The Critical Need for Funding Accessible Legal Services for Women: Addressing Domestic Violence and Housing Inequity

Written by YWCA Member, Phoebe Britten

Domestic violence and housing instability are two serious issues that many women face, often in silence. However, these problems are often inextricably linked – and one of the major reasons they persist is the chronic underfunding of community legal services.

As a society, we must recognise that funding accessible legal support for women confronting domestic violence and housing instability is not just an urgent necessity; it is a moral obligation that reflects our commitment to housing and gender justice.

Women experiencing domestic violence are often confined to a cycle of coercive abuse, where financial dependence on their abuser complicates their ability to leave safely.
When they do seek help, they frequently encounter barriers stemming from a lack of affordable legal resources. Public legal aid, designed to provide support to those unable to afford assistance, is chronically underfunded. This underfunding leads to a scarcity of trauma-informed, culturally-safe and responsive resources and support systems available to women, leaving particularly those with intersectional identities – such as women of colour, LGBTQIA+ people, and women from low-income backgrounds.

Research shows that women who experience domestic violence are at a significantly heightened risk of housing instability. According to the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 42% of clients in 2021 alone seeking short-term accommodation due to homelessness were women escaping domestic violence. In many cases, women are forced to choose between remaining in unsafe living conditions or facing homelessness.

The absence of adequate legal support exacerbates this trauma. Community legal centres, despite their essential role in delivering advocacy that empowers victim-survivors to reclaim their safety and secure stable housing, are facing a severe funding shortfall of nearly half a billion dollars. Navigating complex housing laws, confronting the power dynamics of landlords, understanding protection orders and advocating for your legal rights can intensify the isolation and vulnerability that victims of abuse experience.

Addressing these issues requires a national commitment to funding community legal services as a top priority. Increased investment is crucial to ensure that women have access to the legal resources necessary to navigate the far-too-common challenges that emerge at the intersection of domestic violence and housing instability. By offering culturally safe and trauma-informed services, community legal centres can help dismantle the structural power dynamics that disempower women, enabling them to assert their rights and secure safe housing. This funding, in my view, is not merely a line item in a government budget, but rather an essential investment in upholding our human right to access justice.

We need to restore our commitment to making legal services accessible to ensure marginalised women reclaim their safety, rights, and dignity. The time for policymakers to act is now—to ensure every woman has access to justice, safe housing, and a future free from violence.