Housing program for pregnant homeless women faces high demand as expert calls for accurate data

A Melbourne woman, identified as Amanda, experienced homelessness while two months pregnant about a decade ago, highlighting a gap in data regarding pregnant women facing housing insecurity in Australia.

Demand for Services Outstrips Availability

Amanda was forced to rely on the support of nuns at a Melbourne convent after being evicted from her home and struggling with severe morning sickness. “You just go into survival mode,” she said. “That was the only way that I kept on moving forward.” She was later placed in transitional housing a week before giving birth.

Now, Amanda and her nine-year-old daughter are living a settled life, but her experience is not uncommon. However, there is a lack of data on the number of women experiencing homelessness while pregnant.

“These aren’t statistics that are regularly taken,” said RMIT sociologist Juliet Watson. “What we do know about women … who are pregnant is that they’re likely to be more highly represented in the homeless population than they are in the general population. But we don’t have clear statistics on it. There’s no routine data.”

Watson emphasized the need for accurate data to demonstrate the scale of the issue to policymakers and secure specialized assistance for this vulnerable group. “We need accurate data about how many women this is affecting,” she said. “Then when we get data we can actually speak to people in government, people who are responsible for policy to actually look at this as a serious issue.”

Even without comprehensive data, demand for support services exceeds availability. “Once they have a baby, they may be priorities for social housing, but it’s really difficult for women to be prioritised until that baby is actually born,” Watson explained.

The Cornelia program, a unique initiative integrating healthcare from the Royal Women’s Hospital and housing services from Launch Housing and Housing First, is currently operating at full capacity. The program provides up to 12 months of accommodation and support to pregnant women experiencing homelessness.

“We provide up to about 12 months of accommodation and when the time is right, women and their babies move out into long-term secure housing and break that cycle of homelessness,” said Launch Housing CEO Sherri Bruinhout. “We have maternal health and women’s health services as well as case-management homelessness services.”

Cornelia has 34 studio apartments, but receives approximately 25 requests for assistance each month. “Every month we get at least 25 women ringing us up, desperate for exactly what the Cornelia program is offering,” Bruinhout said. “They’re desperate for a safe place to stay where they want to give the best opportunities to their babies. Their aspirations are the same as our aspirations — we don’t want their kids to continue the journey that they’ve had to live.”

Victorian Government Looks at Ongoing Arrangements for Program

Advocates say Cornelia serves as a model for addressing the issue. “There’s nothing else like it in Australia,” Watson said. “There’s just this one service, it’s in Melbourne, it really can only deal with a small percentage of the women that have this need. Before Cornelia was set up, there was nothing.”

Watson assessed the program’s effectiveness, describing it as “delivering an essential service that is achieving outstanding longer-term results.” She added, “I’ve had people say to me it would be great to have Cornelias all over Australia. More integration between health and housing services [is required] so women have all the support they need, rather than their health is getting looked after but the housing’s not being addressed and vice versa.”

The Victorian government, which initially funded the program as a pilot, is currently considering ongoing arrangements for Cornelia, according to a spokesperson.