Investing in social and affordable housing for women and children is not just a social response, it is an economic strategy that delivers returns.

Our report, Housing that Pays Back, evaluates the economic and social value generated by YWCA’s gender responsive housing portfolio and outlines why sustained investment in gender responsive housing is both a social imperative and an economically efficient public policy response. The report produced with Per Capita uses cost-benefit analysis to provide an economic argument for the value of gender responsive housing.

This report set out to answer a clear question

Does sustained investment in gender-responsive housing generate measurable net public value?

The evidence demonstrates that yes, it does.

Across 528 tenancies supporting 731 residents, YWCA’s housing portfolio returns an average of $2.02 in measurable fiscal benefit for every $1 invested.

At a time when governments face escalating demand across health, justice and child protection systems, the evidence is clear: stable housing is one of the most effective demand-management strategies available.

The question is no longer whether gender-responsive housing works. It is whether we are willing to invest at the scale required to realise its full public value.

The evidence is clear – the time is now to invest at scale in long term housing for women and families.