Who are the 57,000 women experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa?

In Aotearoa, women account for about 50% of the country’s homeless population.

In 2024, Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness commissioned the research report Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga - Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women’s Homelessness in Aotearoa, which was undertaken by Ihi Research and Taylor Fry. The research aimed to better understand the barriers and solutions for women experiencing homelessness.

Methods involved an integrative literature review and semi-structured interviews to examine the realities and possible solutions for addressing women’s homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand and a quantitative data analysis of the 2018 and 2023 Census data from the Integrated Data Infrastructure.

The interviews included in the report illustrate the diverse experiences of women.

The report found that many homeless women remain hidden, often couch surfing, living in overcrowded accommodations, or engaging in sex work, masking the true extent of the problem. This ‘hidden’ nature contributes to underestimating the prevalence and severity of women’s homelessness. Additionally, evidence highlights the presence of damaging assumptions that somehow homeless women deserve their situations and are undeserving of assistance.

Find out more about Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga here, and scroll down to find out more about the 57,000 women experiencing homelessness in Aotearoa.