FACT SHEET

Women and Children’s Safety Program

A proposal for Commonwealth/State funding to save women’s and children’s lives

The Women and Children’s Safety Program has been developed by the Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) to provide adequate long-term funding for women’s refuges and other frontline women’s emergency services, including transitional housing.  The current National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) ends 30 June 2017.

The Program specifically provides for 24 hour accessible women’s refuges, frontline outreach services and transitional housing. Current homelessness programs do not serve the specific needs of women and children who become homeless as a result of escaping violence and whose needs are vastly different from people experiencing general homelessness.

The Program is, essentially, one of homicide prevention. The specialist help provided by refuges and other specialist women’s services are designed to save lives first of all and then to provide the support necessary so that women and their children may eventually return safely to their homes and communities.

An expanded description of the Program and the history of Commonwealth funding of women’s refuges can be found here: WEL’s WCSP Proposal.

Draft bill for the Program: Women and Children’s Safety Program DRAFT Bill 2016

Funding estimate  (to be shared between Commonwealth and States)

*Some funds will be available from commitments for National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH).

** 20% increase in years 3, 4, 5 is intended to increase the capacity of program to deliver services effectively.

Beyond year 5 the capital component will decline.

For further information contact:

Helen L’Orange AM, Convenor, WEL Violence Against Women Action Group

M: 0425 244 935

E: [email protected] 

To download a copy of this fact sheet click HERE.
To return to our Women and Children's Safety Program page click HERE.