The housing crisis in Lismore and the Northern Rivers is affecting a lot of people with rental vacancies about 0.5%.

Most of us know someone who has been through the struggle of finding a new home when the owner either moves back in or is selling their investment property during a very hot COVID housing market.

Women Up North give you another perspective, a look at women suffering domestic or family violence that need to find new accommodation due to their unsafe environment. A lot of the time this is with children.

The difference, in an extremely tight housing market, is people suffering traumas are single mothers with limited income, especially for a months bond plus 2,3 or 4 months rent in advance to secure a house or a unit so they do not make the priority list with real estate agents.

Today, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communities and the Prevention of Family Violence, Senator Jenny McAllister, State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP and Labor’s Candidate for Page Patrick Deegan outlined a Labor Party plan to build 30,000 new affordable homes across Australia with 4000 of those exclusively allocated to support women and children leaving violence and older women at risk of homelessness.

Senator McAllister said, "However, the likely numbers of women who would access these new homes would be higher than that. We also are able to make provisions for investments in crisis accommodation, making sure that refuges like the local refuge here can receive the necessary upgrades to keep them safe, and to keep them functioning to support women at the worst and most difficult time of their lives."

"Finally, we have a commitment to provide 500 new community sector workers. We know that even when there are positions available, it's sometimes hard to find skilled personnel to fill these roles. These 500 new workers would allow people who are looking to enter the community services sector to have a stable job for three years while they trained and gained the qualifications that they needed. All around the country services tell us that an extra pair of hands could make a real difference. We know that in regional areas, there are real pressures on services. Half of these 500 workers will be placed into regional communities like this one."

Jillian Knight-Smith Executive Officer with Women Up North said the social housing sector is in crisis.

"We look forward to the future, for the opportunity to have more investment in trauma, responses and housing for our local community."

"Once our refuges are full which they often are, people have 28 days of temporary accommodation available to them through housing NSW and families are struggling living in cars, living in motels, living in caravans, living in over crowded homes and the market is just so tough at the moment."

"We're supporting people to survive but we're not supporting people to thrive."

While the future plan from a Labor Government was well received, the reality is there are still 800 women and children turned away from accommodation each year.

Senator McAllister added, "People often say, why doesn't she leave? Well, the answer is because there really is nowhere to go."

The majority of funding for Women Up North is from government grants with the rest of our revenue funded by the community. Jillian Knight-Smith told the Lismore App there are corporate sponsors like Coles Goonellabah and Alstonville, Lismore City Council, Rous Water, Bunnings Lismore and Frigidair Lismore that give food packages, security doors and locks to help keep local women safe but also local legends like Lauren Bice who gave up alcohol for two months asking for cash donations if she achieved her goal. Lauren raised $1,700 to give to Women Up North.

"A donation of $5 makes a difference. To hear somebody talking about millions is just overwhelmingly exciting for our struggling community. And struggling families and children. We just want mums and children to have a home to be able to know where they live, hopefully, get a job, be stable in the school, be safe, move on. And, of course, we're very supportive of a commitment to supporting men’s behaviour change as well."

"We're very excited about anybody who wants to put money on the table to help families and community be housed and be free from the impact of domestic violence."

If you would like to help in any way, you can donate through the Women Up North website.