Own emergency shelter

Help for hundreds of women without a roof over their heads

Around 300 women with 100 children gave the "lilawohnt" association as their home address in 2023.

(Bild: Max - stock.adobe.com)

Current figures show: Homelessness is the order of the day in Tyrol. Women and their children are also affected, but in a different way. LR Eva Pawlata (SPÖ) has now put together a package of measures for them: a separate emergency shelter, additional counseling facilities including a "tearoom" and up to eight new places for assisted living. Almost half a million euros is being invested in this.

Not having a roof over your head, not having your own four walls, not being able to retreat to a private oasis of well-being - an idea that sends shivers down the spine of many people. Worryingly, for many Tyroleans, this is exactly what everyday life is like. 570 people slept in emergency accommodation in Tyrol around 84,000 times in the winter of 2022/23. Not everyone who wanted a place to sleep could be accommodated. The number of unreported cases is therefore significantly higher - especially among women.

"The actual number cannotbe recorded"
"For them, however, homelessness manifests itself quite differently. Domestic violence, single parenthood or precarious working conditions - there are many gender-specific reasons why women become homeless. The actual number cannot be recorded, so it is a case of hidden homelessness," says LR Pawlata. This means that the women concerned do not live on the street, but in secret. "At best, they find accommodation with friends or acquaintances; at worst, they end up in another violent relationship. Or they stay in the old relationship despite all the adversity, as there is simply no way out," explains the SPÖ provincial councillor. These women are also exposed to a high risk of physical and psychological violence.

Homelessness manifests itself very differently in women than in men.

(Bild: Rainer Fuhrmann - stock.adobe.com)

There are many gender-specific reasons why women become homeless.

(Bild: carsten jacobs - stock.adobe.com)

Individuals wait up to eight months for a place
Last year, around 300 women with 100 children gave the "lilawohnt" association alone as their home address because they had no roof over their heads. The emergency room for women in Innsbruck ("NoRa") offers space for 22 women in nine small garconnieres. But the waiting list there is long. In fall 2023, there were 60 women without children and 26 women with children on it. A place can be used for a maximum of eight months. Individuals on the waiting list can expect to wait up to eight months.

Hidden homelessness is female and can only be prevented if there is a prospect of finding one's own home.

LR Eva Pawlata (SPÖ)

Bild: Birbaumer Johanna

The package of measures in detail
"Even though the range of services in Tyrol is broad, it needs to be expanded - and that's exactly what I've done," announced LR Pawlata. He has succeeded in putting together a package of measures that will even be implemented this year. And this is what it looks like in detail: 

• The plan is to create a separate year-round emergency shelter for women with their children in Innsbruck with up to 30 places. "However, this emergency shelter should not compete with the existing facilities, but rather serve as a low-threshold addition," explains LR Pawlata. It is also not explicitly aimed at women affected by violence. Costs: around €300,000.
• There will also be an additional counseling option for affected women. It will also have a "tea room" where those affected can spend time during the day. There will also be recreational areas for children. Cost: around 100,000 euros.
• And up to eight new places for assisted living will be created so that the women affected can stand on their own two feet again. Cost: around 100,000 euros.

"We are already working intensively on the tender"
"In total, we are investing around half a million euros and are already working intensively on the tender process. I am convinced that this overall package of measures will enable us to take a significant step towards improving the situation for women affected by homelessness," says LR Pawlata.