Why housing is critical in the response to domestic violence

The demand for the organisation, which provides services primarily for women and children affected by homelessness or domestic and family violence, illustrates the importance of housing as part of the response to the gendered violence emergency.

Chief executive officer Penny Dordoy said SAHSSI was funded to deliver services to about 300 people a year, but in reality it helped about 700.

At Wollongong Homeless Hub and Housing Services, chief executive officer Mandy Booker said about 20 per cent of demand was driven by people escaping violence.

The demand is only exacerbated by the housing crisis afflicting the region, where rental vacancy rates are low and very few properties are available to those on low incomes.

The leaders two of the region's foremost women's services, Women Illawarra and the Illawarra Women's Health Centre, have both spoken about the urgent need for more housing for women and children leaving violent situations.

"One of the things that's fed back to us on the frontline is that some women don't have the opportunity to escape violence because there's nowhere to go," Women Illawarra general manager Michelle Glasgow said.

The provision of safe, affordable housing was also one of six requests a coalition of frontline services in the Illawarra called on the NSW government to address.

The government's $230 million package announced this week was addressed areas where funding was about to end, Premier Chris Minns said, but promised housing was an area of "particular focus".

Premier Chris Minns said the government's $230 million package, announced this week, was focused on solving "funding cliffs" where ongoing funding was about to end.

Ms Dordoy said funding for any type of housing would be welcomed.

Crisis housing was needed, she said, as was transitional housing, because women often got stuck in refuges as there was no long-term housing for them to move into.

Ms Dordoy said transitional housing also allowed women to build up a rental history, which would help them move into the rental market.

SAHSSI is hoping for state government funding to build a block of eight units for crisis accommodation.

There is also a need for more affordable housing, with social housing waiting lists blowing out: by the end of March, there were at least 2820 households waiting in the Illawarra.

Ms Booker said long-term housing was needed, but the pathway to long-term housing also meant there was a desperate need for crisis and temporary supported accommodation.

"Wrap-around support at the time of escaping violence is imperative," she said.

At SAHSSI, overwhelming demand means there is no space to continue to support women once they're safe from an immediate crisis.

"What we find is all our work is really done in the crisis end... We need resources to move into prevention, early intervention and long-term case management," Ms Dordoy said.