Evaluating the fifth-year outcomes of housing first for women in Aotearoa New Zealand

This paper determines the outcomes five years post-housing for women in a Housing First cohort from Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand is unusual in that half of those experiencing homelessness are women. We used linked government datasets to examine the change interactions with government services such as health, justice, and income for a cohort previously experiencing homelessness and supported by Housing First. The majority of women in the study were Māori (76%), aged between 25 and 44 (57%), and had children (84%). Our descriptive analyses show that overall, five years after being housed, these women had significant improvements in patterns of service interactions. Hospitalisations were 65% lower and pharmaceuticals dispensed (a proxy for interactions with early medical care) increased by 14%. The use of mental health services had decreased with emergency mental health interactions down 44% over the time period. There were some promising but non-significant indications of improved interactions with police, with fewer offences recorded and greater reporting of being a victim of crime (an indication of improved trust in police). There were also significant increases in income, although, in contrast to the male Housing First clients, there was a lower increase in wages and salaries (101% vs. 173% for men) and a greater increase in welfare benefits received (19% vs. 14% for men). This evidence suggests that women experience positive outcomes when residing in stable housing with appropriate wraparound support, providing additional evidence for the effectiveness of Housing First for women as well as men.