The Post - From hospital to homelessness: Women’s housing crisis laid bare

This summer, we’re highlighting the urgent reality that for many women and their children - there is no holiday from homelessness. 

Mary*, a refugee, had nowhere to go after giving birth to her baby - she was homeless. She spent 10 days in hospital waiting for an emergency housing spot to open up in Wellington.

Mary features in Amelia Wade’s article “From hospital to homelessness: Women’s housing crisis laid bare” for The Post which brings attention to the often unseen reality of homelessness for women and their children. 

Mary and her newborn baby were moved into emergency housing - a studio apartment smaller than 9 square metres, where they lived for three years until she finally found a permanent home with Dwell Trust Housing. 

With a stable home, Mary can plan for the future. She is sewing and dreaming of her own fashion label, while her son thrives at a local kindergarten, surrounded by friends and community.

In 2024, Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness called for the development of a national strategy to address women’s homelessness. With no strategy yet in place, the Coalition has since begun a letter-writing campaign to maintain pressure for change.

Coalition Kaihautū Dr Kathie Irwin (Ngāti Porou, Rakaipaaka, Ngāti Kahungunu) says a persistent challenge is the assumption that homelessness affects everyone in the same way. She is often asked: “Why women?”

“Homelessness is a blight on our society. It’s a serious issue for our whole society, but it’s absolutely critical to be clear that homelessness impacts differently on women and men,” Kathie says. 

Kathie points to research showing women are more likely to experience homelessness due to intersecting factors such as violence, safety concerns, caring responsibilities and economic inequity.

Read about Mary’s story and the urgent need for a Te Tiriti-based strategy to address women’s homelessness in The Post. 

Help make a difference: Sign and send our Open Letter calling for a national, Te Tiriti-based strategy to end women’s homelessness. Find out more here: 

*not her real name