The Albanese Labor Government has announced that 42 projects across Australia will receive a share of $100 million building hundreds of new crisis and transitional homes for thousands of women and children impacted by family and domestic violence, and older women at risk of homelessness.
Funded under the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF), the Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program (CTAP) funds the building, remodelling or purchase of new or expanded crisis or transitional accommodation.
The funding is part of the Albanese Government’s ambitious housing reform agenda, as well as our commitment, along with states and territories, to end gender‑based violence within one generation.
Since coming to office, the Albanese Government is investing nearly 20 times more funding in crisis and transitional accommodation and programs than the previous Coalition government did in a decade.
CTAP aligns with the Government’s broader housing and women’s safety agendas, including the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032, the National Housing Infrastructure Facility and builds on the work of existing emergency and crisis accommodation programs like the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program.
A range of projects have been selected under CTAP, including projects that will be tailored to support culturally and linguistically diverse women and children, First Nations women and children, and older women.
Hundreds of applications were received, demonstrating the critical need for secure housing across Australia after a decade of neglect by the Coalition. Those applications were assessed through an open, competitive grants process and all successful projects clearly demonstrated how the projects will meet the needs of women and children experiencing violence and older women at risk of homelessness.
Our Government’s separate $100 million investment in the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program through the 2024 Inclusion Round is already bringing the total number of emergency accommodation places delivered under the program across Australia to around 1,500.
Once all Safe Places projects are complete, more than 11,000 women and children experiencing family and domestic violence will be able to be supported each year, with this additional funding going towards helping thousands more.
More information about the Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program and the Safe Places Program is available from the Department of Social Services website.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family, or sexual violence, call 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
Connect with 13YARN Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters on 13 92 76, available 24/7 from any mobile or pay phone, or visit www.13yarn.org.au No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au
Quotes attributable to Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Clare O’Neil MP
“Family and domestic violence is a scourge on our society which has a huge impact on vulnerable women and kids.
“Labor knows that having a safe place to go can be the difference between leaving a violent relationship or staying. That’s what these projects are about – empowering some of the most vulnerable people in our community with a safe place to go.
“42 organisations will be funded around the country to deliver hundreds of new crisis and emergency homes, resulting in more women and children having secure accommodation when they need it most.
“We know that these groups are two of the most at risk for not having a safe place to call home, and this housing insecurity can lead to other disadvantages, and it’s a measure of any society how it protects its most vulnerable, and our Government is investing to secure a safer future for women.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth MP
“Family and domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness and housing uncertainty for women and children across Australia, and we know there is an increased demand for emergency accommodation.
“The impact of family and domestic violence ripples across communities and it is why, along with states and territories, our Albanese Labor Government is committed to ending violence against women and children in one generation. As Minister, I have thought about this issue every day in my portfolio.
“This critical CTAP investment, along with our previous investment in the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation program, will ensure that women and children experiencing violence have a safe place to go and don’t have to choose between housing and their safety.”