Labor pledges support for 400 women and children fleeing violence in the ACT

The opposition on Saturday announced it would also fund five workers to help 400 women and children in a funding promise aimed at supporting organisations assisting people fleeing violence.

Labor's spokesperson for communities and the prevention of family violence, Jenny McAllister, said services across Australia had told her that housing was the number one challenge they faced in supporting clients.

"When women take the very brave decision to leave a violent relationship, finding a new place to go and to establish a safe environment for themselves and their children is their number one concern, and it's increasingly difficult," she said.

The ACT also had little housing available in the private rental market and rents were increasingly expensive and unaffordable, Senator McAllister said.

"Services here tell us that they struggle to place their clients in safe accommodation," she said.

Labor has promised to build 30,000 new affordable homes, including 4000 allocated to women and children fleeing violence, and older women at risk of homelessness. In government, it would also make $100 million available to upgrade and extend crisis accommodation.

Senator McAllister said $1 million dollars for additional crisis accommodation in Canberra would assist a further 90 women and children each year.

Labor would also fund an additional 500 community sector workers, including five in Canberra, at a cost of $153.4 million over four years.

"It'll provide an opportunity for new entrants to come into this workforce, a workforce that's been under incredible strain over the last couple of years through COVID," Senator McAllister said.

Labor says services report that each extra person working on staff can help between 80 to 100 additional women and children each year.

Senator McAllister said history showed meaningful progress on social and affordable housing occurred when Labor federal governments worked with states and territories to produce more housing stock.

Senator McAllister, ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher and all three of the territory's federal Labor members announced the election pledge that forms part of Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund first announced last year and expanded in Labor's budget reply last week.

The package is intended to help the nearly 10,000 women and children across Australia seeking safety that are turned away because of a lack of beds in crisis accommodation. For many, this can lead to homelessness.

Labor MP for Canberra Alicia Payne said frontline workers responding to family and domestic violence had told her they had to turn too many people away.

Additional funding and workers would provide support for more women in Canberra fleeing violence, she said.

YWCA acting chief executive Cara Jacobs said in Canberra the organisation had seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of women and children experiencing violence, and homelessness. Labor's promised funding would be a start in addressing the issue, she said.

The YWCA since 2020 had supported more than 280 women leaving violence.

"We continually have so many clients that we are unable to house so we support them in an outreach capacity," Ms Jacobs said.

"Having additional safe houses for women and children is so important, but so is the funding to provide the support to them."

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au.

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