Did you know that women over 55 are currently the fastest growing cohort amongst the homeless?

There are many reasons for this.
But primarily the reason is:

There is no affordable housing.

Women are incredibly resourceful. Perhaps to our detriment. We don’t make enough fuss. We don’t protest enough. We just do the best we can under the circumstances.
But one thing is certain, we should not be struggling like this. It is a disgrace that our needs for affordable housing have been overlooked.

It’s not as if there weren’t any indicators.

• Governments have let public housing decline over the past 10 -20 years.
• They have not ensured we have the skills to compete in an ageist and declining job market.
• They have advanced the qualifying age for the aged pension.
• They have made cuts to services we need.
• They have not ensured that crisis accommodation is safe and appropriate for women.
• They have shut down domestic violence shelters.
• They have humiliated us by lumping us in with younger people on Jobseeker and implied we are dole bludgers.

We have devoted our lives to caring for our families. Raising children, caring for elderly parents. Doing the dirty work, the cleaning, the nursing, the lowly paid jobs. Under-paid and under-valued.

And now we can’t even afford a decent roof over our heads.

So what can we do? We can lobby for housing to meet our needs. And in the meantime, we can pull together. Share our houses and help each other like sisters. Don’t give up. Find a way. And hope that things will improve.

If you are couch surfing, sleeping in your car, struggling to find an affordable rental or perhaps worrying about losing your home because you can’t pay the mortgage – please join my group – Women Wide Network for Share Accommodation.