Rebuilding for Women’s Economic Security – Investing in Social Housing in NSW
This year for National Anti-Poverty Week (APW) 17-23 October, NCOSS together with its partners, members and stakeholders will be highlighting the precarious housing situation for many women in NSW and urging the NSW Government to boost investment in social housing construction and domestic violence and specialist homelessness services.
Together with Domestic Violence NSW, Homelessness NSW and Community Housing Industry Association NSW, NCOSS has commissioned a new report from Equity Economics which highlights the urgent need to invest in women’s economic security by building more social housing.
The report Rebuilding for Women's Economic Security - Investing in Social Housing in NSW finds that the pandemic has worsened the housing insecurity of women in NSW with:
- The number of people seeking specialist homelessness services who had experienced family and domestic violence increasing by 7.1 per cent in 2020-21, compared to a 3.2 per cent increase in demand for all specialist homelessness services.
- 4,812 women currently being forced to stay in an unsafe and violent home, or face homelessness - with up to 2,402 women returning to live with a violent partner because of lack of an affordable alternative, and a further 2,410 homeless because they could not find secure and permanent housing after leaving violence.
- Rents in regional areas rising over the past two years with properties in the cheapest quartile increasing by 13 per cent.
- Median rents for a two-bedroom home in greater Sydney being 65% of the average income for single parents
- A 9.8 per cent increase in reports of domestic violence to police over June 2019-June 2021.
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Download the full report and media release here: