Calls for federal government to fix 'gaping holes' in housing support or risk more violence against women and children

Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin says the government must address the “gaping holes” in support services. (ABC News: Norman Hermant)

National Cabinet is being urged to plug “gaping holes” in the housing and homelessness support systems available to women fleeing violence, with only 3.7 per cent of those seeking housing getting long-term accommodation.

Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said violence is the biggest cause of homelessness for women and children and can no longer be ignored by the federal government.

“In the current settings it is unlikely to improve. National Cabinet can not avert its eyes. It must confront this challenge.”

This Wednesday all state and territory leaders will meet virtually with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss the recent violent deaths of women and solutions to end violence.

Just this week in Perth, a 30-year-old in Warnbro and 78-year-old in Yangebup became the 27th and 28th women to die by gendered violence in Australia this year.

Ms Colvin said she fears a forthcoming national plan and new funding agreement will lack sufficient ambition and resources to provide safe homes and prevent more violence.

“There have been no indications from decision makers that the forthcoming state and federal housing and homelessness plan — or the new National Housing and Homelessness Agreement — will significantly extend on commitments already made to housing and homelessness investment.”

She added that the lack of housing means women experiencing violence are stuck in homelessness, with many returning to violent homes and, in some situations, never leaving.

A crisis in numbers 

In 2022-23, homelessness services assisted 58,589 women and 37,825 children who had experienced domestic and family violence, with the statistics showing only 3.7 per cent of those seeking housing were able to secure long-term housing.

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A greater proportion of victim-survivors were provided with emergency accommodation, but often not for the length of time needed.

In 2022-23, 10,021 women and children were sleeping rough, couch surfing, or in other forms of homelessness at their last reported contact with support services.

“Homelessness services are so overwhelmed that many women and children can’t even get through the door. Each day these services turn away 295 people, and four in five are women or children.

“The result of these gaping holes in the housing and support women need to be safe is that women return to violence and many never leave.”

In 2021, the Everybody’s Home Nowhere to Go report found that 7,690 women are returning to perpetrators each year because they have nowhere to live.

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey also revealed that more than 20,000 women who wanted to leave a violent partner said they were unable to because of a lack of money or financial support.

Ms Colvin said the National Plan to End Violence didn’t include measures to address the housing problem, with the government saying these would be addressed in the forthcoming 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan and the new five-year National Housing and Homelessness Agreement.

“The federal government needs to double its social housing and homelessness investment, and the states should match that,” she said.

According to Homelessness Australia, the plan should aim to end homelessness for women and children who are fleeing violence and to significantly increase the number of women who can access safety while remaining in their homes.

Government ‘committed to ending violence’

Julie Collins, the federal minister for housing and homelessness, told the ABC that the government, together with the state and territories, “recognises family and domestic violence is a significant cause of homelessness for women and children, and acknowledged this in the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032”.

“All governments are committed to ending violence against women and children and ensuring they have a safe place to go when escaping violence, and the Albanese-Labor government has made significant investments to address this issue.”

She said the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund will help to fund 4,000 homes for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence and older women on low incomes who are at risk of homelessness, while investment returns would provide $100 million to go towards transitional housing options for the same groups.

“We have made an additional investment of $100 million in the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program to fund up to 720 new emergency accommodation places to support women and children experiencing family and domestic violence, bringing the total number of safe places to be delivered by the program to around 1,500.”

Meanwhile, Rose Jackson, the NSW minister for mousing and homelessness, said we need “significant investment” to help confront the housing crisis.

“I acknowledge NSW needs to do more, but I will also continue to push for the Commonwealth to lift their contributions via the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. This is a real opportunity for game changing investment and we welcome an opportunity to partner with the Commonwealth to deliver this. Business as usual is not acceptable,” she said.

“The funding trends over the last 10 years need to be turned around to help us make a substantial difference.”