As many prepare for festive end-of-year celebrations, women’s shelters around the country are preparing for their busiest time of the year, with numerous shelters already at capacity.
Annabelle Daniel OAM is the CEO of Women’s Community Shelters (WCS). She said that the Christmas, New Year and summer school holiday period is, sadly, the busiest time for her organisation.
“Increased financial strain, tense family gatherings, and higher substance use can escalate already volatile situations, placing women and children in greater danger,” Daniel told Women’s Agenda.
“At WCS, we witness firsthand the heightened demand for safe accommodation and support across our shelter network during this time. More families seek refuge and assistance as they escape unsafe situations, making the availability of shelter beds and essential services absolutely critical.
“Women often wait until school finishes to leave a violent situation, allowing them to resettle their children in a new area and prepare them for the start of the new school year.”
Women are the fastest growing cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Australia. In the 2021 Census, 44.2 per cent of the 122,494 people estimated to be experiencing homelessness were women.
This was a 10.1 per cent increase from the 2016 Census, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics: women accounted for 81.7 per cent of the 6,067 increase of people experiencing homelessness in 2021.
According to data from Homelessness Australia, the number of women and children sleeping rough or in a car has more than doubled in the last decade. In 2012-2013, there were 1,041 women and children sleeping rough. This number was at 2,428 in 2022-2023.
The leading cause of this increase is domestic and family violence, according to Homelessness Australia: 45 per cent of all women and girls seeking homelessness assistance had cited family and domestic violence as the cause.
In its 2024 State of Response report, Homelessness Australia found 13,643 women and 10,773 children in NSW who experienced domestic and family violence in 2022-23 were assisted by homelessness services.
Women and children experiencing violence face the impossible choice of fleeing a violent situation – often with no option other than homelessness – or remaining with their perpetrator and risking their lives.
In Australia, 97 women have been killed by violence, according to Sherele Moody’s Australian Femicide Watch.
Since 2015, Moody, an Australian journalist and founder of the Red Heart Campaign, has been counting dead women and children.
“It kind of gives a really clear indication of how bad the killing of women and children is,” Moody told Angela Priestley on this week’s episode of the Women’s Agenda Podcast.
“It irks me that I have to do this as a statistics-based project, but people really do connect with those numbers. They want to go back and read their stories.”
Shelters at capacity
Homelessness Australia said services that provide support for people experiencing homelessness turn away almost 295 people every single day. This means in 2022-2023, there were about 108,000 requests for support that went unassisted.
Of those people being turned away every day, 80 per cent are women and children.
To meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness, a growing number year by year, frontline services need an additional $450 million in funding, according to estimates from Homelessness Australia.
Annabelle Daniel and her team at WCS certainly feel the strain of underfunding, especially during the holiday season.
“Our shelter network works tirelessly to create a supportive and uplifting environment for families during the holiday season,” Daniel said.
“Whether it’s organising festive activities, creating an onsite shop with community donated toys, decorating shelters, or sourcing gifts for children, we strive to ensure that families experience warmth, connection, and a sense of normalcy. But critically our shelters provide a place of safety and security.”
Daniel said tackling the issue of domestic violence requires a “whole-of-society” effort, and women and children affected by violence should not be forgotten during Christmas.
“People can make a meaningful difference during the holidays by spreading awareness,” Daniel said.
“Talking openly about domestic and family violence and its impact on women and children during the holidays helps reduce stigma and encourages others to support the cause.
“Providing practical support is another way to help. Donations of essential items like gift vouchers or requested items from shelter wish lists offer comfort and dignity to families who have escaped dangerous situations.
“By supporting women and children in crisis, supporters can help women and children experience safety and support, not just during the holidays, but all year round.”
If you would like to donate to the WCS Christmas appeal, click here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.
Feeling worried or no good? No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. Speak to a 13YARN Crisis Supporter, call 13 92 76. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.