Evaluating fifth-year outcomes housing first for women in Aotearoa New Zealand

This study demonstrates that five years after being housed through a Housing First programme, women experienced substantial improvements in health service interactions, including a 65% reduction in hospitalisations and increased access to pharmaceuticals, highlighting the effectiveness of this approach in addressing homelessness among women.

The findings from Evaluating fifth-year outcomes Housing First for women in Aotearoa New Zealand are particularly valuable because they provide rare long-term evidence about what works for women experiencing homelessness. Longitudinal research like this helps policymakers, practitioners and communities understand the sustained impacts of housing interventions over time, rather than only short-term outcomes. The study adds important insight into how stable housing can support women’s health, wellbeing and access to essential services.

We want to acknowledge and thank the research team behind this study - this work is both technically rigorous and deeply meaningful for understanding women’s housing outcomes.

This paper was completed by Brodie Fraser, Terence Jiang, Clare Aspinall, Tiria Pehi, Jenny Ombler, Carole McMinn, Polly Atatoa-Carr, Ayodeji Fasoro, Kerry Hawkes, Julie Nelson & Nevil Pierse.

Read the research here

Read about it on NewZealandDoctor.co.nz here