Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness

We agree with Amanda Luxom, wife of PM Luxon, on this one! "I just believe if we can work against the oppression of women and raise women up and give them skills and means, then they're actually the ones that can change lives and communities." - from On The Road with Amanda Luxon on RNZ Working to provide women in Aotearoa with real choices and means when it comes to housing is on our New Year’s resolution list too… Ngā mihi o te tau hou from the team at the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness🌿 Image shows whaea Caroline Herewini at the United Nations hearing on the Convention to End Discrimination Against Women. She is wearing a grey jacket and glasses, and is reading from notes about the ways in which New Zealand’s housing system is breaching the convention.

Gill Higgins and her team at TVNZ covered the story of Cheyenne, who is living unhoused in Tauranga, and her sister, Misty, who wants to see Cheyenne safe and healthy in a home of her own. In her coverage, Gill quotes our recent report, 'Ngā Ara Ki Te Kāinga: Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women's Homelessness'. "Cheyenne has a history of family trauma, addiction issues, and mental ill health – the very elements identified in a report released yesterday in parliament about the chronic and growing issue of homeless women in New Zealand. According to the report, 50,000 women define themselves as homeless. And it highlights bleak realities for those women such as opting to sleep during the day (for safety) and stay up at night (when public toilets and showers are often locked), as well as the struggles of managing issues such as pregnancy and menstruation without a home. It also stresses the “interconnected” issues of past trauma, mental illness and addiction, and how they frequently serve as “both causes and consequences of homelessness”. Cheyenne has had a long battle with all three." Thank you to Cheyenne and Misty for sharing their stories and to Gill for shining a light on this important topic. Auckland City Mission - Te Tāpui Atawhai Wellington Homeless Women's Trust Te Whare Tiaki Wāhine Refuge Christchurch Methodist Mission Te Matapihi - National Māori Housing Advocate Community Housing Aotearoa Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa

Today is the day! We’re looking forward to catching up with many of you at the launch of our report into women’s homelessness in Aotearoa today.     When we think about homelessness, it can be easy to focus on the issues rather than the solutions.    Our report, ‘Ngā Ara ki te Kāinga: Understanding Barriers and Solutions to Women’s Homelessness in Aotearoa’ shows that many of the solutions exist – it's about how we choose to invest in them.     The women interviewed in this research make clear calls for consistency and cohesion of services, for meaningful choices, and for safety. They hold the answers, now we need to listen.     Thank you to all the people and organisations advocating for better outcomes for our wāhine, we hope this research is another tool in your advocacy kete. Jo Cribb Caroline Herewini Jill Hawkey Helen Robinson Victoria Crockford Ihi Research Taylor Fry Clare Foundation J R McKenzie Trust Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development NZ Auckland City Mission - Te Tāpui Atawhai Wellington Homeless Women's Trust   Christchurch Methodist Mission Community Housing Aotearoa Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa Te Matapihi - National Māori Housing Advocate  Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission NZ Council for Christian Social Services Iván Eiroa Santamarina Zola Rose Lily Deane Housing First Auckland The Selwyn Foundation Caughey Preston Trust Health and Disability Commissioner Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women, New Zealand Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities Tama Potaka Nicola Grigg    #letsendwomenshomelessness #homesforallwomen #safehousingforwomen 

Most support systems to end homelessness are designed with men in mind.    In reality, womens’ experience of homelessness and support systems can be very different from men.      Because of this, New Zealand’s current efforts to address homelessness are failing our wāhine.     To address this gap, we must first understand how the needs of women experiencing homelessness are different to that of men.    We asked this question in our report on women’s homelessness which we are releasing later this week.    Stay tuned for further insights into women’s homelessness, and the solutions emerging.    #letsendwomenshomelessness #homesforallwomen #safehousingforwomen  

We’re excited to announce that the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness has partnered with Ihi Research and Taylor Fry, to conduct research into women’s homelessness in Aotearoa.    We weave together interviews from wāhine and kaimahi/frontline workers with data from Census 2018 and Census 2023 to paint a picture of women’s gendered experiences of homelessness and what we can do to prevent it.     The full report will be released later this week on December 5th at Parliament. Stay tuned for further insights into women’s homelessness, and the solutions emerging.    #letsendwomenshomelessness #homesforallwomen #safehousingforwomen 

Great to see this spotlight on economic abuse as part of the United Nation’s 16 days of activism against gender based violence. 60% of women seeking support from National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges report financial or economic abuse. It is important that we continue to focus on gender pay gaps and addressing economic harm to prevent women’s homelessness too.

We were privileged to be a part of Community Housing Aotearoa Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa’s conference in Tāmaki yesterday. Even better was that we got to work with Katerina Kupenga to design a strategy for our “practice toolkit” for the sector. It was a tight timeframe but with Katerina’s expertise, we navigated big conversations to come to a clear direction from our colleagues on what would support our sector.

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This also marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence 🧡🧡🧡 This is a great opportunity to reflect on the challenges and progress in addressing gender-based violence around the world. The Ministry is dedicated to ensuring all women and girls are safe from all forms of violence, as this will significantly improve the wellbeing of all women and girls in Aotearoa New Zealand. Violence against women and girls is widespread and exists in many forms. This year, we will be focusing on raising awareness about online harm, one of the major emerging forms of violence that women and girls experience, over the next 16 days. If you or someone you know needs help, visit https://lnkd.in/gQs3-yFb to use their service finder tool to find a support service that is available in your areas. If there is immediate danger, please call 111 to reach out to emergency services. #16DaysOfActivismAgainstGenderBasedViolence #16DaysOfActivism #16DAGBV United Nations United Nations Women Aotearoa New Zealand

The Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness is looking forward to taking part in this year’s Community Housing Aotearoa Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa conference. We are especially excited that we will be joined by Katerina Kupenga to facilitate a strategy for our practice “kete” with our colleagues in the sector. Our aim is to support our sector to be transformational in their work with wāhine and this workshop will be a step toward that. Our Project Director, Victoria Crockford is also looking forward to celebrating 25 years of CHA and its positive impact at the reception!

Today we’re pleased to launch a toolkit that supports all organisations, regardless of size or sector, to measure, understand, and take action to close their gender pay gap! 📈The toolkit includes an online calculator, a downloadable customised action plan, and supporting guidance and resources. ➡️ Click here to check out the tool and get started to take action to close your organisation’s gender pay gap: https://lnkd.in/g8k84i_g ➡️This is just the beginning! This toolkit will continue to be developed, so please get in touch with us GenderPayGap.Toolkit@women.govt.nz if you have any questions or feedback. 🗣️We’d also love to hear from any organisation that uses it to take action on their gender pay gap! 🌟Thank you to all the organisations that gave their time and expertise to help develop the toolkit! Including: Spark New Zealand, ANZ, New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa, Tonkin + Taylor, Transpower New Zealand, Port of Auckland, The Diversity Agenda, Champions for Change, Global Women, BusinessNZ #KnowYourGenderPayGap