Recently the ABC shared a story nationally – on TV, print, radio and socials – about single mother families who have made the decision to share housing. We hope you will watch it and join us in thanking the women who participated in this important story about the housing challenges facing single mother families.
A lynchpin in this story is the CSMC Single Mother Share House Register, where some of these mothers connected.
CSMC has had a housing register since the early 1970s – when it was a big book and single mothers would ring in from phone booths to find options! Then, the register had women looking for accommodation, people offering rooms, or wanting a live-in nanny, and those few real estate agents who would rent to single mothers. In 2014 the Single Mother Share House Register went online and by 2016, had around 250 members. In 2026, a the time of the ABC story, there are 3,528. Over the years, the Share House Register has helped hundreds of single mother families connect.
Why would single mothers want to share housing? Don’t we all want our own home with our kids? These are very valid questions and generally speaking, shared housing is not the preference for many single mothers. On the other hand, single parents are three times more likely to live in poverty than two-parent households, and single mums are four times more likely to experience homelessness than the national average. This has led to an increasing number of single mothers turning to a shared housing model to make costs more manageable and, for those who apply together for rental properties, to make their applications more competitive – comparable with two-income families. It is also a great solution to the social isolation many single mothers experience, and can reduce some of the juggle of parenting while also running a home, working, and potentially having a moment to yourself.
While sharing a home with another single mother family might sound like a great solution to the cost-of-living crisis, it’s not for everyone. If you are thinking of sharing, here’s some things you should consider, and discuss with a potential housemate:
- Parenting beliefs, your children’s needs and ages, and their likely compatibility or differences.
- Expectations about sharing or not sharing, things like expenses, cooking and child minding.
- Rules you might want in place on topics such as alcohol consumption, visitors and overnight guests, and the ever-tricky issue of screen-time.
- The things you care about in your living space: clean or messy, quiet times before bed, etc.
- How you will manage the ending of the arrangement: This might be because if one family decides to move on, or the arrangement isn’t working out as you both hoped. Can you talk frankly about difficulties and solutions, and when you have lived together for a while, can the children stay friends if they want to?
The CSMC Single Mother Share House Register operates as a closed and moderated Facebook page. There are three simple questions you must answer to be accepted. You can apply to join here.
In the meantime, enjoy ABC’s report on single mothers and housemates! A big shoutout to the ABC for covering this important topic, and a huge thanks to all the single mums who participated in the report!
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