Women, Homelessness and Service Provision 37 “I think there needs to be more hostels for women and their children and for couples if they have a child. They always seem to separate families and stuff like and I don’t think that’s right. Children need both parents, I think it’s terrible the way the dad gets sent off, there should be more places for couples and children and for mothers and children. There is not much really.” (Grace, 31) There was also a perceived lack of accommodation targeting couples. Twenty-one of the women were in a stable relationship at the time of interview; ten of these women were co-habiting, primarily in accommodation that supported couples and one woman was sleeping rough with her partner. Vonda, who was in a long-term relationship, had first experienced homelessness along with her partner after they both lost their jobs. She explained that she was living in a hostel for women while her partner was sleeping rough. “He partner has the bigger problem there, because this is a house where he can’t stay every night. He sleeps on a street. If there’s a bed, they‘ll give it to him. If not they give him a blanket or a sleeping bag and ‘Go wherever you want’. They don’t care where he goes and where he’ll sleep.”(Vonda, 48) As documeted earlier, a large number of the women had resided in private rented accommodation for periods but had returned to homeless services because they had been unable to sustain these living situations. Indeed, many talked openly about their lack of preparedness for independent living and reported a range of challenges to maintaining housing stability, including loneliness, depression, deficits in life skills (such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting), domestic violence, relapse and a general lack of support. These difficulties were particularly apparent in the narratives of women with longer homeless histories who had become more ‘institutionalised’ in service settings: “The fact is I can’t stay alone … I hate to live alone” (Karen, 26). Krystal’s account captures the kinds of challenges that many of the women confronted at the point of exiting services and attempting to live independently. Her narrative also highlights the need for intense follow-on support for at least some women who secure accommodation and leave homeless or domestic violence services. “I know I can’t drink in the refuge, it’s such a safe environment, you know you are protected and you are never alone … if you are upset you can talk to someone. I suppose my problem has always been using all the skills that I know and carrying that forward when I’m on my own and not to run back … being isolated and be able to sit with pause ... being on my own and deal with emotions and not just blank them out and go running back.” (Krystal, 32) In summary, the women reported a diverse range of service needs and these needs were often subject to change over time. To a considerable extent, women’s perceived needs were contingent on the duration of their homelessness and on the experiences and events that precipitated their homelessness. As their homeless ‘careers’ progressed, their situations in general and their physical and emotional health and well-being, in particular, almost always deteriorated. The trauma of domestic violence was a significant issue in the women’s lives and one that a large number had not had opportunities to address. Likewise, the distress of not having their children in their care – and of not having contact with them, in many cases – emerged as an acute source of distress in the lives of a large number of the women.
Women, Homelessness and Service Provision
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