More social housing for women and children fleeing domestic violence could be a step closer following Monday’s Kingborough Council meeting.
At last year’s Greater Hobart Mayors Forum, the Hobart Women’s Shelter approached councils to examine whether they had spare land suitable for long-term housing.
Kingborough Council has now received a formal proposal from the shelter to consider donating land near the Sports Centre, which would need to be subdivided off the complex.
If councillors vote to gift HWC the land, the proposal will be formally advertised in accordance with the Local Government Act.
All going to plan, the charity would then approach the state and federal governments for funding to build eight or nine dwellings on the site.
The Shelter’s proposal reveals in 2020-21 it had to refuse assistance for 8 out of 10 women seeking help due to overwhelming demand.
“This is the highest percentage of women turned away from crisis accommodation of any state in Australia and is more than double the national figures,” said the document.
“These statistic reflected those who knew to ring the Hobart Women’s Shelter, with demand for crisis accommodation in Hobart probably significantly higher.”
