The Nationals’ Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has raised concerns about family violence assistance in the region, saying more needs to be done to ensure victim-survivors can safely find housing in times of crisis.
Speaking during the most recent sitting week of Parliament, Ms Cleeland called on the Minister for Family Violence to ensure victim-survivors were given priority access to social housing.
“As things stand, the system is making it near impossible for people fleeing family violence to access social housing services without first selling their house or losing assets through divorce or separation,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Many of these victim-survivors are living in houses that are unsafe for them and their children, and while leaving this situation is the safest option, it has a chance to result in homelessness for them as they enter the family violence support system.
“The chronic limitations on affordable and social housing mean that victim-survivors of family violence are frequently forced to choose between staying in a violent relationship or becoming homeless, and the lack of affordable housing in this state undermines the family violence system’s efforts to keep victim-survivors safe.”
In 2016 the Victorian Royal Commission recognised that family violence was the number one cause of homelessness for women and children, and subsequently made eight recommendations to improve victim-survivors’ access to accommodation.
This included upgrading family violence refuge and crisis accommodation, increasing access to safe at home responses and private rental brokerage, and initiatives to fast-track victim survivors into long-term housing and out of crisis accommodation.
Instead, in this time, the housing waitlist for women escaping family violence has increased by 300 per cent from eight months to more than 24 months with no end in sight.
“That’s two years of living in cars, couch surfing, or on the street as they escape an unimaginable situation,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Or it’s two years remaining in an unsafe, violent situation.
“Serious changes need to be made before more women and children lose their lives to family violence.”
Ms Cleeland said victim-survivors in regional areas were particularly vulnerable, due to less options for support and a lack of housing availability.
“The support in regional areas when it comes to social housing is simply not enough,” Ms Cleeland said.
“If there continues to be a lack of funding support provided to local services, and there is a failure to increase the amount of social housing in our regional communities – then a reform to the existing priority housing waitlist must include more consideration for women escaping family violence situations.
“Everyone always asks why does she stay, but it is time the Minister answers – where does she go?”
