Clients experiencing family and domestic violence
Specialist homelessness services (SHS) provide support to people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. The summary highlights evidence from the SHS Collection (SHSC) about clients experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV) who can face layered disadvantage intensified by homelessness or insecure housing. For more comprehensive analyses and the most recent data, use the hyperlinks on each evidence statement and the evidence sources at the end of the page.
Evidence summary
Clients experiencing FDV are the largest client group assisted by SHS agencies annually making up over 2 in 5 SHS clients[1].
Around 3 in 4 SHS clients experiencing FDV are female[2]. Among male clients experiencing FDV, around 2 in 3 are children[1].
The most common living arrangement for SHS clients experiencing FDV is a single parent with children[1].
Around 3 in 5 SHS clients experiencing FDV are returning clients having received SHS support some time since July 2011[1].
Female SHS clients over 18 experiencing FDV are less likely to be experiencing homelessness at the start of support but are more likely to need short-term emergency accommodation than those not experiencing FDV[3].
Around 1 in 4 SHS clients experiencing FDV who need accommodation have their need unmet[4].
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 000 or go to your nearest hospital.
If you or someone you know needs help, these resources are available:
Family and domestic violence (FDV) has long been recognised as a leading cause of homelessness and affects people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, though the impacts are most commonly experienced by women and children (Flanagan et al. 2019).
Family and domestic violence may involve single or repeated traumatic experiences with long-lasting effects on health and wellbeing, including physical injury, poor mental health, disrupted education or employment, relationship breakdown, and reduced financial security and housing stability (AIHW 2024; Treasury 2023).
For more information about FDV, please visit Understanding FDSV.
Pathways into homelessness
FDV is the leading reason women and children leave their homes in Australia (AHURI 2021). Even for women in otherwise secure housing, an episode of violence increases the likelihood of experiencing homelessness or becoming at risk of homelessness (Diette and Ribar 2015; Scutella et al. 2012).
Women leaving violence follow diverse housing pathways, moving between housing types and markets, according to their resources, choices and needs. FDV often leads directly to homelessness – however, some victim-survivors remain in or return to violent relationships due to lack of available and appropriate housing (Diette and Ribar 2015; Flanagan et al. 2019).
Private rental options for FDV victim-survivors leaving violence are constrained by supply and affordability, especially in areas of high rental demand. Access to social housing is also restricted, with long waiting lists and waiting times, and eligibility rules further limiting access (Flanagan et al. 2019). The financial pressures associated with FDV victim-survivors leaving a relationship – loss of income, relocation costs and changes to income support or rent assistance – can also rapidly make existing housing untenable (Flanagan et al 2019; HRSCSPLA 2021).
Pathways out of homelessness
SHS agencies provide a critical crisis response for people leaving violence, but pathways into safe, affordable and stable housing remain challenging (Flanagan et al. 2019).
The 2021 federal inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence described how victim-survivors often bear the greatest costs of leaving violence – losing their home, income and community connections (HRSCSPLA 2021). The inquiry recommended that federal, state and territory governments consider funding emergency accommodation for perpetrators to reduce the need for victim-survivors to flee or remain in unsafe homes. (HRSCSPLA 2021).
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 affirms that safe, affordable and accessible housing is central to ending violence against women and children (DSS 2022). The First Action Plan 2023–2027 (section 10) commits to improving access to short, medium and long-term housing for women and children experiencing violence, including those in institutional settings, and to supporting women who choose to remain in their own homes, where they choose to, to maintain community and cultural connections (DSS 2023).
About the Specialist Homelessness Services data – defining clients experiencing family and domestic violence
The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection commenced in July 2011.
In the SHSC, a client is reported as experiencing family and domestic violence if in any support period during the reporting period the client sought assistance as a result of physical or emotional abuse inflicted on the client by a family member or if as part of any support period a person required family or domestic violence assistance.
For further information, see Technical notes.
Source report | Time periods | Contents |
|---|---|---|
2011–12 onwards | Summarises the characteristics of clients receiving support from specialist homelessness services throughout financial years, including the services requested, outcomes achieved, and unmet requests for services. | |
July 2017 – onwards | Monthly data on the number of clients supported each month since July 2017. | |
2015–16 | Longitudinal analyses undertaken for a group of SHS clients | |
| 4. SHS clients experiencing FDV whose need for accommodation was unmet | 2022– onwards | An indicator measuring the unmet need for accommodation is where SHS clients experiencing FDV who needed accommodation were not provided or referred to another agency for this service. |
Other reports about SHS clients experiencing family and domestic violence
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023a) Partner Violence, ABS website, accessed 5 October 2025.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023b) Personal Safety, Australia, ABS website, accessed 3 September 2024.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (2021) Housing, homelessness and domestic and family violence- external site opens in new window, AHURI website, accessed 3 September 2024.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024) Family, domestic and sexual violence: Health outcomes, AIHW website, accessed 17 September 2024.
Coumarelos C, Weeks N, Bernstein S, Roberts N, Honey N, Minter K and Carlisle E (2023) Attitudes matter: The 2021 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), Findings for Australia- external site opens in new window, Research report 02/2023,ANROWS.
Department of Social Services (2022) National plan to end violence against women and children 2022-2032- external site opens in new window, DSS website, accessed 15 August 2023.
Department of Social Services (2023) First Action Plan 2023–2027: Under the National plan to end violence against women and children 2022-2032- external site opens in new window, DSS website, accessed 3 September 2024.
Diette C and Ribar D (2015) A longitudinal Analysis of Violence and Housing Insecurity- external site opens in new window (Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series Working Paper No. 20/15), Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, Melbourne
Flanagan K, Blunden H, valentine k and Henriette J (2019) Housing outcomes after domestic and family violence- external site opens in new window, AHURI Final Report 311, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited, Melbourne.
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs (2021) Inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence- external site opens in new window, HRSCSPLA website, accessed 3 September 2024.
Kaleveld L, Seivwright A, Box E, Callis Z and Flatau P (2018) Homelessness in Western Australia: A review of the research and statistical evidence- external site opens in new window, Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities, accessed 3 September 2024.
NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (2023). Pathways to homelessness for people experiencing domestic and family violence in NSW: Evidence brief (January 2023). NSW Government.
Scutella R, Johnson G, Moschion J, Tseng Y and Wooden M (2012) Journeys Home: Wave 1 Findings (Journeys Home Research Report No. 1- external site opens in new window, Prepared for the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs), Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.
Treasury (2023) Women’s Budget Statement 2023–24- external site opens in new window, Budget 2023–24, The Budget website, accessed 15 August 2023.