The number of people hiding in motels fleeing family and domestic violence is on the rise with family violence support service Safe Steps bracing for a jump in calls to its hotline over Christmas.

"Our services are flat out. So, between grand final day and Australia Day weekend, our services go up 30 per cent," Safe Steps CEO Dr Chelsea Tobin told 7.30.

"There's an increase in gambling, socialisation, drinking, and that all causes more family and domestic violence."

Phone operators inside the Safe Steps response centre in Melbourne respond to 200 calls per day.

"A few calls I reviewed recently would be from a member of the LGBTIQA+ community, who is being abused but scared because everybody knows their abuser," Dr Tobin said. 

"That call is different from a lady who calls in an arranged marriage, who doesn't speak English, has no family and friends here and the visa is being weaponised."

Many people who call Safe Steps and need emergency accommodation will be directed to a motel or hotel, which Dr Tobin says is "alarming" and "concerning".

"It's a roof and a bed, whereas at Sanctuary, we are really committed to providing secondary prevention by making a crisis moment really matter, by flooding the person with care and support."

Sanctuary is "wrap-around" crisis accommodation, dubbed "a first of its kind" in Australia by the federal government's rapid review, which was undertaken earlier this year.

"Every night in Victoria, there's over 200 people in hotels fleeing violence, and a spot check earlier this year in May, found that number was as high as 448," Dr Tobin said.

That spot check was undertaken by Safe Steps, which says reports of "critical incidents" are on the rise in motels, involving varying cases of physical harm to victim-survivors.

Finding sanctuary 

Mary*, not her real name, is a client of Sanctuary who is staying at the facility with her child. For legal reasons we can't identify her.

"When I came here, I'm very scared and I don't know what's going to happen to me and my child, until the staff telling me and smiling to me and like, 'This is your home. Welcome to your new home. You're safe and protected'," she said.

"They help organise medical appointments, and they have an osteopath and also music therapy if you feel lonely, and child protection and arranging courts, police and a registered nurse if you're not feeling well, and referrals to other services like mental health." 

Sanctuary's residential manager Nicole launched the accommodation model in October last year and helped Mary and her child move into the accommodation recently. 

"Everybody who comes to Sanctuary has a horrific family violence narrative, and that's no different for Mary and her child," Nicole said.

The model is run by Safe Steps at a secure and untraceable location in Victoria, and began as a pilot to run for two years.

Since then, the accommodation has already supported more than 300 people and boasts a "safe exit rate" of 98 per cent.

This means clients have been able to successfully move on to secure accommodation, that includes moving on to a long-term refuge, moving in with family or friends or a private rental.

Clients stay for an average of 15 nights and receive dozens of services and assistance on-site.

Nicole helps organise lawyers, Centrelink assistance, rental agents, psychologists and even a therapy dog to visit the property.

For some children staying at Sanctuary, it's the first time they've felt safe in their lives.

"It's amazing what empathy and support and love and safety does to anybody, but particularly children. They are very responsive to their environment, and they actually show a change much quicker than mums do when they're feeling safe and supported."

'It saves lives'

The federal government has already awarded Safe Steps a grant to expand its Sanctuary site in Victoria from seven apartments to 35. It's the largest funded project under the Safe Places Grant round.

But the organisation says it needs continued Victorian state government funding in next year's budget to employ staff to keep the facility operational beyond when the pilot program was meant to end, in October 2025.

"We'd be really disappointed if the state government was unable to provide the continuing operating cost, because we know that it saves lives," Dr Tobin said.

"My ambition for Sanctuary would be that everybody that needs a crisis service has a choice to come in and receive the wraparound supports that so few get at the moment."

Mary says when she leaves Sanctuary, she wants to build her own house to live in with her child.

But most importantly she wants to feel independent and safe.

"My goal is, I want to be happy and no stress, no problem, and live peacefully," she said.

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