General vision of homelessness in Auckland central city. Photo: RNZ / Luke McPake
A new report and data from the latest Census has painted a grim picture of homelessness in Aotearoa, especially for women.
Census data reveals there are more homeless women than men, with more than 57,000 women without a home.
Meanwhile, a new study by Ihi Research has also found that four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa are Māori, with some being as young as 15-years-old.
Many of them have been in state care, experienced sexual abuse and also the loss of their babies being uplifted.
Ihi Research manager Dr Catherine Leonard told Saturday Morning that the "sobering" statistics were the result of "decades of inequity and intergenerational trauma", as well as gendered pay gaps, unemployment and structural inequality.
"This culminates in increasing numbers of people becoming homeless, but increasingly more and more wahine Māori becoming homeless... and also their tamariki."
The Census had found 13,000 children aged under 15 were severely housing deprived, and this had an intergenerational impact, Leonard said.
The grim picture of homelessness for women
Dr Catherine Leonard. Photo: Supplied / Ihi Research
Homeless women were "largely invisible", wanting to stay off the streets and instead staying in "terrible living situations" such as abusive relationships.
"It's not just ... people sleeping on the streets, it's being in relationships that you have no choice - you can't leave."
Disabled wahine were most likely to experience homelessness or unstable housing, which was another layer of disadvantage, she said.
It was "incredibly challenging" for women in such situations to deal with health or personal care, such as showering, managing menstruation or pregnancy.
"It hugely increases the risks for both the mum and the pēpī when they are homeless."
Older women were vulnerable to homelessness, as they often had less savings, suffering the breakdown of long-term relationships, and even elder abuse in the form of children selling their home, she said.
The Auckland City Mission had more than 200 women aged over 55, waiting for social housing.
"There's just a huge demand ... in that demographic - and growing."
There was some "amazing" support out there, she said - for example Housing First - but many organisations did not have the funding to meet current demand.
The issues weren't just about housing - it encompassed many sectors, including employment, mental healthcare and benefits - and the solution needed to be "wrap-around" to care for our most vulnerable people.
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