Women-specific Housing First

Oftentimes women have been homeless for years. They have taken the offers of the help system, but they could not realise their dream of a self-determined life and to have their own apartment. This entails many problems, for example, health issues (physical and mental), a lack of social contacts, debts and addictions.

In many cases they become homeless because of debts, evictions as well as physical and mental violence in their relationships and in their families. Other women were not able to maintain their rental agreement because of physical or mental diseases.

Affected women hide their homelessness as long as they can. They dress up, create stories, live with acquaintances until they find themselves on the street. Living on the streets includes permanent danger of physical and sexual violence. In order to avoid living on the streets, many women live in a functional community. That means trading sexual availability for housing. This has the consequence that they ask for support very late and their problems become very complex.