Disability advocates and domestic violence service providers in Tasmania say a lack of housing remains a critical issue.
Services providers said although some progress had been made since the Tasmanian Government announced its landmark Family Violence Action Plan in 2015, more investment in housing was urgently needed.
Advocate Jane Wardlaw said women with disabilities in the northern part of the state faced huge barriers when fleeing family violence.
"We've been working with a lot of younger women who are experiencing some form of family or domestic violence, accessing accommodation for them because there might not be enough room or might not be enough access issues," she said.
Ms Wardlaw said women living with a disability were 40 per cent more likely to experience domestic violence.
She said despite this there was a critical lack of services for them, particularly in the northern part of the state.
"They continue to live in high risk of domestic violence," she said.
She said there was an urgent need for more research and funding into the needs of women with a disability who were affected by family violence.
"There must … be a national audit on accessibility issues of crisis accommodation issues across Australia," she said.
"Access is not simply about wheelchairs and physical disability, it also impacts people with different thinking capacities and people who may have be experiencing considerable other complex disabilities, such as vision impairment."
More housing needed for vulnerable familiesHobart Women's Shelter spokeswoman Janet Saunders said the organisation currently had two accessible units, but residents needed to be able to live independently.
The shelter's new replacement 15-unit facility, which had been delayed until February, will have two accessible units and 24-hour staff.
Ms Saunders said there was a critical lack of housing for women with the shelter unable to assist an average of 290 callers a month since April.
"There still needs to be more housing," she said.
"Our families are only with us for six weeks and once they leave us they need to move into transitional housing, or something that is more permanent, and what we are finding is those exit pathways are declining."
The State Government said it had funded the new Hobart Women's Shelter and committed to lease an extra 50 rental properties a year that were already being used across Tasmania by both women and men and their children escaping family violence.
This article was written by Rhiana Whitson and has been copied from here.
Services providers said although some progress had been made since the Tasmanian Government announced its landmark Family Violence Action Plan in 2015, more investment in housing was urgently needed.
Advocate Jane Wardlaw said women with disabilities in the northern part of the state faced huge barriers when fleeing family violence.
"We've been working with a lot of younger women who are experiencing some form of family or domestic violence, accessing accommodation for them because there might not be enough room or might not be enough access issues," she said.
Ms Wardlaw said women living with a disability were 40 per cent more likely to experience domestic violence.
She said despite this there was a critical lack of services for them, particularly in the northern part of the state.
"They continue to live in high risk of domestic violence," she said.
She said there was an urgent need for more research and funding into the needs of women with a disability who were affected by family violence.
"There must … be a national audit on accessibility issues of crisis accommodation issues across Australia," she said.
"Access is not simply about wheelchairs and physical disability, it also impacts people with different thinking capacities and people who may have be experiencing considerable other complex disabilities, such as vision impairment."
More housing needed for vulnerable familiesHobart Women's Shelter spokeswoman Janet Saunders said the organisation currently had two accessible units, but residents needed to be able to live independently.
The shelter's new replacement 15-unit facility, which had been delayed until February, will have two accessible units and 24-hour staff.
Ms Saunders said there was a critical lack of housing for women with the shelter unable to assist an average of 290 callers a month since April.
"There still needs to be more housing," she said.
"Our families are only with us for six weeks and once they leave us they need to move into transitional housing, or something that is more permanent, and what we are finding is those exit pathways are declining."
The State Government said it had funded the new Hobart Women's Shelter and committed to lease an extra 50 rental properties a year that were already being used across Tasmania by both women and men and their children escaping family violence.
This article was written by Rhiana Whitson and has been copied from here.
