Thinking outside-the-box to house families in crisis

January 19, 2026

In the summer of 2024, two families in Sydney found themselves on parallel journeys escaping domestic violence. The Baker family (a mother and her six children) had fled from Western Sydney, while the Williams family, (mum plus her five children), had escaped from regional New South Wales. Both had broken free from the grip of domestic violence, but their newfound safety came with its own set of challenges.

Living out of a motel, they faced the uncertainty of securing accommodation for just three days at a time. Each day brought a new set of anxieties – would they have a roof over their heads tonight? How would they feed their family? The emotional toll of their past experiences compounded the stress of their present circumstances.

“Both families had multiple complexities, and they were both First Nations,” says General Manager, Angela Whitby.

For families like these, temporary accommodation in motels is often the only immediate refuge. Yet, this solution is far from ideal.

“Living in temporary accommodation is incredibly challenging,” Angela explains. “You’re in survival mode for so long.”

Motel rooms lack essential facilities like cooking amenities and laundry services. “Families often find themselves sharing cramped spaces, with children missing out on schooling. The uncertainty of securing accommodation for just a few days at a time adds to the stress,” Angela says.

Meanwhile, a property in Waitara became available that had been previously used by CatholicCare’s Permanency Support Program (PSP). “We discovered they no longer needed the property, which triggered our team to scope it out,” explains Angela. “Initially, we thought that the property could be used as a women and children’s drop in space, but we quickly established it would be better as transitional accommodation for the Baker family.”

Several teams across CatholicCare sprang into action. Fleet and Facilities Administrator Kerrie was able to negotiate a temporarily reduced rental rate, and Homelessness Services Practice Manager Rebecca coordinated with DCJ/Homes a weekly contribution to assist with affordability. As a result, the Baker family were housed transitionally for six months at a rental rate they could afford.

Meanwhile, Lisa from CatholicCare’s Women’s Domestic Violence and Court Advocacy Services (WDVCAS) team worked hard to keep the family engaged, aware that the overwhelming nature of their situation could have led to disengagement from support services.

By addressing the root causes of instability, the team helped prevent further trauma for the children by allowing them to remain in the care of their mother. “Not only did we resolve their homelessness, but we prevented these kids from needing to go into care,” says Angela.

Securing this transitional accommodation so quickly enabled CatholicCare to free up another unit they had earmarked for the Baker family, thereby providing the Williams family with housing as well.

The success of these two cases serves as a model for future responses to homelessness and demonstrates the power of community collaboration and innovative thinking. “I’m so proud of how CatholicCare identified the gaps in the system, and fixed them in a creative, out-of-the box way,” says Rebecca. “Instead of saying, ‘We’ve got no properties so we can’t do anything,’ we were creative and took action. It’s easy to sit back and think, ‘What a shame,’ but we didn’t do that … and look at the outcomes we had.” Angela agrees, “In our work, we always have to think quickly and on-the-go and be prepared to take some risks.”

Angela emphasises that while stable housing is a crucial first step, the journey doesn’t end there. “There’s still a lot of work to do with both families, but stable housing is a big step forward in getting the services they need.”