A charity in Dublin, Ireland has issued a call for a separate space to offer services to women who experience homelessness in that country. The organization, Merchants Quay Ireland provides services to people who experience homelessness and use substances such as illegal drugs and alcohol. Staff at Merchants Quay Ireland teamed with Dr. Sarah Morton at University College Dublin, to find out about the experiences of their women clients1. One woman, interviewed as part of the study said, “Without a shadow of a doubt, I would have 100% used a women’s only centre if there had been one in Dublin. Even the sound of it just makes me feel safe, gives me a sense of comfort.”
The organization’s appeal is strongly backed by international research and local data. The international research points out that women experience homelessness differently than men. Women are far more likely to be assaulted or raped. They are also more likely to have children who are in the child protection system.
With respect to local data, the average age of mortality for women who are homeless in Ireland is 38. The equivalent figure for men who experience homelessness is 44. Both have much lower life expectancy than the population who are housed. Violence on the streets may be a factor in the lower age for women.
Merchants Quay Ireland has produced a briefing note in support their call for women only services, which has garnered the attention of local media, including RTȆ: Female-only spaces needed in homeless services – report
You can read the full briefing note at Merchants Quay Ireland: A Space of Her Own
Footnotes
- Earlier, affordablehousingaction.org reported on research in England and Canada that document the experiences of women who experience homelessness. Try: Overlooked: Women’s Homelessness And Housing Need
