Between 1st July 2020 and 30th June 2024, 4,524 women and children sought safe emergency accommodation and support from the Hobart Women’s Shelter. Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 were turned away due to capacity limits.
Tasmania’s housing crisis is particularly damaging for women and children. They are staying longer at our Shelter because of the limited affordable housing options available. Unfortunately, many of these women and their children will stay in, or return to, family violence situations where they are at risk of experiencing further trauma, injury, and in some
cases, death.
In 2022, we embarked on an ambitious project to build 25 new long-term homes for women and children to create additional affordable housing pathways and help alleviate the bottleneck in our services.
In April 2022, we purchased a block of land in Herdsmans Cove, and in March 2024, we proudly unveiled our first two homes – ‘Isabel’ and ‘Elsie’. This milestone is the result of three years of dedication, hard work, and the invaluable support from our community, transforming an ambitious dream into a reality.
These two-bedroom homes, designed by Christopher Clinton Architects and Core Collective Architects, are sustainable, low maintenance, and incorporate architectural and trauma-informed design to ensure safety, respect, and community connection.
In 2023, we received generous donations of two land titles: one from the Kingborough Council and another from a private donor. We are now exploring how to progress these land opportunities to achieve our goal.
While we have achieved so much already, there is still a long way to go. You can help us create beautiful, safe homes and housing pathways for women and children.
All gifts over $2 are tax-deductible. All donations from this campaign will be used to support land, planning, and construction costs.
In-kind contributions are also sought toward assisting with:
If you can assist with non-monetary or in-kind donations, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.
With great thanks to the generosity of the Isabel Sims Endowment, the Elsie Flood Foundation, the Danks Trust, the Merridew Foundation, and all the individual donors, businesses, and consultants who have supported this project, we are now two homes closer to our goal!
Thank you to the following business supporters for your contribution to the construction of our first two homes.
The "Buy a Brick" campaign is an initiative by the Hobart Women's Shelter to raise funds for building new long-term homes for women and children in need of safe, affordable housing in Tasmania.
You can participate by ‘Buying a Brick’ and making a donation to the Hobart Women's Shelter through our website. All donations over $2 are tax-deductible and will go directly towards the construction of affordable housing for women and children by the Hobart Women’s Shelter.
As of March 2024, we have completed two homes, named ‘Isabel’ and ‘Elsie’, located in Herdsmans Cove. We aim to build a total of 25 homes to provide more emergency accommodation for women and children in Tasmania.
In addition to the two homes we have built in Herdsmans Cove, we have received generous donations of two land titles: one from the Kingborough Council and another from a private donor. We are now exploring how to progress these land opportunities to achieve our goal.
These homes will provide secure and affordable long-term housing options for women and children who have been affected by domestic and family violence, homelessness or other crises.
Designed by Christopher Clinton Architects and Core Collective Architects, these homes are sustainable, low-maintenance, and incorporate trauma-informed design to ensure safety, respect, and community connection. This makes them ideal for women and children recovering from domestic and family violence.
Donations to the "Buy a Brick" campaign are used to purchase land, materials, and other resources necessary for building the homes. They also support related services that help women and children transition to stable, affordable housing.
Yes, businesses can support the "Buy a Brick" campaign through donations, sponsorships, or by providing materials and services for construction. We acknowledge all business supporters who contribute to our efforts to combat the housing crisis for women and children in Tasmania.
We provide regular updates on the progress of our construction projects and share success stories from women and children who have benefited from our emergency accommodation and long-term housing solutions.
Hobart Women's Shelter provides safe, emergency accommodation and support to women and children affected by family violence and/or those experiencing homelessness.
If you or someone you know needs emergency accommodation, please call us on 03 6273 8455 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
For immediate assistance, Housing Connect is available on 1800 800 588, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
