- Conference
- 2005 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 20 October 2004
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned that throughout their lives issues related to homelessness disproportionately affect women. Conference recognises that homelessness is not merely a question of a roof over a woman’s head but reflects a woman’s right to control where and how she chooses to live.
For young women this can be due to family circumstances including abusive situations resulting in a need to leave the family home.
Women are often in low paid employment which makes it difficult to either buy or independently rent accommodation.
Many women asylum seekers have already lost one home and find scant welcome in their attempts to build a new life.
Women fleeing domestic violence face challenges in finding safe affordable accommodation.
Older women, as a result of poor pension provision, are often caught in a poverty trap which results in the loss of a family home and total loss of control over where and how they live.
Conference believes that the right to decent, stable, affordable accommodation of a woman’s own choosing is a fundamental right.
Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to actively campaign to bring issues relating to women’s housing on to the mainstream UNISON agenda in all its negotiations and strategies.