The chief executive of a major women's shelter in Darwin says she wants the Northern Territory government to consider repurposing the near-empty Howard Springs quarantine facility as a temporary refuge for women and children fleeing violence.
Their calls come as the NT's record-setting rates of domestic and family violence continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that has left packed women's shelters with few options to house their clients.
Meanwhile, the number of residents at the Howard Springs facility has fallen as COVID restrictions have eased, with just three people isolating there at one point last week.
In the eyes of Susan Crane, the chief executive of the Dawn House women's shelter in Darwin, it's a timely opportunity.
"Private rentals have gone through the roof... and there are long waitlists for Territory Housing properties," she said.
Quarantine facility's COVID contract due to expire
Formerly used to house construction workers on a major gas project, the Centre for National Resilience (CNR) on Darwin's outskirts can host up to 3,000 people and has played a crucial role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Australia.
Almost 250 health staff are currently employed by the centre as part of a $513 million funding deal with the Commonwealth.
But with the funding deal due to expire on June 30, the NT government has signalled it will soon wind down its use of the facility.
Ms Crane said a section of units could operate as safe accommodation to help survivors of domestic violence get back on their feet.
"It could be used for shorter term [housing] or as transitional housing until they're able to get into a private rental or be accepted onto a public waitlist," she said.
Prior to its transformation into a quarantine hub, the former workers' village was a vacant facility which was costing the NT government $350,000 per month to maintain.
She also said the centre was in a convenient location for mums with young children.
"A lot of people think Howard Springs is really out of the way, but there are regular buses into Palmerston, there are schools close by and there's a pretty good shopping precinct in that area," she said.
A safe place for survivors to isolate
Women's shelters have already been using the quarantine centre to house COVID-infected women and children fleeing violence who have nowhere else to safely isolate.
Staff at Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women's Shelter (DAIWS) told the ABC they had arranged for a woman and her two children — one of whom contracted COVID at their shelter — to move into the CNR as recently as last week.
"I would like to see a designated area out of Howard Springs, specifically for DV clients who need to go out there because of COVID," DAIWS general manager Regina Bennett said.
Ms Bennett also said she supported the idea of converting some units at the facility into short-term housing options for women and children.
Each year, the NT government spends more than $25 million on domestic and family violence services, including crisis accommodation, critical support and community education.
On Monday, it announced a further $10 million in funding for the sector over four years.
The NT's new Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, Kate Worden, did not say whether she would support converting part of the Howard Springs quarantine centre into a temporary crisis facility for women and children.
In a statement, she said her department was "in constant communication with the sector, discussing ways to curb domestic, family and sexual violence".
"The Centre for National Resilience has been a valuable resource in both the Northern Territory and Australia's response to COVID-19," she said.
"Planning is underway regarding site utilisation as the Territory moves towards transitioning from a pandemic to an endemic."
