An historic summit on women's safety must address a devastating housing shortage for those escaping family violence, advocates say.
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Family violence service providers have warned the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated shortages for women fleeing violence, often leaving them with no option but to return to their abuser.
Housing was primarily the responsibility of the states and territories, but the federal government this year extended a funding agreement on women's shelters, originally set to cease on July 1, after pressure from state ministers.
ACT Council of Social Service chief executive Emma Campbell warned only 3 per cent of family violence survivors who sought housing support were able to access long-term accommodation. She said bickering over a "shared responsibility" did nothing address a 3100 dwelling deficit in the ACT.
"Every person that is experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness [here] is both an Australian and a Canberran," she told The Canberra Times.
"The federal government can't do it without the help of the states and territories, and the states and territories can't do it without the help of the federal government, particularly given the size of the problem.
"We just need more houses, more affordable housing in the ACT and across Australia ... and while we're getting to an acceptable number, we need to make sure that the most vulnerable get those houses first, including women and children escaping violence."
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Analysis from KPMG found every dollar invested into social housing saw $1.30 returned into the economy. Dr Campbell said the Commonwealth often intervened in areas of state responsibility when there was an financial incentive.
She described the pandemic as a "real missed opportunity" for social housing investment, which should have been "much further up the list" of priorities.
"It would meet a desperate need in our community, but it would also have really significant economic benefits for Australia as we are trying to come out of this health and economic crisis," she said.
Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT chief executive Sue Webeck warned more women were presenting for emergency shelter during COVID-19, creating a backlog of those seeking more stable accommodation.
"Housing is always an issue. There is a lack of housing pathways to meet the demand that exists," she told The Canberra Times.
"The issue predated the pandemic but, certainly in terms of women experiencing violence, COVID has exacerbated the need for accommodation."
Ms Webeck said women fleeing violence did not follow a uniform path - not all required emergency shelter, and not all moved into long-term accommodation - but service providers had "limited options" on all fronts.
She said the ACT government had been working "fervently" to improve the situation, but did not have the economic muscle to reverse the trend alone.
"It is difficult. There's an opportunity in being a small jurisdiction, but there is also difficulty in being a small jurisdiction with a limited budget," she said.
A spokesperson for Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the federal government was delivering 780 "new safe places", which would support 6400 women and children nationally.
"When women make the decision to escape domestic violence it is vital that they have somewhere safe to go," they said.
"Through our Safe Places program $2 million is being delivered to projects in the ACT including Toora Women Inc which they have used to purchase and renovate two [and] three-bedroom properties."
Social housing was not explicitly placed on the summit's agenda, but the spokesperson insisted it intersected with a number of topics up for discussion.
"Housing is a complex issue and it will be discussed at forums across the Summit agenda including financial freedom, service delivery, early intervention, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and migrant and refugee experiences," they said.
But Labor assistant spokeswoman on the prevention of family violence Jenny McAllister said the government had "a very long way to go" to rebuild trust on the issue.
"Leaving housing off the agenda for the summit was a mistake. I think that would have been obvious to anyone who actually listened to victim-survivors and frontline services," she told The Canberra Times.
"I'm sure that frontline service providers and victim-survivors will raise it in any forum they can ... [But] if you thought housing was a priority, you would have listed it for discussion directly."
Labor made social housing a centrepiece of its May budget reply, pledging an additional 4000 homes for women and children fleeing violence as part of a $10 billion commitment to social housing.
Senator McAllister said all jurisdictions, including the states, needed to boost funding for social housing. "But the Commonwealth needs to stop blame shifting and step up its own response," she said.
"Services across the country tell me daily that housing is their most significant priority, and that trends through COVID are making housing scarcity worse and worse for the women they're trying to support."
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