A Safe Place to Call Home: Our Wish for International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day 2025 we talk to Nicole Stanmore, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Australia, about how women are confronting both domestic violence and homelessness.

Why is homelessness such an issue for women?

“There are several factors. It starts because women earn less than men – in Australia women earn on average 14% less than men. Women generally take on caring roles and it’s harder for them to save and accumulate superannuation. So, when things go wrong, such as divorce or illness, suddenly things fall off a cliff and they find themselves homeless.”

What about the help of extended family?

“I grew up in Chile where the extended family is important, and I think that is still the case generally in Australia, but these days families are facing issues themselves. Even though they would like to accommodate an older child they may not have the space or resources to do so.”

Why are women over 55 so vulnerable?

“I think it’s the same factors that are causing homelessness among women in general which is that women don’t have the same [level of] savings, they don’t have adequate superannuation and have undertaken caring roles all their lives. Suddenly something happens and they have nowhere to go. There are now 400,000 older women at risk of homelessness. How can that be in a country like Australia?”

Should we experiment with different housing models?

“People are trialling this idea of older people living with younger people [in the same house] or in a shared living space where you have a very small apartment but share maybe a kitchen. The situation is so complex and it’s so difficult to solve in the short term that I think we should try different models. And, of course, so many people now live on their own.’

Is domestic violence driving homelessness?

“Every year 9,000 women become homeless because of domestic violence issues and there’s another 7,000 who actually go back to violent partners because they have nowhere to go. Behind the statistics, of course, are real stories such the case of Mary [not her real name] who has three children whose husband has threatened to kill her. She tried unsuccessfully to find other accommodation and finally had to go back to her husband. The children didn’t want to go to school because that would mean leaving their mother in danger. It just makes me so upset!”

We hear of women sleeping in cars, is that true?

“We need more houses. We can’t have people living in cars or tents. There’s a huge backlog on the social housing list. Four years ago, social housing accounted for 6% of the total housing stock in Australia, but now it’s down to 4%. According to the National Housing Accord we need 1.5 million new dwellings but is that really going to happen?”

Tell us about your Brush with Kindness program?

“This is a program where we partner with corporates and volunteers to renovate and upgrade transitional accommodation. Using volunteers, we paint and refurbish these centres, and also do the landscaping. For a woman fleeing domestic violence coming to a place which is freshly painted and well-maintained makes a huge difference – it says someone really cares. It’s a year-round commitment, but we have a big push for International Women’s Day where we ask corporates to help repair crisis or transitional accommodation for women as their contribution.”

Who are Habitat Women and what do they do?

“We run a three-month training program for women who want to get into the building industry. They learn basic maintenance skills and also work with some of our corporate partners, visiting construction sites and learning how to use power tools. Habitat Women help us deliver our programs. I love this initiative because some of these women are survivors of domestic violence themselves.”

Habitat also runs domestic violence centre, correct?

“Habitat is responsible for building domestic violence centres which are then operated by our partner organisations. We have just finished building our first centre in Sydney which is housing First Nations women and children. This will help 100 women and children escaping domestic violence every year. Once the women arrive they receive counselling, get financial advice and also help with getting a job. We’re now building a second domestic violence centre.”

Is tackling homelessness an endless task?

“Of course, we know there are always going to be people in need, and that’s why we work here. Talk to every member of the team at Habitat for Humanity Australia and you will find that we’re all really passionate about helping people. But we know we cannot achieve anything in isolation, which is why having partners like the ALAND Foundation, which share our commitment to helping women suffering domestic violence, is so important.”

ALAND is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity Australia. Staff and executives regularly participate in Brush With Kindness sessions, while the company has also contributed apartments to the charity’s Subsidised Housing and Affordable Program.