CWA of NSW from September 5 to 11 has partnered with Mission Australia, a charity that has provided safe and affordable homes to individuals in need.

The pandemic has exacerbated the rental and housing market, and caused financial hardship for households in NSW, particularly in regional areas.

"Everybody deserved to have a safe, secure and affordable place to live and we have supported community housing providers who pleaded for more to be done to help the state's most vulnerable citizens," said CWA of NSW President Stephanie Stanhope.

The NSW Council of Social Services (NCOSS) reported last year that there was a deficit of more than 200,000 social and affordable homes across NSW, and close to 60,000 households waited for social housing.

Related: In the tightest rental and property market in years, the wait for social housing is a long one

ABS data revealed that over 161,000 individuals across Australia were homeless from the 2016 census.

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The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) found in 2019 that women over the age of 55 were the fastest growing group of homeless people across the country.

President of CWA's Southern Highlands Evening Branch Ros Buick said it was a "terrible statistic."

"The statistics were out there, but the solution was not," she said.

"Especially in Covid, there was no easy solution."

"So many women have not been able to access affordable housing," added Exeter CWA publicity officer Pat Hughes.

The AHRC stated that various factors influenced this statistic such as the shortage of affordable housing, the divide between how much wealth men and women accumulated, and the ageing population.

Domestic and family violence also influenced the increase in female homelessness, where women have left unsafe relationships alone, or with children.

The President and publicity officer mentioned it was crucial to raise awareness, and learn more about the issue.

Both branches have postponed events that were due to take place this week due to lockdown.

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