Works on two new women's refuges to offer crisis accommodation are now underway. Construction has already commenced on the Northern Beaches site with plans to deliver the second site in Canterbury-Bankstown in train.

Made possible through a $6 million capital funding grant under Tranche 2 of the NSW Government’s Core and Cluster program, the refuges will be delivered in partnership with Women’s Community Shelters and community housing providers - Link Wentworth Housing and Bridge Housing.

The Northern Beaches and the Canterbury-Bankstown local government areas will house the new refuges and were selected as they both demonstrated significant need for additional crisis support in the domestic violence space which is now being met through this initiative.

Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said both the Northern Beaches and Canterbury-Bankstown projects are due to be completed in late 2023 and will provide victim-survivors with not only accommodation but the wraparound support they need to rebuild their lives.

“We are seeing unprecedented reports of domestic and family violence,” Minister Harrison said.

“The NSW Government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to counter domestic violence through perpetrator intervention, remand programs, safe rooms, and law reforms.

“The expansion of women’s refuges through the Core and Cluster program is a critical part of the system giving women and children a safe place to go to when they need it. The model provides safety for women and children escaping DV, and the new design means women and their children have greater privacy and independence within self-contained units, and they can even bring their pets with them.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said securing safe housing remained a critical hurdle to overcoming domestic violence and was a key factor in the ability of victim-survivors to leave violent relationships.

“Ensuring women and children escaping domestic violence have access to a safe and secure home is crucial to creating better outcomes for people in crisis,” Minister Jackson said.

“Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness across NSW and the country. We must do everything we can to support people in vulnerable situations and getting them into safe accommodation with wrap around support is where we need to start.

“The Core and Cluster programs, across all three Tranches, once completed, will enable crisis accommodation and support for an additional 2,900 women and their children every year.”

Women’s Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel OAM said delivering the refuges under the Core and Cluster model ensured victim-survivors had access to all of the support services they would need to get help, stay safe and plan for the future.

“Specialist domestic and family violence services are a lifeline for women and children fleeing abuse,” Ms Daniel said.

“Women’s Community Shelters is committed to pursuing innovative opportunities to continuously evolve our service delivery model, informed by the lived expertise of our residents.

“This partnership represents true collaboration between the NSW Government, the domestic violence and housing sectors, amazing local communities and philanthropy.”

Women’s Community Shelters also partners with the NSW Government in the operation of their existing shelters in the LGAs of Mid Coast, Ku-ring-gai, The Hills, Northern Beaches, Penrith, Bayside, Parramatta and Camden.