New data has shown that Tasmanian women are significantly over-represented in the number of people being assisted by specialist homelessness services, with the majority aged under 34.
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The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released data based on its Specialist Homelessness Services Collection for 2020-21, showing the age brackets and male-female breakdown for those obtaining assistance.
It shows that women and girls in Tasmania were assisted 3678 times during the 12 months comprising 56 per cent of the total, compared with 2889 for men and boys.
The 18-24 and 25-34 age brackets accounted for 43.8 per cent of the women and girls, while the highest age bracket for men was 35-44-year-olds.
Kate Kelly runs the Facebook page Hobartians Facing Homelessness which acts as a forum for solutions to the housing crisis and to provide advice to those in need of help.
She said while the situation was growing worse in Hobart every month, similar levels of housing stress were being experienced in Launceston and in the North-West as the overpriced Hobart housing market was forcing home-buyers to look elsewhere, pushing up prices.
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There were also specific challenges facing women.
"There is a strong correlation between family violence and homelessness, and a disproportionate number of women who experience family violence at the hands of men," Ms Kelly said.
"Those younger age groups are often coming out of uni into low-paying, casual work. And during COVID, many of those people lost their income and are struggling to get back into work, meaning they face homelessness."
The JobSeeker rate is $629.50 per fortnight for singles, and the Age Pension is $967.50 per fortnight, while rents in major Tasmanian towns and cities are now regularly over $400 a week.
In smaller towns, such as George Town, Longford, Deloraine and Ulverstone, rental prices for houses have increased between 35 and 55 per cent over five years.
The situation has prompted housing advocates to search for solutions to slow the growing number of Tasmanians facing imminent housing stress, including ACT-style caps on rental increases.
Ms Kelly said she would like to see a type of "rental credit history card" provided to low-income earners who have demonstrated their ability to keep up with rental costs.
She said she had spent $150,000 on rent since the age of 15, but people's rental applications were usually immediately discarded if they were living on payments such as JobSeeker, Carer's Allowance, Disability Support Pension or Age Pension.
"Poor people who are dependent on housing, they pay their rent. Single mothers pay their rent. Often the people who don't pay rent are the ones who can afford not to - they have a backup plan, they can afford to cop a huge bill," Ms Kelly said.
"For a poor person to not pay rent, the impacts are devastating. You will pay rent even if it means you can't buy food, you will do whatever you can just to keep a roof over your head.