Ellara House – a place of safety, support and hope for women and children seeking shelter from domestic and family violence has opened in South Western Sydney.
Minister for housing and homelessness Rose Jackson officially opened the five bedroom shelter that will support about 20 women and up to 45 children each year.
The independent, community-led crisis service will provide safe, trauma-informed accommodation and wraparound support for women and children escaping domestic and family violence in the region.
Each month around 500 calls from women experiencing domestic and family violence are recorded in the Liverpool local government area alone and 1,341 incidents were recorded in the 12 months to March 2026. Chair of Liverpool Women’s Shelter Cheryl Macnaught said that for too long there has not been access to crisis refuge accommodation in Liverpool, and that the community came together to find a solution.
“This idea came from the community, was built by the community, and is for the community.
“Ellara House is testament to what is possible when everyone comes together to find a solution to ending domestic, family and sexual violence,” Ms Macnaught said.
“We named this shelter Ellara House to reflect its identity as a place of safety, support and hope for women and children rebuilding their lives, embodying the values of grace, courage and renewal.
“Ellara House has been made possible through collaboration between community leaders, businesses, government, volunteers, philanthropists, with generous support from partners including Moorebank Sports Club, Liverpool Catholic Club, the Hunt Family Community Foundation and Temple & Webster.”
Minister Jackson praised the work of Liverpool Women’s Shelter and Women’s Community Shelters.
“For women and children escaping violence, having a safe place to go can make all the difference,’’ the minister said.
“Ellara House has the wraparound support that helps victim-survivors to recover and rebuild their lives.
“The NSW Government is proud to partner with the fantastic people at Women’s Community Shelters and Liverpool Women’s Shelter who are working day in day out to support women and children in need.”
Director of housing at Women’s Community Shelters, Sue Cripps, said Ellara House shows the power of community-led action to address domestic, family and sexual violence.
“At Women’s Community Shelters we want every woman and child to live a life free from violence. We do this through working and empowering communities to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence,” Ms Cripps said.
“Across our network of 13 shelters we supported over 2,000 individuals last year. But for every woman we supported, there were another two that we could not.
“This is why it is vital that we continue to work with local communities to find accommodation solutions where they are needed most.
“Liverpool Women’s Shelter shows the power of what is possible when a community comes together to find tangible solutions to meet the demand for safe shelter for women and children.”
