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Housing & Homelessness In the ACT

Appropriate, affordable and stable housing is essential to the health and wellbeing of ACT women and their families. But for many ACT women housing insecurity and homelessness is an increasing issue.

Someone is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness if they do not have access to safe and secure housing.

Women’s Health Matters delivers systemic advocacy and research to increase understanding, raise awareness and improve responses to women’s experiences of homelessness in the ACT and region.

Women’s experiences of homelessness

There are many factors that increase the risk of women experiencing homelessness. Domestic and family violence is a major driver of homelessness for women and children. Other factors include gender pay inequalities, mental health and housing affordability.

Some women are also more likely to experience homelessness than others. Older women, trans people, women with disability, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander women, women from migrant or refugee backgrounds and women with a mental illness are all at greater risk of experiencing homelessness.

Information for women

Accessing support

You don’t need to be experiencing homelessness to seek support. A lot of work done by specialist homelessness services is to prevent people from becoming homeless. Homelessness services can also help you to sustain your tenancy or prevent eviction.

If you are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness in the ACT and region, please know that you are not alone and support is available.

FIRST Canberra (Salvation Army)

Delivered by The Salvation Army Community Services Stream under a three-year agreement with the ACT Government, FIRST Canberra is main access point for referral, triage and intake services for the ACT’s housing and homelessness support system.

You can access FIRST Canberra by calling 1800 176 468 Monday to Friday (8am to 6pm) and Saturday and Sunday (12:30pm to 5pm). When you call FIRST Canberra, an Assessment and Support Coordinator will assess your needs, provide you with information about options and connect you with support services. Some examples of services FIRST might refer you to include:

Other legal, advocacy and food relief support services

ADACAS provides individual advocacy for a range of matters, including housing. They can speak up, act or write on your behalf, or support you to speak up about your rights or experiences. ADACAS can be contacted on 02 6242 5060.

Chat to PAT is a purpose-built mobile clinic run by Directions Health Services that provides wrap around support to marginalised Canberrans who can’t easily access health services, including people who are homeless or experiencing significant disadvantage. Chat to PAT can be contacted on 02 6132 4800.

Street Law is a free and confidential outreach legal service run by Canberra Community Law for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Street Law provides legal advice and casework assistance and connects clients with other services. Street Law can be contacted on 1800 787 529 or 02 6218 7900.

Tenancy Advice Service is a division of Legal Aid ACT that assists clients to understand and assert their legal rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT) and to identify, address or prevent legal problems before they escalate into more significant matters. The Tenancy Advice Line is a free, confidential phone service that connects you to a paralegal who can offer legal advice and assistance on a range of tenancy matters. The Tenants Advice Line can be contacted on 1300 402 512.

Volunteering ACT publishes information guides about accessing food relief (such as food pantries and vouchers), affordable short stay accommodation, emergency and crisis support.

For more information on support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness in the ACT and region, please visit: https://www.act.gov.au/housing-planning-and-property/housing/homelessness

Reports

June 2019

Below the surface

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This report follows a 2018 Women’s Health Matters report, Hidden disadvantage among women in the ACT, about women in low income households. Our 2018 report found that women are disproportionately represented among those living in the ACT’s lowest income households. This disadvantage is concentrated in geographic areas in the ACT that are smaller than suburb size, and these areas can be masked by high average incomes across whole suburbs. This report highlights these hidden areas of disadvantage in the ACT by focusing on middle income households. The aim of the study is to determine the characteristics of disadvantage in these areas in the hopes of identifying those women and children who are at risk of poverty and homelessness.