Ireland has highest rate of homeless women in Europe

Research conducted by Trinity College Dublin shows that 42% of the homeless people in Ireland are women, rising to 47% in Dublin. In Europe, the rate is much lower where women typically account for between 20% and 33% of the homeless population.

The research also mentioned a number of causes and results of the increasing  “feminisation of homelessness” in Ireland. According to the report, homeless women are less likely to be counted as homeless and can therefore be ignored in policy initiatives. They are undercounted because they are more likely to occupy “hidden homeless” spaces such as living with family members, friends or acquaintances.

A by-product of this is that the majority of women who are homeless remain so for longer than two years and are counted as being long-term homeless. Another consequence of increasing homelessness among women is entire families becoming homeless. The research found that 66% of homeless families in Ireland are headed by lone parents, most of whom are women.

“These women are young (in their 20s or 30s), typically have one or two children and are parenting alone; a majority became homeless following the loss of private rented housing,” the research suggests. The link between domestic violence and homelessness has also been highlighted in the research and notes that such violence can force women from their homes. Alternatively they are forced to remain in abusive situations because of difficulty in accessing homeless supports.

The research is titled Women’s Homelessness in Europe and is published by TCD’s School of Social Work and Social Policy. Co-editor of the research, Dr Paula Mayock, says more focus needs to be placed on the specific challenges faced by homeless women.