The Victorian housing and homelessness system is struggling to meet the demands of families with children.
Our 2025 Insights Paper highlights the current gaps in the system and offers solutions to keep families housed and break the intergenerational cycle of trauma and disadvantage.
Due to the limited number of beds for families in crisis supported accommodation, the majority of families with children presenting at homelessness support services are placed in hotels and motels, with stays funded by the government.
On any given night in Melbourne, Launch Housing supports up to 50 families in hotels and motels. Average stays are stretching out to 12 weeks because there is nowhere for families to go.
“Hotels and motels used to be a short-term stop gap measure for families in crisis. But there’s a dire lack of affordable rentals, limited safe and secure housing options for victim survivors of family and domestic violence and minimal supply of social housing which is leading to these long stays,” says Laura Mahoney, Launch Housing’s Interim CEO.
“We support around 50 families in hotels and motels each night, and we are just one organisation supporting families during a homelessness crisis.”
Those most impacted include single mothers, low-income families, First Nations families, larger families, and those experiencing gender-based disadvantage.
Family and domestic violence is driving homelessness at alarming rates, and with family violence services stretched thin, victim-survivors who are unable to access a family violence refuge vacancy are turning to homelessness services for support.
54 per cent of women, young people and children seeking homelessness services in Victoria report they are also experiencing family violence.
“The current homelessness support system was originally set up when single male clients were the main group of people who required support, and that’s no longer the case. We also know more now about the impact of childhood trauma and how mental health and wellbeing complexities intersect with homelessness,” says Mahoney.
The report also shows the need to prevent homelessness in the first place by supporting families to keep their housing and unlocking a supply of affordable, family-friendly housing across Victoria.
Launch Housing is working hard in a system that has historically not been set up to support families with children. We run a range of innovative, unique, programs to meet this unmet need which change lives and prove that there are solutions that work.
We are calling for government, communities and services to unite around a shared vision and policy response for ending homelessness for families with children.
Read the 2025 Insights Paper, Building Futures: A New Support System for Families with Children Experiencing Homelessness.
