Family violence is also a major contributing factor to housing instability, affordability, and homelessness among women. This is due to difficulties with maintaining housing, paying mortgages, bills or rent, or having to live in temporary accommodations with family and/or friends.
In 2020–21, 116,200 people (42% of all SHS clients) who presented as clients to a Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS) reported that they were escaping family violence.
There are numerous and overlapping barriers to housing for victims of family violence which place women’s safety and wellbeing at risk. Some of these barriers include low income, housing discrimination against them as survivors of family violence, and ongoing harassment by the perpetrator.
Abusive partners may also make it difficult for women to secure housing as instances of violence may disrupt neighbours, damage property, and cause the victim to be entered into a ‘bad tenant’ database. Together, these barriers to seeking out and maintaining secure housing can impair the health and wellbeing of women and children and compromise their ability to maintain separation from their abusive partner. In fact, many women report that they are forced to return to an abusive partner because they are not able to secure alternative housing.
Key Issues for women experiencing domestic & family violence and its impact on housing (ANROWS)
- Women forced to leave their homes due to domestic and family violence can have trouble securing long-term accommodation.
- Women leaving domestic and family violence may experience housing stress, even if they stay in their own homes.
- Women’s housing insecurity following domestic and family violence is tied to their economic insecurity.
- Poor housing conditions and overcrowding in Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander communities can exacerbate violence and vulnerability.
- Many women rely on their personal networks for housing after leaving a violent relationship.
- Women sometimes return to violent partners due to housing insecurity.
- More robust evaluations are needed to determine the efficacy of “Safe at Home” programs.
- Crisis-oriented domestic and family violence funding overlooks women’s longer-term housing needs.