<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia's </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/cost-of-living" rel="" target="" title="cost-of-living"><span>cost-of-living</span></a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/housing" rel="" target="" title="housing"><span>housing</span></a><span> availability crises are making it "impossible" for women and children to flee family and </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/domestic-violence" rel="" target="" title="domestic violence"><span>domestic violence</span></a><span>, according to new data from St Vincent De Paul Society.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Sixty percent of respondents in a national survey said they could not confidently afford to leave their homes if their safety depended on it, citing upfront rental costs and limited availability of safe, affordable housing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One in 10 said they would have nowhere safe to go if they had to leave their home.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-live-updates-april-15-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-blockade/ec13877c-524d-470a-97fb-2a683f1d1667" target="_blank"><strong><span>Chalmer's grim Budget warning over 'hefty price' of war</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Women and children fleeing family violence are the largest group experiencing homelessness in Australia, according to St Vincent De Paul Society Victoria CEO Charlie Spendlove.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Women's homelessness doesn't look the way most people expect," Spendlove said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It hides in cars, on couches, in unsafe temporary arrangements - and because it's hidden, it's easier to miss and easier to underfund.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/cost-of-living-crisis-makes-fleeing-domestic-family-violence-harder-st-vincents-data/62acbe06-2e26-40ca-a29e-2189746a7e08" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We recently supported a woman, 'Sarah', who had spent 15 years building what looked like a stable, secure life.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Behind closed doors, she was experiencing significant violence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When she made the brave decision to leave, she didn't just lose her relationship, she lost her home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For months, Sarah was sleeping in her car. She tried rooming houses, but they felt so unsafe and unsustainable that she returned to the streets.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For her, the car was the safest option available in a system that wasn't meeting her needs."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She said Sarah was eventually able to transition into a secure long-term home with help from VincentCare.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This research shows that the cost-of-living crisis is making an impossible situation worse," Spendlove said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The data, released ahead of the</span><strong><span> </span></strong><span>annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Melbourne in June, also showed more than half of respondents wouldn't feel comfortable disclosing family violence to their employer and only 18 percent would know how to help a colleague they suspected was in need.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Spendlove called on businesses to take a direct stake in solving the issue, saying the sleepout was a leadership opportunity as well as a fundraiser.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Nearly one in ten Australians say they'd have nowhere to go. That number should stop every business leader in their tracks," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The CEO Sleepout is a chance to step up publicly, help fund a safe way out, and bring others with you."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=9news.com.au" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>