Women over the age of 45 are currently the fastest-growing population of people experiencing homelessness in Australia. Reasons for this include family and domestic violence, unsustainable rental prices, single women unable to survive on a single income or pension, carer responsibilities impacting consistent or full-time employment and the simple fact that women often retire with half the superannuation of their male colleagues.

Recent research by architects Sophie Dyring and Samantha Donnelly evaluated four different housing types provided to women over 45 at risk of homelessness in suburban Melbourne. The research explored how housing design impacts the lives of these women, how indoor and outdoor spaces are valued and how their homes could be improved to further enrich their lives. The outcome of this research is a design guide for older women’s housing, created to assist in the design and construction of future new and remodelled housing for older women. The design guide will be launched with a presentation at this event.