Demand for Albany family and domestic violence outreach services spike as women battle housing crisis

Demand on Albany Women’s Centre has spiked, while women face homelessness or staying with their perpetrator amid the region’s ongoing housing crisis. Anglicare WA’s Albany Women’s Centre has already supported more women this year than in the previous 12 months. The centre offers crisis accommodation for up to four women and 12 children from across the Great Southern at one time. But these beds have been at almost constant capacity for years, manager Joanna Fictoor said. Demand for outreach services from the Albany Women’s Centre for women fleeing family and domestic violence spiked by 61 per cent from 2019 to 2020. Albany Women’s Centre helped 306 women in 2019, including accommodating 101 in the refuge and 205 outreach clients. In 2020, this grew to 442 women including 108 clients in accommodation and 334 through their outreach services. By July this year, the team had already helped 372 clients including 122 in the refuge and 250 in outreach services. Ms Fictoor said there had been a surge in women seeking outreach support who were still living with a perpetrator or had left the relationship but been unable to secure stable accommodation. With Albany’s July rental vacancy at 0.7 per cent — the third lowest in WA — Ms Fictoor said women fleeing an abusive relationship were struggling to find affordable rentals or secure social housing. Those who can’t find a new home are having to stay with family or friends, couch surf, sleep in their cars or caravans, sleep rough or are forced to stay with their abusers. “We are seeing more women who are choosing not to leave because they are aware if they do leave they may become homeless because there is such a low level of rentals available,” she said. “And the women’s centre capacity of our four rooms, we are always full.” Ms Fictoor said more investment in social housing was needed so homelessness wasn’t an option when women choose to leave a violent relationship. “We are also seeing due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel there are more people travelling within WA so the demand on hotel and motel accommodation is also high,” she said. “We are seeing that some of the families are staying longer in the refuge because there isn’t an option to move on either to affordable housing or to transitional housing or to find a rental. So then that clogs up the crisis service system. “Anecdotally, it is suggested that the sustained national and international public conversation of the impact of COVID-19 on women living with family and domestic violence has led to more people recognising and understanding the signs of FDV, leading to more women and families seeking support. “We encourage people to seek support but the demand is high and stretching our services, but we would still encourage women to reach out for support.” Demand for perpetrator rehabilitation is also on the rise. In 2017, the State Government withdrew funding for the Great Southern’s only family violence perpetrator program called Changing Tracks, which the region went without for four years. Anglicare WA has now committed to self-fund the program for two years providing an “interim solution until 2023”. “Since its restarted, the program has received an influx of referrals, mostly from court-mandated participants,” Ms Fictoor said. “The high volume of referrals to the program led to many participants being wait listed as demand for the program outweighed its capacity.”