Homelessness poses enormous challenges for pregnant women and their babies, with a multitude of barriers to accessing antenatal care, good nutrition, sleep, and support. Precarious housing and trauma also impact capacity to access postnatal care, child health services, and parenting support; in turn having serious repercussions for child health and development. Moreover, homelessness increases the risk of babies put into state care in WA.

Pregnancy and Homelessness

Our work in this area is covered across four main dimensions:

  • Intervention Evaluation

  • Advocacy

  • Research

  • Collaborations

OUR RESEARCH

  • COLLABORATIVE STUDIES

    with Kind Edward Memorial Hospital

    1. Exploring outcomes in women whose pregnancies are identified at risk due to homelessness.

    2. Longitudinal study of women with experience of pregnancy and homelessness and their children.

    3. Identifying gaps in resources and maternity care for women experiencing homelessness during pregnancy.

    4. Retrospective analysis of the impact of homelessness in pregnancy on women and babies health and child development outcomes in WA.

  • LONGITUDINAL STUDY

    We are establishing Australia’s first longitudinal cohort study of women who experienced homelessness during pregnancy and their children. This study looks beyond the immediate pregnancy and birth period to track women’s health and child development outcomes. Beyond just measuring the outcomes, we are investigating the role that supports and services play on women and children’s outcomes.

  • Accessing Antenatal Care When You are Rough Sleeping: Barriers & Enablers

    - Lisa Wood and Natalie Bogoias (2024)

Evaluation

The Together Program

Empowering Mothers and Babies

  • Developed by Uniting WA, in partnership with Homeless Healthcare and Home2Health. The Together Program is a three year pilot program that provides social, parenting, stable housing and healthcare support to pregnant women experiencing homelessness.

  • Our team is evaluating the three year pilot which commenced in December 2022.

  • Visit the Together Program website by clicking here.

In collaboration with

Evidence-led advocacy

In February 2025 the Department of Communities updated their public housing form to include pregnancy as a priority reason for housing.

In 2023 our submission to WA Parliamentary Inquiry into the Funding of Homelessness Services in the WA highlighted gaps in services and supports for women experiencing homelessness during pregnancy. This led to Recommendation 45 for:

a) crisis and support accommodation

b) antenatal outreach services and follow through healthcare support for pregnant women experiencing homelessness

Lived Experience & Consumer Involvement

Our work is driven by individual's lived experience. Our lived experience advisory group of women with lived and living experience of homelessness and pregnancy first met on the  17th of April 2025.