‘Women’s perspective’ focus of housing unit

Press, 12 September 1988, Page 1

‘Women’s perspective’ focus of housing unit

Political reporter

A special unit to remove institutional blocks disadvantaging women in housing need will be established by the Housing Corporation.

The Minister of Housing, Ms Clark, said the unit would help the corporation incorporate a “women’s perspective” into its business and operation. Two staff would initially be appointed to the unit and this would be reviewed later, she said.

Funding for the unit, which was supported by the Royal Commission on Social Policy in its April report, would come from the corporation’s Policy and

Research Division’s budget. The unit would be headed by a women’s policy advisory officer.

The unit was needed because “housing policies must keep pace with social change and its impact on women’s housing needs,” said Ms Clark.

In the past women had been disadvantaged when seeking housing from the State, the Minister’s office said.

This occurred especially when the "five-year” rule applied; those who had owned a house within five years of applying to the corporation for accommodation went to the bottom of the priority list. ,

Women whose marriages had broken up were affected most

because they often did not retain their own home after the breakup and could seldom afford to buy another. This was one policy area in which the corporation had not been “sensitive” to women’s needs and one area in which the unit would take Steps to remove disadvantages to women clients, the office said. '

Women also had higher rates of unemployment and part-time work incomes, meaning the. affordability of housing was a big issue for them.

The unit will consult women in the community, the corporation and other Government departments on the corporation’s existing policies and services.