“Love my home and my neighbourhood. I now have lots of friends that I didn't have where I lived before here.”

In 2024, Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) carried out a national survey of CHI women Member Tenants. As an Approved Housing Body (AHB), we wanted to better understand the housing journey women Member Tenants experienced before and after securing their social-rented home. International Women’s Day 2025 serves as a reminder that women face specific, and often challenging, barriers in accessing housing.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, is ‘Accelerate Action’ and CHI’s key policy ask is that social and affordable housing is prioritised and delivered as efficiently as possible. We are calling on the government to accelerate housing delivery to benefit all people in need of a secure, and affordable home.

CHI’s research affirms the positive impact securing social housing has by providing a pathway to independence for women tenants - not only through greater health and wellbeing but also better access to employment and education as well as more financial freedom and security. The results of the survey underscore the stabilising impact on both the women and their families from having a secure tenancy.

This research also provides insight into the participants experiences of the Irish housing system before obtaining their home with CHI, with 40% of the respondents reporting that they had lived in significantly unsafe housing in the past, and 20% had lived in a threatening or abusive household. A large majority (88%) reported that housing precarity negatively impacted their mental wellness and required financial assistance from a friend or family (83%).

After securing their new home with CHI the impact was manifold and included:

• 90% reported a significant positive uplift in their mental wellness by securing housing and an additional 74% of family members being positively impacted through secure housing
• 66% reported increased social inclusion in their CHI home
• 70% reported a positive impact on their relationships with partners and/or family members
• 71% cited a greater ability to save money for a rainy day
• 62% reported positive impact on educational outcomes for children
• 58% reported a positive impact on employment and/or educational opportunities for themselves

You can read the full report and findings here

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For more information about International Women's Day 2025 click here #IWD2025   #AccelerateAction