Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) has joined a campaign calling for the urgent inclusion of housing on the agenda for the Federal Government’s National Summit on Women’s Safety in early September.

They join Domestic Violence Victoria, the Domestic Violence Resource Centre and many other organisations from around Australia is calling for housing to be addressed at the Summit.

According to Everybody’s Home, an estimated 7,690 women return to abusive partners because they don’t have anywhere else to live and another 9,120 women become homeless after they leave abusive homes and are unable to secure long-term housing.

The campaign has called on the Federal Government to commit to ending homelessness for families escaping family violence, fix social security gaps to protect women and their children from poverty, and invest in a sufficient supply of new social and affordable housing.

CEO, Michael Smith, said women and children living with violence rely on safe and accessible housing as an essential stepping stone to reach safety, accesss support and begin re-establishing in the aftermath of violence.

“We know that family violence is the biggest reason that women in Australia become homeless, and the continuing lack of government support in funding long-term, affordable housing is a critical issue.”

“Without a safe place to go, how can we expect women to leave the danger they are facing at home?”

The Summit will play an important role in the development of the fifth National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children.

ECLC encourages other organisations and individuals to support the support the campaign and help advocate for better housing outcomes for vulnerable women and children.