Women’s housing initiatives

What if we could provide more affordable, appropriate and safe housing for women over 55 at risk of homelessness in Australia?

More affordable and safe housing needed

In Australia, a significant number of women aged 55 and over, are at risk of homelessness. This growing cohort, estimated at ~240,000 in 2020 and likely increased, are locked out of a place to call home due to a lack of safe, affordable and appropriate housing solutions. A further ~165,000 women aged 45-54 (“invisible women”) are also at risk. Single women are particularly vulnerable, with a risk of homelessness 8-9 times greater than women living in a two-person home.

This worrying growth is driven by a combination of factors, including: 

• Years in unpaid caring roles or part-time work, resulting in lower superannuation and lifetime earnings. 

• Relationship breakdowns, domestic and family violence. 

• Rising housing costs and limited access to affordable rental options. 

• Ageing on a low income, often isolated, and without a strong safety net makes it extremely difficult to recover from financial shocks or housing instability – pushing more women into crisis as they grow older.

This problem is exacerbated by an ageing population, increasing cost of living and undersupply of social housing. Recent policy and funding developments remain inadequate to meet the scale of need in the current housing crisis.

Women’s Housing Initiative 3-phase solution

SVA is responding to this crisis with a three-part scalable solution: 

1. Women’s Housing Pilot – creating a practical blueprint for delivery
   We are partnering with a community housing provider (CHP) in Western Australia to develop a village-style housing project, with 15 purpose-built homes for women 55+ at risk of homelessness. The project is designed to capture insights from every stage of development, including project design, planning approvals, government funding, capital structuring, stakeholder engagement, delivery and operations. These lessons will be documented in a Women’s Housing Toolkit. As a real-world demonstration of what it takes to deliver women-focused housing initiatives, the pilot will help identify the policy, funding and delivery settings needed to enable broader replication and scale.
   
2. Women’s Housing Toolkit – supporting projects across Australia
   Building on the pilot, we will work with CHPs and other organisations to apply the Women’s Housing Toolkit to new housing opportunities across Australia. The Toolkit will offer practical guidance, frameworks, tools and resources to help organisations assess, fund and deliver housing projects designed specifically for women. The Toolkit is envisioned as a living resource and will continue to evolve as new projects are developed, incorporating learnings and case studies to strengthen its value and relevance over time. Through this approach, we aim to build capability across the sector, support more organisations to undertake women-focused housing developments, and contribute to a growing pipeline of investment-ready opportunities that can be scaled.
   
3. Women’s Housing Fund – creating a pathway to long-term scale
   During the phase focused on incubating the Women’s Housing Fund, SVA will firm up the Fund mandate and pipeline, working with community housing providers, governments, investors and philanthropic partners to validate investor demand, test potential investment structures and identify the partnerships needed to support implementation. This work will include developing the Fund’s investment model, business plan and governance arrangements, with the aim of establishing a practical and investable vehicle that can attract capital into women-focused housing projects over time.

SVA is uniquely positioned to lead this work, with deep expertise in housing, innovative finance and systems change, and a strong track record of delivering high-impact, cross-sector solutions to complex social challenges. 

Partnering opportunity

SVA is currently seeking support for a project to provide more affordable, appropriate and safe housing for women over 55 at risk of homelessness in Australia.