Women, Homelessness and Service Provision 35 “That wasn’t even an option to access a female-only service, there was nowhere else to go only here mixed-gender hostel, this was the only place that they had room. How I asked to get into women-only hostel because I knew there was only all girls there, but they put me here … In that situation, to be housed along with men …” (Georgia, 23) Indeed, one of the most crucial requirements articulated by the women was the need for safety. Those who were residing in a domestic violence refuge were generally satisfied that the environment offered them protection from potential perpetrators of violence: “At least in this place domestic violence refuge you can sleep in peace that no one is going to come down at your door and no one is going to be abusive. So at least, the only thing is that I am safe, my kids are safe” (Bina, 32). However, many felt unsafe in hostel settings because they feared being robbed, bullied, victimised or assaulted. Isobel explained the risks posed to pregnant women, in particular, within mixed-gender service settings. This account also illustrates the dynamics that can serve to sustain environments where there is a risk of victimisation among residents. “… because there is a lot of domestic violence and you can’t have pregnant women in a hostel with forty different cases of women. It is not safe, it is not ideal and a lot of pregnant women aren’t going to go to staff about someone that is going to attack them upstairs because you are ‘ratting’ them out and you are getting them kicked out on the streets.” (Isobel, 21) Women were also keen to emphasise the need for improved structures within services aimed at providing specialised support to help women address complex and often overlapping issues in their lives. For example, a number called for better understanding, support and training on the part of service providers on issues related to experiences of violence and/or abuse: “I had an addiction sponsor and stuff but they certainly wouldn’t relate to the domestic violence” (Krystal, 32). The challenges of mothering in the context of homelessness were raised repeatedly by the women: “She daughter is aware that they are living in a hostel, she keeps saying ‘Mummy, when are we getting our place?’ You know, sometimes I would cry but then I don’t want to cry in front of her” (Delilah, 30). Many women, and particularly those who had young children, expressed the need for financial and emotional support in relation to mothering and, in cases where this assistance was not forthcoming, women had endeavoured to resolve their situations independently and with negative consequences. For example, Roisín had left hostel accommodation and returned to an abusive partner because she needed “some support from someone”, at a time when she felt unable to cope with the responsibility of caring for three young children. This living situation subsequently broke down, at which point her children were placed in State care and Roisín returned to emergency hostel accommodation. For women with children in their care, the task of fostering and maintaining any semblance of family life was a constant challenge in the context of living in homeless accommodation. Viv recounted the experience of trying to care for her children during a period when she was accessing homeless and B&B accommodation. All of her children were subsequently placed in State care. “I started to come into town into B&Bs, carrying three kids around with me … oh it was horrible, the kids couldn’t get to school at all. The kids would have been in these places and all. The hostel was horrible. We had to be up at 11 o’clock in the morning, walk the streets till 5 or 6 in the evening. It wasn’t a nice thing to do with kids.” (Viv, 35)
Women, Homelessness and Service Provision
To see the actual publication please follow the link above