WUNRN
AUSTRALIA – ANROWS Program - National mapping and meta-evaluation outlining key features of effective "Safe at Home" programs that enhance safety and prevent homelessness for women and their children who have experienced domestic and family violence: State of Knowledge Paper.
Direct Link to Full 76-Page 2015 Document:
CONCLUSIONS
Australian research has revealed that enormous financial
barriers exist for women leaving violent relationships, and finding and/or
maintaining safe, available and affordable accommodation post separation was
identified as the biggest concern for many women leaving DFV relationships
(Braaf & Barrett-Meyering, 2011, pp. 7-8). In addition, women and children
forced to flee their homes often leave all possessions behind including
furniture, cookware and other household necessities, as well as personal items,
all of which may need to be replaced when setting up a new residence. Leaving
the family home may also put victims in a less favourable
position at a later stage as Family Court matters progress. This
is particularly problematic alongside the negative impacts domestic violence
has been shown to have on women’s long-term financial security more generally
(Braaf & Barrett-Meyering, 2011).
Having
to leave the family home can also mean leaving their neighbourhood and the
supports available from friends and agencies. For children, it can mean leaving
their childcare, school and friends. Various options associated with leaving home to escape violence, such as fleeing to a refuge or
seeking
shelter with family or friends, render women and children homeless, at least in
the short term (Murray, 2008, pp. 65-68). Further, transience for women who are
forced to leave the family home can last for years (Chung et al., 2000; Hulse
and Sharam, 2013). While such options may
increase
support and safety for some women, others may find they severely disrupt social
and personal lives, work and school routines, at a critical time (Edwards,
2004b). A flow-on effect of DFV-related homelessness is that children
experiencing homelessness are identified as more likely to
experience
disadvantage and homelessness over their lifetime (Commonwealth of Australia,
2008, p. 2). Recognition of the short-term and ongoing effects of economic
insecurity for women and children leaving their homes because of domestic
violence has led Australian governments in various jurisdictions, to recommend
and implement policy measures designed to expand the range of options available
to women and children in these circumstances.
The
"safe at home" service model is one of these options and is
philosophically based on early intervention and prevention principles. Early
intervention and prevention approaches are identified as reducing demand for
high cost crisis services (Gauntlett et al., 2001). Support provided at
this early stage increases the likelihood that women and their children may evade compounding challenges (including poverty and economic insecurity) and the associated risk of homelessness, be in a better position to be able to recover from violence, and make choices to improve their safety and wellbeing (NSW Government, 2011, p. 4). Moreover, well-timed early interventions to establish and maintain secure safe housing and supports for vulnerable individuals, such as children affected by domestic violence, may significantly reduce the need for a range of service system interventions in future years (Baldry et al., 2012).