More help on way for women escaping family violence

Guy Barnett,Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing

The Tasmanian Government is continuing to support women and children affected by family violence through funding upgrades and expansions of our women’s shelters.

The expansion of the Launceston Women’s Shelter is adding 15 self-contained one, two, and three-bedroom units and associated facilities, including a multi-purpose centre, laundries and a children’s playground.

This expansion will more than double the shelter’s capacity to help women and their children.

Increasing assistance for women and children escaping family violence is a key initiative under Tasmania’s Affordable Housing Action Plan 2019-2023.

The Tasmanian Government has provided $4 million to fund this expansion of the Launceston Women’s Shelter, which is also known as Magnolia Place, with construction expected to be completed by November.

The expansion is co-funded with the Australian Government ($1.9 million) through the Safe Places Grant Program, which provides funding for new or expanded crisis accommodation for women and children experiencing family violence.

Magnolia Place has been operating since 1975 and currently provides 14 crisis accommodation units – three for single women and 11 for women with children – across three sites in Launceston.

Magnolia Place is funded by the Department of Communities Tasmania to provide short-term crisis accommodation for women and their children who are escaping family violence or experiencing homelessness.

The Tasmanian Government will also provide recurrent indexed funding of $897,000 per year from 2022-23 to meet the operating costs of the 15 new units.

The Government is committed to providing women and children with access to safe, secure and affordable accommodation.

This includes funding the construction of a new three-bedroom house for domestic violence crisis accommodation service Jireh House, in the State’s South, which was opened earlier this month.

More than $33 million per year is invested in specialist homelessness services across the State, including shelters, which is the first step towards stable accommodation, living independently and improved health and wellbeing.

The Tasmanian Government recognises the barriers and challenges women face in securing safe accommodation and we have a range of strategies and actions to address this, including:

* Tasmanian Women’s Strategy 2018-2021

* Tasmania’s Affordable Housing Strategy 2015-2025

* Safe Homes, Families, Communities 2019-2022.

Women in Tasmania can access a range of additional housing options across our strategies, including new social housing, supported accommodation, homeless accommodation and Family Violence Rapid Rehousing.

Housing is a key priority for the Tasmanian Government’s and our 10-year, $1.5 billion affordable and social housing package is the single largest housing investment in the State’s history.

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