Homeless and alone
BY JUSTIN LATIF
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Homelessness is not just a male problem.
More than 300 women, including a group from west Auckland, took part in a research project undertaken by Auckland University masters graduate Kate Bukowski.
The study was funded by the Salvation Army and shows women – while less visible than homeless men are also suffering.
Kate says homeless people are those without permanent, safe places to live.
"There’s street homeless," she says.
"But there’s also those who couch surf or live in caravan parks. Then there’s those who remain in dangerous domestic situations because they have nowhere else to go.
"One of those I talked to had been living homeless around the Henderson railway station and another was staying at the Ranui holiday park.
"But numbers are really hard to get because these people are not on the census."
Kate says many women she spoke to were supplementing benefit payments with the proceeds of shoplifting or prostitution.
"These people have been pushed to the edges of society," she says.
"Often they will have mental illnesses and some substance abuse to go with it."
Joseph, who wanted his full name withheld, has lived on Henderson’s streets for more than 20 years and says plenty of women have the same lifestyle.
"There are a lot living on the streets," he says. "But hardly any out west because it’s too hard out here.
"It’s easier in town where there’s more tourists and money."
Salvation Army spokesman Malvin Reihana works mainly with men who sleep rough around west Auckland but also helps a number of women who utilise the church’s services on View Rd.
He says more than 150 women and their children came to the organisation between October and December seeking food and shelter.
"There are a lot of short- term homeless women," he says.
"What normally happens is that they’ve had a fight with their partner and they’ll sleep in their car for a few nights before coming here and we’ll be able to move them into a refuge."
He says women needing somewhere to stay have more options than men.
"There are a lot of social services in west Auckland for women and children," he says. "But there’s zero help for men and that’s why they tend to end up under the bridges."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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