Pressure mounts on Queensland’s domestic violence refuges as housing crisis bites

Lack of available housing also means refuges sometimes have to turn domestic violence victims away to prioritise those who are most at risk. Photograph: Christopher Hopefitch/Getty Images

A sturdy wooden fence and security cameras fortify the Brisbane refuge where Ksenia* and her six-year-old daughter, Nyura*, have lived for the past 10 months.

Camouflaged between brick homes and a cluster of trees, the refuge sits on a quiet suburban street.