Heterogeneity among Homeless Australian Women and Their Reasons for Homelessness Entry

Wayne A. Warburton, Marina Papic and Elizabeth Whittaker
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Wayne A. Warburton: School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Marina Papic: School of Education, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia
Elizabeth Whittaker: Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health, St Leonards, NSW 2065, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Many women become homeless each year, both women who are alone and women with children. Both groups face substantial risks to their physical and mental health, as do the children of homeless mothers. Little is known about the similarities and differences between these two groups in terms of their demographic characteristics, their circumstances on presentation to specialist homelessness services, and the factors that have contributed to their homelessness. The current study analysed data from 163 single mothers with children and 126 lone women who presented to a specialist homelessness service in Australia. It found some similarities between groups, but also considerable heterogeneity. Single mothers were more likely to be younger, to have been born overseas, and to have been homeless in the past 12 months. Lone women were more likely to have medical issues, a mental health condition, addiction issues, admission to a psychiatric ward in the past 12 months, and to not be in the labour force. Implications for service delivery are discussed.

Keywords: homeless mothers with children; homeless lone women; specialist homelessness services; homelessness service delivery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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