A new refuge dedicated to housing women aged over 50 has opened in Melbourne.
The facility in the suburb of Box Hill, called The Gardenhouse, offers emergency accommodation for the growing number of older Australian women who are ending up homeless with a temporary safe haven.
Vanessa* was 60 when she found herself homeless.
After a marriage break-up, she travelled overseas to help look after a sick family member - but when she returned she was unable to find work.
“I came back here thinking 'I'll get a job, I'm still young, in good shape', but there was no jobs, no work and I had nowhere to go,” the now 67-year-old told SBS News.
She found herself on the street, too ashamed to tell family or friends about her situation.
Vanessa found herself homeless when she was 60. Source: SBS News
“Believe me, at 60 you don't want to be on the streets. You don't want to live out in front of people's houses, you don't want to live that kind of life. That's the saddest thing anybody has to go through,” she said.
“I have a son, but I was embarrassed, I was ashamed to tell him that this was going on … I didn't want to burden him with stuff like this. It was my problem, I figured, and I had to fix it.”
Unfortunately, Vanessa's story isn't uncommon - women aged over 55 now make up six per cent of all homeless people in Australia.
The Gardenhouse aims to help lower that statistic. The formerly vacant house has been restored and is able to house up to six women at a time, with separate bedrooms and shared kitchen facilities.
It took nearly 12 months to finish and much of the labour and supplies were donated.
The project is a collaboration between a number of advocacy groups, which have seen the growing need for more affordable housing, especially for women escaping family violence.
Housing All Australians' chairwoman Louise Rutten, whose organisation was one of the groups behind the facility, said many women can spend up to 18 months either homeless or couchsurfing before asking for help.
“For us to be able to provide the space … they get to stop being in survival mode,” she said.
“They can come into a home like this that truly feels like a home, where you can feel love and comfort, take a breath and take the time you need to be able to go back out into the world.”
YWCA community housing general manager Charlotte Dillon said the project will also help connect women to a number of other services to help them rebuild their lives.
Source: SBS News
“It'll provide a stable foundation and from here, once women can find their feet, they can begin to rebuild their lives. They'll be able to either re-enter the workforce, undertake further training, further education, reconnect with family and friends, and then be able to move onto something more independent and long-term.”
Ms Rutten said the need for accommodation such as The Gardenhouse is a reflection of a wider crisis around affordable housing.
“This is going to be an inter-generational issue that we are going to have to deal with if we don't start actively having conversations about it and changing our behaviour,” she said.
Vanessa's life is now back on track and said while some might feel shame or embarrassment about being homeless, there are always services out there to help.
Source: SBS News
“I'm hoping that people can see things like this and say, 'look at that woman - she's done something, I can do that too'.”
*Last name not given
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit .
