Despite increasing government attention, women, particularly those fleeing domestic and family violence, remain disproportionately vulnerable within the housing system. These women often navigate complex intersections of trauma, financial instability, and social marginalisation, yet existing housing policy tends to treat them as a homogenous group, overlooking the diversity of their lived experiences and long-term needs.
This project investigates the role of home not merely as shelter but as a dynamic process and enabling force in women’s recovery and healing. It explores how women who are victim-survivors of domestic and family violence understand, create, and envision home, as well as the role that design can play in supporting their sense of agency and well-being. By framing home as both a process and an enabler, the research seeks to define specific design qualities that can be co-created with women to support safety, dignity, and hope for the future.
Central to the project was a co-design approach involving a wide range of stakeholders including women with lived experience, community housing providers, architects, designers, researchers, and funders such as the Alastair Swayn Foundation. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the project culminated in a Good-Home Design guide that aims to centre women’s voices in the creation of supportive housing environments. In doing so, the research contributes to the broader goals of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (2022–2032) by offering tangible design strategies for recovery, healing, and long-term stability.
Research Team:
Deakin University
+ School of Architecture & Built Environment
Akari Nakai Kidd / John Kite / Nick Jahnecke / Daniel Gibbs / Chloe Piper / Elsie Telford / Julie Pham / Anahita Sal Moslehian
+ School of Psychology
Travis Harries / Megan Pisegna / Katherine Powell
+ School of Health & Social Development
Kim Robinson / Celestine Larmah
+ External Investigator
Ass Prof. Patsie Frawley, UNSW Medicine & Health
Report prepared by:
Akari Nakai Kidd, Chloe Piper, Megan Pisegna, Daniel Gibbs, and Travis Harries
Image: Deakin University
'Design Stories' drawings by:
Daniel Gibbs