Mums and kids feel the brunt of housing crisis

HUNDREDS of women and children are being turned away from emergency shelter every month as the state grapples with a housing crisis

Hobart Women’s Shelter chief executive Janet Saunders said the lack of affordable housing across Greater Hobart was affecting women from many backgrounds, including employed women who simply could not find a home. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

HOBART’S housing crisis is fuelling soaring demand from women and children at emergency shelters, with hundreds turned away every month.

The Hobart Women’s Shelter is struggling to cope with a staggering increase in requests for help, with an average 300 requests a month for accommodation.

Only three years ago the centre received an average of 60 requests for assistance a month, and the main reason for homelessness was family violence.

But housing affordability has grown to become the reason for 50 per cent of the requests for accommodation.

Hobart Women’s Shelter chief executive Janet Saunders said the lack of affordable housing across Greater Hobart was affecting women from many backgrounds, including employed women who simply could not find a home.

“We see women whose landlords have decided to sell because prices are good, or they want to convert to Airbnb,” Ms Saunders said.

She said the women were forced to couch-surf, go to backpackers and live in cars and tents.

“They are going to places where you really wouldn’t want to have your children,” she said.

Women are also turning to other shelters, with data from Shelter TAS showing women account for 18 of the 25 daily unassisted requests to all homeless services.

Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania president Scott Gadd said an increasing number of people, including women and children, were turning up at the Hobart Showgrounds to stay in caravans and tents. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Shelter Tasmania executive officer Pattie Chugg said parents with children made up 43 per cent of all requests for help.

“The homelessness services system is unable to keep pace with the growing demand,” she said.

Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania president Scott Gadd said an increasing number of people, including women and children, were turning up at the Hobart Showgrounds to stay in caravans and tents.

“A single mum came in with a child yesterday — they had been sleeping in a car,” he said.

“These are people with no other option.”

The number of accommodation requests at the Hobart Women’s Shelter more than doubled last year compared with the year before.

In 2017 there were 3018 requests for assistance, compared with 1406 in 2016.

Under the State Government’s Family Violence Action Plan 2015-2020, announced three years ago, the shelter’s capacity was increased from 10 units to 15.

The 15 units were opened in February and are part of a new purpose-built centre for the Hobart Women’s Shelter.

The Government re-announced the 15 new women’s shelter units last week, adding them to a package of new “emergency accommodation options”.

But the units are already full, with many more women waiting for the shelter.

A Government spokeswoman said the Government was also “immediately commencing planning for a new women’s crisis shelter in the south to respond to increased demand”.

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