16 Simon Communities in Ireland Living Situations at the Time of Interview The women were residing in a wide range of living situations at the time of interview. Just under half of the sample (n = 28) were living in emergency hostel accommodation and just under one- quarter (n = 12) were living in transitional accommodation (this figure includes those living in transitional housing units provided by domestic violence services, women-only transitional housing and step-down accommodation for females leaving prison). The remaining women were living in: private rented housing following a period of homelessness (n = 7); long-term supported housing (n = 4); domestic violence refuges (n = 4); ‘doubling up’ with relatives or friends (n = 3); rough sleeping (n = 1); and a house that was in an extremely bad state of repair (n = 1). Early Life Experiences The women’s accounts of childhood typically referenced a range of adversities and deprivations, including experiences of poverty, family difficulties and household instability. Forty-three women (72%) had experienced some form of violence or abuse as children. Twelve women (20%), all of Irish or UK origin, reported that they had spent either short or prolonged periods of their childhoods in State care and all who reported histories of State care experienced housing instability in later life. These women also tended to emphasise “their lack of preparedness for independent living, their social isolation and poor access to appropriate services and supports” (Mayock and Sheridan, 2012a: 8). Age of First Homeless Experience As illustrated in Table 1, eighteen women (30%) experienced homelessness for the first time as children (i.e. under the age of 18 years). A further twenty-nine (48%) reported that their first homeless experience occurred either between the ages of 18 – 25 years (n = 14) or 26 – 35 years (n = 15). The remaining ten women (17%) became homeless for the first time over the age of 36 years. TAbLE 1: Age of women’s first homeless experience e c n Under 18 18 e r e p x e 18-25 14 s l e m o 26-35 15 h t r f o 36 or above 10 e g A 0 5 10 15 20 Number of women (n=57*) *Three women (all with lengthy histories of State care) self-identi ed as “always homeless” and it was therefore not possible to ascribe an age to their rst homeless experience.
Women, Homelessness and Service Provision
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