You won’t see their faces on campaign billboards. You won’t hear their stories in flashy election ads. But tonight – just like last night, and the night before – thousands of older Australian women will sleep in cars, crisis accommodation, or on a friend’s couch with nowhere to go.
They are the fastest-growing group of homeless Australians. Many are women who worked all their lives, raised children, cared for ageing parents, and now face the terrifying prospect of homelessness in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s.
They are not lazy or irresponsible. They are us – and we are failing them.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of women over 55 experiencing homelessness jumped by 31% between 2011 and 2016. By the 2021 Census, the figure had reached 7,325 – but even that is considered a gross undercount, because so many remain hidden: sleeping in cars, couch surfing, house-sitting, quietly slipping through the cracks.
Behind these numbers are familiar stories. Women who left the workforce to raise children. Who were paid less, promoted less, and now retire with half the superannuation of men. Women who spent years caring for others – only to be met with poverty in return.