Safe Places Emergency Accommodation (Safe Places) Program

Family and domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness for women and children in Australia. Access to safe accommodation is fundamental to the immediate safety of women and children experiencing family and domestic violence.

Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program

Under the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, the Australian Government invested $72.6 million in the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program (Safe Places). Safe Places is a capital works program funding the building, renovation or purchase of emergency accommodation for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence.

Find information for current Safe Places grant recipients.

Safe Places Inclusion Round

As part of the 2022-23 October Budget, the Government committed  an additional $100 million over 5 years (2022-23 to 2026-27) to continue the program via the Safe Places Inclusion Round. This initiative is part of the Government’s investment in women’s safety and the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The Safe Places Inclusion Round will increase the number of new and appropriate emergency accommodation places across Australia, with a focus on providing support for First Nations women and children, women and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and women and children with disability.

The Safe Places Inclusion Round is now open for applications until 14 November 2023. Please visit the GrantConnect website to find out more and submit an application.

Successful projects will be announced and are expected to commence in early 2024.

Consultation activities

From November 2022 to June 2023, the Department of Social Services (the department) undertook a range of consultation activities to inform the design of the Safe Places Inclusion Round. The department has published a Consultation Findings Report providing an overview of the key themes and findings from these activities. An Easy Read version is also available.

The department also engaged Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA) to facilitate:

  • Specialist sector workshops with organisations working with and/or advocating for the priority groups, and
  • Interviews with victim-survivors of family and domestic violence with lived experience of emergency accommodation.

CIRCA has developed separate reports detailing the findings from these activities, which are published at the link below and on the GrantConnect website.

If you or someone you know needs support regarding domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT / 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.

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