’s transitions out of homelessness and the role of housing and associated support services in offering ‘independence’.