Abstract
M.A. (Social Work)
The study investigated the survival strategies of homeless women living on the streets with their children. Poverty is on the increase and is giving rise to the phenomenon of homeless women with children. Internationally and in South Africa, women living in poverty are said to face the risk of being homeless far more than men. The study focussed on homeless women with children in the Hillbrow area. Hillbrow is known for a high number of young people living on the streets; however, not enough attention has been paid to the ever-increasing phenomenon of women living on the streets with their children. The study was aimed at finding the reason why women choose to stay on the streets with their children. The main interest was on exploring how they survived on the streets with their children. This was done through a qualitative exploratory method. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 10 homeless women who lived on the streets with their children. The results reflected that homeless women with children were largely on the streets as a result of poverty and unemployment. These women were subjected to many difficult conditions such as lack of access to clean water and sanitation, harassment and abuse, and exposure to inclement weather conditions. However, they were surviving due to their own inner resilience, the support from NGOs, and some being in receipt of child support grants. It is recommended that more support be given to NGOs that support homeless women with children and a multipronged approach be developed between the Departments of Housing, Social Development and Public Works in order to address the challenges of homeless women with children.