Vinnies calls CEOs to step up for women and children fleeing violence

New research reveals nearly one in ten Australians say they would have nowhere safe to go if forced to leave an unsafe home – while most believe the housing crisis and cost-of-living pressures are making it harder to escape unsafe homes.

Women and children fleeing domestic and family violence (DFV) are the largest group experiencing homelessness in Australia. Yet new data commissioned by St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria reveals a stark gap between awareness and action. Women’s homelessness is hidden, and there is a loud call for business leaders to do more.

Despite almost half of Australians (49.6%) personally knowing someone who has experienced domestic and family violence, only 18% say they knew how to support a colleague going through it.

The research cements that increasing cost-of-living pressures are making it harder for many women, children, and people who identify as LGBQTIA+ to escape unsafe homes, even long after they want to leave because of the likelihood of homelessness:

• 87% of Australians say the cost-of-living and housing crisis is making it harder to leave unsafe homes
• 60% say they could not confidently afford to leave their home immediately if their safety depended on it
• 75% say upfront rental costs (bond, rent in advance, moving expenses) would stop them from leaving quickly
• 68% say they would struggle to find safe, affordable housing within a month
• Nearly 1 in 10 say they would have nowhere safe to go at all

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Group CEO Charlie Spendlove said the data confirmed what the Society sees on the frontline every day.

"Women's homelessness doesn't look the way most people expect. It hides in cars, on couches, in unsafe temporary arrangements – and because it's hidden, it's easier to miss and easier to underfund. This research shows that the cost-of-living crisis is making an impossible situation worse,” she said.

A Hidden Workplace Crisis

The research also exposes the hidden impact of domestic and family violence on workplaces, how it remains hidden and why business leaders have a direct stake in solving it:

• 85% agree that leaving an unsafe home would significantly disrupt a person's ability to work
• Over half of Australians would not feel comfortable disclosing domestic and family violence to their employer
• Only 18% of those who had observed or suspected a colleague was experiencing domestic violence knew how to support them

Yet the expectation for business leadership is clear. Nearly three in four Australians (74%) agree that workplaces and business leaders should do more to support employees experiencing domestic and family violence - and 55% say more leadership action is specifically needed to address homelessness linked to violence.

See it. Solve it.

This is why St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria is calling on Victorian CEOs and senior leaders to register for the 2026 Vinnies Victoria CEO Sleepout on 18 June – swapping their beds for cardboard to help raise $1.75 million for accommodation and frontline support services for women, children and people who identify as LGBQTIA+ escaping DFV.

Now in its 16th year, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout is more than a fundraiser. It is a visible act of leadership on a crisis that too often stays hidden.

Ms Spendlove said, “We’re encouraging business leaders to act beyond updating workplace policies. We’re fundraising to build new accommodation for women and children escaping DFV to bridge the gap between crisis and long-term stability. We need more leaders to help make this goal a reality.”

“We aim to house – and support to rebuild stable and safe lives – up to an extra 20 families escaping DFV every year, which is not insignificant. This is about immediate and generational change.

"Nearly one in ten Australians say they'd have nowhere to go. That number should stop every business leader in their tracks. The CEO Sleepout is a chance to step up publicly, help fund a safe way out, and bring others with you," she said.

Event details

On Thursday 18 June 2026 St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria will host its annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout at the Skyline Carpark in Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square. 

To learn more, donate or sign up, visit www.ceosleepout.org.au 

NOTES TO EDITOR: The research was commissioned by Vinnies Victoria in April 2026 and comprised a sample of 1,000 Australians.

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MEDIA ENQUIRIES:    Meabh O’Mahony | Senior Account Manager
                                      Momahony@keepleft.com.au | 0452 215 339

ABOUT THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

The St Vincent de Paul Society and its wide network of members and volunteers provide practical frontline support, advocacy and friendship for the most vulnerable members of our community. Key services include home visitation; Vinnies Shops; youth programs; soup vans; assistance for asylum seekers and refugees; education and tutoring; and professional accommodation and health services through VincentCare. The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has more than 11,000+ members and volunteers, and more than 60,000 across Australia. Internationally, the Society operates in 149 countries and more than 950,000 members. To find out more visit www.vinnies.org.au/vic .