Across Australia there are women and gender diverse people living in homes that give them the stability to build their lives. Homes where the rent is manageable on a single income, where public transport and childcare are close by, and where the design of the space reflects the realities of how women live, work and care.
This is the future YWCA Australia’s Safe Homes, Equal Futures Policy Platform sets out to achieve – a housing system designed around the real lives of women and gender-diverse people across every stage of life.
A young woman signing a lease she can genuinely afford. A gender diverse mother who knows she can stay close to her community and support networks. A woman leaving a difficult relationship with the certainty that there is somewhere safe to go.
When housing works, it gives women and gender diverse people the freedom to plan, to participate in the economy and to make decisions about their lives without the shadow of insecurity.
But outcomes like these don’t happen by accident, they require targeted investment and tailored policy interventions. YWCA Australia’s Policy Platform: Safe Homes, Equal Futures responds to this challenge.
It brings together eight interconnected reforms designed to strengthen housing supply, improve affordability, and ensure the system delivers safety and stability for women and gender diverse people.
Housing systems are not gender neutral, and the current crisis is exposing that reality. This crisis reflects structural inequalities that shape women’s financial security. Women earn less on average, are more likely to work in insecure employment and continue to carry a disproportionate share of unpaid caring work. As housing costs rise, those inequalities translate directly into housing vulnerability. The consequences are also intergenerational, with housing insecurity today having the power to shape economic outcomes for the next generation.
First Nations women experience housing insecurity and homelessness at significantly higher rates than non-First Nations women. YWCA Australia advocate Ashlee Donohue explains the layered risks First Nations women face.
“Women already face structural inequality in income and savings, however Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander women are carrying additional layers of risk, including intergenerational poverty, housing discrimination and higher exposure to family violence.
“When housing costs rise, the pathway to homelessness for Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander women is far shorter and far more dangerous.”
Gendered housing solutions
Recognising that the housing crisis is gendered means acknowledging that housing policy must also be gendered.
Gendered housing policy considers the realities of women’s lives and that different groups of women need different types of support.
A young woman starting her career in a precarious labour market will face different challenges to a dual-income household with accumulated assets. A woman leaving violence requires immediate and long-term housing pathways. A single parent balancing care and work needs access to transport, schools and services.
When housing systems recognise this, they produce better outcomes for everyone.
This is why the YWCA Policy Platform takes a life course approach, recognising that housing needs evolve from youth independence, to family formation and safety through to security in older age.
Turning solutions into reality
Addressing this crisis requires more than broad commitments to increase housing supply. It requires policy frameworks that recognise the gendered drivers of housing insecurity.
YWCA Australia’s Policy Platform: Safe Homes, Equal Futures outlines eight interlocking pillars with clear policy directions for the government:
- Deliver Housing Supply and Affordability that Works for All
- Recognise Housing as Essential Social and Economic Infrastructure
- Balance Scale with Impact in Housing and Service Delivery
- Build a Safe at Home, Safe Everywhere System for Women, Gender-diverse People and Families.
- Fund the Specialist Services that Keep Women & Gender-diverse People Safely Housed
- Make Renting Fair, Safe, and Affordable
- Address the Gendered Drivers of Housing Insecurity
- Embed Young Women’s and Gender-diverse Leadership in Housing Policy
These policies aim to strengthen housing supply and improve affordability, whilst keeping equity, lived expertise, and long-term public value at the heart of its delivery.
Taken together, these pillars form a practical roadmap for government to build a housing system that supports safety, workforce participation and long-term economic security.
Women and gender‑diverse people accessing safe and secure housing is essential for realising gender equality. YWCA Australia’s Policy Platform: Safe Homes, Equal Futures sets out practical reforms to strengthen housing supply, improve affordability, and ensure the housing system delivers safety, stability, and long-term wellbeing for women and gender-diverse people.