🏠Emergency housing in Australia: who to call and what happens next

If you or your children are in immediate danger, call 000 now. This guide is general information only — not legal advice. Services and phone numbers change; if a number doesn't connect, Ask Izzy (askizzy.org.au) will find what's currently operating near you.

There's a particular kind of tired that comes with realising you might not be able to stay where you are. Maybe it's unsafe. Maybe the lease is in their name. Maybe the money just stopped. Whatever brought you here, the next few hours are about one thing only: somewhere safe to sleep. Everything else can wait until morning.

You do not need to have it figured out. You just need to make one phone call.

Tonight: the one number to call

Every state and territory funds a single intake line for crisis accommodation. You ring it, and they find you a bed. You don't need a referral, a lawyer, a tenancy history, or a plan.

Where you are	Service	Phone
NSW	Link2Home	1800 152 152
VIC	Crisis and Emergency Accommodation	1800 825 955
QLD	Homeless Hotline	1800 474 753
SA	Homeless Connect	1800 003 308
WA	Entrypoint Perth	1800 124 684
TAS	Housing Connect	1800 800 588
ACT	OneLink	1800 176 468
NT	ShelterMe	(08) 8985 4389

National options, any state:

• 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732, or text 0458 737 732 — 24/7. If family or domestic violence is part of why you're leaving, start here. They can connect you directly to refuges and talk through safety planning.
• Ask Izzy — askizzy.org.au — a free search tool for accommodation, food, financial help and family violence support near you. It works on a phone and doesn't use much data.
• Salvation Army — 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) — emergency relief, material aid and referrals.
• Lifeline — 13 11 14 — 24/7, if you need to talk to someone while you work out what to do.

If you're a dad, these services are for you too. Men's crisis accommodation exists in every state and the intake lines above will refer you to it. MensLine Australia (1300 78 99 78) can also help you think it through.

What actually happens when you call

Knowing the shape of the conversation makes it much easier to make the call.

It's confidential and usually free. These are intake and referral services, not authorities. They aren't there to judge your situation or report you.

You'll be asked practical questions. How many people, including children's ages. Whether you're safe right now. Whether you have a car. Whether anyone has a disability, medical needs or a pet. Whether there's family violence involved. Answer as honestly as you can — it's about matching you to the right place, not testing you.

You may be placed in a motel or hotel first. This is normal and not a bad sign. Refuges are often full, so short-term motel accommodation is commonly used as a bridge while a longer placement is found. It may be booked a few nights at a time, which can feel unsettling — ask who to contact to extend it.

You may be put on hold, or asked to call back. Demand is genuinely higher than supply, particularly in the evening. If you're told nothing is available, ask these three questions:

1. "Can you put me on the list and call me if something comes up tonight?"
2. "Is there another service in my area you'd suggest I try?"
3. "Can I get emergency relief for a motel or fuel in the meantime?"

You'll usually be assigned a worker. For most people this is the real turning point — someone whose job is to help you with bond, applications, Centrelink and paperwork. Write down their name and direct number.

Pets: say so on the first call. Some services can arrange emergency foster care through organisations like RSPCA or Safe Beds for Pets, but only if they know.

Eligibility, in plain English

Crisis and homelessness services are not means-tested in the way Centrelink payments are. If you're homeless or at risk of homelessness, you can access them. That includes situations people often don't think "count":

• You have a home, but it isn't safe.
• You're couch-surfing, or staying with family with no security.
• You're sleeping in your car.
• You've been given notice, or can't pay this month's rent.
• You're in a rooming house or motel you can't sustain.

You generally don't need to be an Australian citizen to get crisis help, though longer-term social housing usually requires permanent residency or citizenship. If you're on a temporary or bridging visa, or your visa status is tied to a partner, say so — specialist services exist and there are exemptions. Ask for a referral to a community legal centre or the Red Cross.

You also don't need to have left yet. Prevention and "tenancy sustainment" programs can help you keep the home you're in — which is often the better outcome. Call the same numbers.

What to bring, if you can

Take what you can grab safely. Nothing here is worth risking your safety for — documents can all be replaced.

• ID for you and each child (licence, passport, birth certificates)
• Medicare card, Centrelink CRN, bank cards
• Medications — at least a few days' worth, plus scripts
• Phone and charger
• Any court orders, parenting orders, or family violence orders
• Immunisation and school details for the kids
• One comfort item each for the children
• Photos of the house and any shared belongings, and a copy of the lease

If you can't take documents, take photos of them to your email or cloud storage instead. If you can't do that either, that's fine — services deal with this daily and can help you re-obtain everything.

The next morning: money

Accommodation and income are separate systems, and you need to start the second one early.

• Centrelink Crisis Payment — a one-off payment worth roughly a week of your income support rate, for people who've had to leave home due to family violence or extreme circumstances. It's time-limited: you generally must claim within 7 days, so make this the first morning call. Phone 132 850 and ask for a social worker — they can fast-track claims and are used to these conversations.
• Ask about the Escaping Violence Payment / financial support for leaving. Federal support of this kind (a mix of cash and goods) has operated in recent years under changing names and providers. Ask 1800RESPECT or a Centrelink social worker what's currently available.
• Commonwealth Rent Assistance — an ongoing supplement once you're paying private rent. It's not automatic; tell Centrelink your new rent and lodge the details.
• Update your Centrelink relationship status and care arrangements. Parenting Payment, Family Tax Benefit A and B and child support are all affected by separation, and most single parents are underpaid simply because Centrelink still has the old details.
• Bond loans and private rental assistance — every state and territory offers some form of interest-free bond loan, rent-in-advance help, or grants for people entering private rental. Your assigned worker can lodge this with you, or contact the housing authority in your state.
• National Debt Helpline — 1800 007 007 — free, independent financial counsellors. They can pause debts, stop collectors, and negotiate with utilities and landlords. This is one of the most underused free services in the country.
• Utility hardship programs — every energy and water provider is legally required to have one. Ask for the "hardship team", not customer service.

Getting from tonight to something stable

Emergency accommodation is designed to be brief. The path out usually looks like this:

1. Crisis accommodation — days to weeks. Motel, refuge, or short-term shelter.
2. Transitional housing — weeks to months. Furnished or semi-furnished properties, subsidised, with support attached.
3. Long-term option — either private rental with assistance, or social housing.

For social housing, you apply through your state or territory's housing register, and there's usually a priority or urgent category for people escaping violence, experiencing homelessness, or with health needs. Ask explicitly to be assessed for priority. Waits vary enormously by area and property size, so also keep a private rental search going.

Housing authorities to contact:

• NSW — Housing and homelessness, 1800 422 322
• VIC — Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
• QLD — Department of Housing, 13 74 68
• SA — SA Housing Trust, 131 299
• WA — Department of Communities, (08) 9222 4666
• TAS — Homes Tasmania, 1300 665 663
• ACT — ACT Government, 13 22 81
• NT — Department of Housing, Local Government and Community Development, (08) 8999 5511

Where this sits in a separation

If you're separating, housing and family law overlap in ways worth knowing early.

You are allowed to leave, and you're allowed to take your children. You do not need permission from the other parent, and you don't need a court order first. If there are no existing parenting orders, neither parent has more right to the children than the other. If there are orders, get legal advice quickly rather than breaching them — safety is a recognised consideration, but it's better to have advice on record.

Leaving does not forfeit your interest in the property. Moving out for safety doesn't give up your share of a home you own or your rights under a lease. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Options you may not know exist:

• Sole occupancy / exclusive occupation — a court can order that one person stay in the home and the other leave. Family violence orders can include the same effect.
• "Safe at home" programs — instead of you moving, these fund security upgrades — locks, sensor lights, cameras — so you can stay. Ask your state's homelessness intake line.
• Tenancy transfer — in most states a family violence victim-survivor can apply to end or take over a tenancy without penalty, even if the lease is in the other person's name.

Free legal help:

• Women's Legal Services — free, women-only family law and family violence advice in every state.
• Legal Aid in your state — free advice lines, and duty lawyers at family court.
• Community legal centres — clc.net.au to find your nearest.
• Family Relationship Advice Line — 1800 050 321 — free advice on parenting arrangements and mediation.
• Family Relationship Centres — subsidised mediation to sort out care arrangements without court.

Start keeping records now. From the first night, note dates, what happened, who had the children when, what was said, and what you spent. Not to build a case — because memory blurs under stress, and mediators, lawyers and Centrelink will all ask for specifics later. A plain dated log is enough. (Bloom's Daily Log and Care Schedule are built for exactly this, and your entries export as a clean dated record whenever you need one.)

Once tonight is safe, the next practical steps may include checking support available to single parents, income payments you may qualify for, and how to claim Parenting Payment. If you need someone alongside you emotionally, review the free and low-cost counselling options.

Your next seven days

• Somewhere safe to sleep tonight
• Ring Centrelink (132 850), ask for a social worker, claim Crisis Payment within 7 days
• Get the name and direct number of your housing support worker
• Update Centrelink: relationship status, address, children's care
• Lodge a social housing application, and ask about priority
• Ask your worker about a bond loan or private rental assistance
• Call National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007) before any bill becomes a default
• Get one free legal appointment booked
• Tell the school what's happening — they can quietly help
• Ring one support line for yourself, not the logistics

The hardest part is the first call, and it's the one part no one else can do for you. Everything after that, someone is paid and trained to help you with. Start with the number for your state, and let them carry the next bit.