Australia’s ‘invisible’ homeless women

Domestic and family violence is the number one cause of homelessness in the country, where almost 50 percent of those experiencing homelessness are women, often accompanied by children.

Melbourne, Australia – “My homelessness is directly related to domestic violence, because I would just up and leave,” says 47-year-old Naomi, who asked that we only use her first name. An Indigenous woman who was raised in inner-city Melbourne, Naomi is a tough talker whose energy and assertion belies years of hardship. Now living in Queensland, Australia’s most northern state, Naomi describes her experiences of homelessness and family violence on a lengthy phone call.