lilawohnt (formerly DOWAS für Frauen)

lilawohnt, formerly known as DOWAS für Frauen, is an Austrian non-profit association based in Innsbruck, Tyrol. Founded in 1984, it is a contact point and counselling service for homeless women and children as well as women facing existential problems, with a further focus on psychosocial care aimed at long-term stabilisation. The organisation operates from a property at Adamgasse 4/3 in Innsbruck, which houses its counselling centre, the offices of its Assisted Living and Housing First programmes, and the association's administration. The association works in a women-specific way and on the basis of a feminist stance. Its target group includes people who identify as female or who do not assign themselves to a binary gender category. Its stated working principles include women counselling women, holism, multi-professionalism, critical and differentiated partisanship, anonymity and confidentiality, voluntariness, empowerment and resource-oriented work, as well as networking and cooperation with other social and women's associations. As of July 2023, 35 people were employed by the association. Its work areas are divided into the counselling centre, the outpatient team with Assisted Living and Housing First, a socio-pedagogical shared flat, and a mothers-and-children area, alongside management, administration and an externally staffed board. The counselling centre offers social-work and psychosocial counselling on topics such as finding, renting and keeping a flat, financial problems including legal entitlements, subsidies and debt regulation, contact with authorities, job search and workplace problems, health questions and (unwanted) pregnancy, life with children and adolescents, divorce, and legal advice or referral to competent legal counselling services. The service is anonymous, free of charge and subject to confidentiality, and the counselling centre is a member of the Network of Austrian Women's and Girls' Counselling Centres, committing to its quality standards. The socio-pedagogical shared flat provides 12 transitional places for women and their children affected by homelessness, with three rooms for single women and five rooms for women and children. Assisted Living offers sublease agreements with support contracts for small flats for single women or two-room flats for women with children, with continuous social-work and psychosocial support and support from the mothers-and-children area. The goal is long-term livelihood security through support in building independence, vocational orientation and job search, and eventually in taking over a main tenancy. In 2022 the association launched the first Housing First project in Tyrol. On 17 April 2023 the association changed its name from DOWAS für Frauen to lilawohnt, a change that went hand in hand with a no-longer-binary understanding of gender. The organisation continues to expand: in 2025 it added two StoP (Stadt ohne Partnergewalt) locations in Hall in Tirol and Schwaz, extended its victim-protection area with two further protected flats, and expanded opening hours at its Schwaz counselling centre.

DOWAS für Frauen was founded in 1984 in Innsbruck. It moved into a flat at Adamgasse 4/3, where the counselling centre, the offices of Assisted Living and Housing First, and the association's administration are still housed today. While the flat was initially used as a shared flat for homeless women and children, the need for a counselling centre increasingly emerged. In 1991 a further property was rented as an assisted shared flat, where it remained until 2021; in addition, the first two flats for the "Assisted Living" project were rented, with many more to follow in the following years. The premises at Adamgasse 4/3 were adapted as offices and a counselling centre. In 1993 a "child specialist" was employed for the first time, founding the association's mothers-and-children area. In 1994 the work areas "shared flat" and outpatient counselling ("Assisted Living" and "counselling centre") were separated in personnel terms and specialised in content. In the new millennium the need for counselling and housing opportunities rose steadily. New target groups with specific needs were added, such as women with a migration or refugee background and increasingly women with mental illnesses; the women's financial hardship also worsened. In 2007 the association followed a trend observable in many feminist women's associations with an internal restructuring: away from a grassroots-democratic model towards a more specialised division of labour and hierarchisation. For the first time, the function of managing director was separated from that of the association's chairwoman. In 2008 the areas "Assisted Living" and "counselling centre" were separated in personnel terms, establishing the association's various work areas in their present form. In 2022 the association launched the first Housing First project in Tyrol. On 17 April 2023 the association changed its name from DOWAS für Frauen to lilawohnt. The renaming went hand in hand with a no-longer-binary understanding of gender. As of July 2023, 35 people were employed by the association. In 2025 there were several extensions and changes at lilawohnt, while the urgency and need for lilawohnt and its services remained unchanged. From spring, the organisation expanded with two StoP (Stadt ohne Partnergewalt) locations in Hall in Tirol and Schwaz; from March a StoP staff member was employed, and since summer 2025 community-oriented work to prevent partner violence has been implemented, starting where domestic violence happens: at the place of residence, in the neighbourhood. Neighbours are encouraged and supported to show civil courage and not to conceal or tolerate partner violence. From October the victim protection area expanded by two further protected flats, and the Schwaz counselling centre now offers opening hours on two days a week. With funding from the City of Innsbruck, the employment of a peer staff member was made possible from January at 25 hours per week. In the participation process on quality in homelessness work, lilawohnt is represented via AG Wohnen, and the peer staff member also has a fixed place in this process; a podcast was planned and the first two episodes recorded, with five active applications from women. The peer staff member led group offerings of the Frauen*Treff.

• 2025

  Two StoP locations in Hall in Tirol and Schwaz added; victim protection area expanded by two protected flats; Schwaz counselling centre opens two days a week; peer staff member employed from January.

• 2022

  First Housing First project in Tyrol launched by the association.

• 2008

  Personnel separation of "Assisted Living" and "counselling centre", establishing today's work areas.

• 2007

  Internal restructuring: away from grassroots democracy towards division of labour and hierarchisation; managing director function separated from chairwoman.

• 1994

  Personnel separation and content specialisation of "shared flat" and outpatient counselling.

• 1993

  First "child specialist" employed, founding the mothers-and-children area.

• 1991

  A further property rented as an assisted shared flat; first two flats for the "Assisted Living" project rented.

• 1984

  DOWAS für Frauen founded in Innsbruck; moves into a flat at Adamgasse 4/3.

• Association renamed from DOWAS für Frauen to lilawohnt.

A feminist, women-specific non-profit association providing low-threshold, anonymous and free counselling, housing and psychosocial support for women and children affected by homelessness and existential problems in Innsbruck and Tyrol.

• Counselling centre

  Social-work and psychosocial counselling in Adamgasse 4/3, Innsbruck, on housing, finances, authorities, work, health, pregnancy, children, divorce and legal referral; anonymous, free and confidential.

• Socio-pedagogical shared flat

  12 transitional places for women and their children affected by homelessness; 3 rooms for single women and 5 rooms for women and children.

• Assisted Living (Betreutes Wohnen)

  Sublease agreements with support contracts for small flats for single women or two-room flats for women with children, with continuous social-work and psychosocial support.

• Housing First

  First Housing First project in Tyrol, launched by the association in 2022.

• Mothers-and-children area

  Support for women and children, founded in 1993 with the employment of the first child specialist.

• StoP (Stadt ohne Partnergewalt)

  Community-oriented prevention of partner violence at two locations in Hall in Tirol and Schwaz, implemented since summer 2025.

1. 1lilawohnt – Beratungsstelle, Housing First & Betreutes Wohnen und Verwaltunglilawohnt.at
2. 2Die Geschichte von lilawohnt seit 1984lilawohnt.at
3. 3Lilawohnt – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4DOWAS für Frauen – Wikidatawikidata.org