Women’s Legal Service Victoria (Women’s Legal) is partnering with Barwon Community Legal Service, commUnity+ Legal (formerly Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre) and Westjustice, to deliver a new project which aims to improve access to family law property assistance for victim-survivors of family violence.
Victim-survivors and their children often must leave their homes to find safety from family violence, leading to a cascade of consequences including homelessness, poverty, job loss, social disconnection, and disruption of children’s education.
A lack of accessible family law property assistance exacerbates the risk of poverty, homelessness, and financial insecurity for victim-survivors.
The Safe settlements: Family Law and Housing Justice project – funded by the Victorian Legal Services Board Grants Program – will address these critical issues by providing intensive family law property assistance to women and non-binary people who have experienced family violence.
By securing fair property settlements, this project aims to prevent homelessness, reduce financial insecurity, and promote long-term stability and recovery for victim-survivors post-separation.
commUnity+ CEO Tracy Gaudry said, “With their deep expertise in early intervention and response to family violence, both legal and allied support services, the family law team at commUnity+ Legal are pleased to be part of this important project. In the 2024-25 financial year, commUnity+ Legal secured nearly $2.5m in property settlements alone for victim-survivors, ensuring they receive the fair outcome that they deserve and can move onto the next chapter of their lives as safely and securely as possible.
Women’s Legal CEO Claudia Fatone said, “This legal support is so important for people’s recovery from family violence. We know that family violence is a leading cause of homelessness among women in Victoria.”
“Together with our project partners we will be supporting women, non-binary people and their children, who have experienced family violence, to secure and retain safe, long-term and affordable housing through access to free intensive family law property assistance,” Ms Fatone said.
