Sustainable tenancy for Indigenous families: what services and policy supports are needed?
Summary
Approaches to providing stable housing and sustaining tenancies for Indigenous women are affected by their high mobility and poor service access, and compounded by differences between the structures and definitions of current services and perceptions of ‘homelessness’ by Indigenous women.
Project Number: 40158
Research Theme: Indigenous_Housing, Private_Rental, Public_and_Community_Housing
Project Leader: Cooper, Lesley
Funding Year: 2002
Research Centre: Southern
Research & Policy Bulletin
Issue 056: How to help Indigenous families into stable housing and sustainable tenancy
Approaches to providing stable housing and sustaining tenancies for Indigenous women are affected by their high mobility and poor service access, and compounded by differences between the structures and definitions of current services and perceptions of 'homelessness' by Indigenous women.
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109 KB PDF Document
Description
104 Indigenous women were recruited for interviews from temporary accommodation services in Darwin (N=67) and Brisbane and Cherbourg (N=37). The women were aged 19 to 63 years and nearly half were caring for children aged less than 18 years old. Three informal focus groups were held with women in temporary accommodation, two in urban Darwin and one in the town of Nhulunbuy (NT). Interviews were also held with Indigenous crisis accommodation providers, health and domestic violence services.
The key findings of the research are:
- The high mobility and disconnection from community life of these women and their children means that they are often 'hidden' and that standard homelessness services are unable to maintain contact with them.
- Factors contributing to the homelessness of these women and children include drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, family violence and debt.
- Feelings of shame and low literacy can prevent such women from: seeking help, reporting family violence, gaining access to services, and attending training programs.
More Information
Research and Policy Bulletin: Issue 056: How to help Indigenous families into stable housing and sustainable tenancy
109 KB PDF Document
Final Report: No. 081: Sustainable tenancy for Indigenous families: what services and policy supports are needed?
3 MB PDF Document
Positioning Paper: No. 058: Sustainable tenancy for Indigenous families: What services and policy supports are needed?
1.5 MB PDF Document
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