Investing in long-term social and affordable housing for women and families isn’t just good social policy, it’s also a smart economic decision, according to new research released by YWCA Australia and the Per Capita Centre for Equitable Housing.
launched today, finds that every dollar invested in gender-responsive social and affordable housing delivers at least $2.02 in measurable benefits to government, with returns rising to as much as $4.66 in cases where stable housing enables children to be reunited with their families.The findings arrive as governments across Australia continue to grapple with a worsening housing crisis, rising rates of homelessness among women, and growing pressure on health, justice and social services.
The economic modelling examined YWCA Australia’s national housing portfolio and found stable housing generates significant savings across multiple systems, including reduced demand for emergency healthcare, policing, crisis accommodation and justice services.
According to the report, the housing portfolio is associated with an estimated $3.5 million in avoided health costs and $2.8 million in avoided justice system costs each year.
YWCA Australia Group CEO Michelle Phillips said the findings challenge the idea that social and affordable housing should be viewed primarily as a welfare expense.
“We now have a proven economic and social case,” Phillips said.
“This isn’t social spending — it’s one of the highest-return investments governments can make.”
The report is particularly significant for women, who continue to face unique barriers in Australia’s housing market. Women are more likely to earn less over their lifetime, undertake unpaid care work, head single-parent households and experience family and domestic violence, the leading cause of homelessness among women and children.
Researchers argue that housing policy has often been treated as gender-neutral, despite the very different ways women experience housing insecurity.
The modelling found the economic returns increase when children are involved. Housing provided to mother-and-child households generated a higher benefit-cost ratio than the broader housing portfolio, while family reunification scenarios produced the strongest returns of all.
Notably, the analysis was deliberately conservative. Researchers excluded potential gains associated with increased workforce participation, improved long-term outcomes for children and broader wellbeing benefits, meaning the true economic value could be substantially higher.
The findings come as billions of dollars flow into social and affordable housing through federal and state government programs, including the Housing Australia Future Fund.
The report argues that where governments invest those funds matters just as much as how much they invest.
Based on the modelling, a $100 million investment in long-term housing designed for women, gender-diverse people and families would generate an estimated $202 million in measurable public benefit, alongside significant reductions in costs across homelessness, health and justice systems.
At a time when governments are under pressure to justify every dollar of spending, the report makes a straightforward case: housing that helps women and families achieve long-term stability doesn’t just change lives, it saves public money too.