Population ageing is reshaping the profile of homelessness, with women aged 55 and over among the fastest-growing groups experiencing housing insecurity. Too often, however, their experiences remain hidden in research and public discourse, which privileges images of male rough sleeping. This paper presents findings from a mixed-methods, trauma-informed study conducted in partnership with a Queensland service provider. Thirty-five older women experiencing housing insecurity participated in surveys and interviews, with arts-based methods—including photovoice and poetry—also used to document their experiences. Interviews were analysed using narrative analysis, supported by participants’ photographs and poems. Three key narratives are identified: Living “Homefree”, in which women reframe their experiences to maintain dignity and a sense of positivity; Precarity and Survival, which reflects the everyday struggles of navigating insecure housing—for example, one 74-year-old participant photographed the van where she slept to illustrate life without stable shelter; and The Legacy of Domestic Violence, which highlights how trauma, legal complexity, and delayed property settlement constrain access to housing. In many cases, unsold family homes resulted in women being classified as asset-rich and excluded from housing assistance, despite lacking sufficient liquid capital to enter the private market - creating a critical policy paradox. By combining traditional qualitative methods with arts-based approaches, this study surfaces both the structural drivers of housing insecurity and its lived, embodied, and emotional dimensions. These findings challenge dominant narratives of homelessness and call for more responsive, gender-sensitive housing policies that recognise the hidden and cumulative nature of women’s housing precarity in later life.