The Impact of Housing on the Lives of Women and Children - Post Domestic Violence Crisis Accommodation: A Study Undertaken by the NSW Women Refuge Movement and the UWS Urban Research Centre

This research aimed to identify in general the impacts of housing on women and their children who experience domestic and family violence. The study investigated the quality and timeliness of appropriate housing provision and its link to women and children’s wellbeing. In general this study shows that housing for women and children who experience domestic and family violence deteriorated significantly. The key concerns were the affordability, length of stay, the physical condition of the housing, the neighbourhood, safety and the availability of maintenance. In some situations the poor condition of the housing put them in a compromising situation with DoCS in terms of the environment they were able to offer their children. Most of the participants who experienced difficulties reported that they were scared to complain or felt that they did not have the right to ask for anything better