By Gabriella Payne
For victims of domestic violence, mustering the courage to leave an abusive household is hard enough in itself, let alone uprooting your life in the search for a safe haven.
But now, hundreds of vulnerable victims are being faced with another devastating crisis – a lack of affordable housing.
With the demand for rental properties currently booming and the number of people fleeing domestic violence increasing post-lockdown, countless victims are finding themselves stuck in limbo with nowhere left to go.
Women’s refuges and local not-for-profit organisations are struggling to keep up with the demand for their services, with the number of calls for help setting grim new records.
Many victims are living in temporary accommodation, spending hours scouring real estate sites and applying for home after home, only to come up empty handed each time.
It’s a heartbreakingly invisible crisis and yet another crushing blow for victims, as the Gazette heard firsthand.
Local woman Sarah (not her real name) and her three children left their family home behind after fleeing from domestic violence during the pandemic.
An incredibly brave and resilient woman, Sarah and her kids knew they needed help and made the right move in leaving, but they never expected resettling and finding a new home to be so hard.
“Anyone that’s left a domestic violence situation knows that it’s hard enough as it is, but then you’re getting told that you can’t rent a house, just because someone can offer more money than you – it’s not fair,“ Sarah said.
“I’ve applied for over 300 houses between Narre Warren and Traralgon, and for every one I have either been ignored or knocked back,“ she said, holding back tears.
“I feel like I’m taking hit after hit and it just keeps coming.“
Turning to domestic violence help services for support, Sarah and her three children, who all have autism, found refuge in a motel – but it’s far from a permanent solution.
Sadly, Sarah and her young family are not the only ones feeling the impacts of this crisis.
Angel Chichi, an advocate for abuse victims and the manager of Pakenham’s Purton Place Pre-loved Shop, said that unfortunately there are countless victims finding themselves in the same dire situation as Sarah right now.
“I’m hearing [similar stories] every single day and I just don’t know what to do anymore,“ Angel said.
“It’s a really, really hard time.
“So many people are in the same boat, there’s such a boom with real estate and a big demand for housing, but there’s almost no resources at all in Pakenham.
“People are just weeks away from becoming homeless,“ she said.
“They’re bunking in with friends and living in their cars – but there are so many families in this same situation, it’s just so sad.“
Sarah said that her housing ordeal had dealt her mental health a major blow, and she was at her “wit’s end“ in her search for a new place to call home.
“Because of domestic violence you lose family and friends, so you’re on your own as it is,“ she said.
“I’ve got good references and I get more than enough money from Centrelink to cover our rent, but I still can’t get a house… I just don’t know what to do anymore.“
