Tracy was one of many women released from prison straight into homelessness.

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The 53-year-old Gamilaroi and Wiradjuri woman has mental health issues and a lung condition and was unable to secure adequate housing after she was released from prison.

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During Sydney’s cold winter months, Tracy lived in a tent. But then the Homeward Sisters program stepped in to help.

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Homeward Sisters, a collaboration between Legal Aid NSW, Homes NSW and Corrective Services NSW, aims to remove the barriers preventing First Nations women from accessing housing assistance when leaving prison.

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Through the program, clients are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with common housing issues such as black listings from previous tenancies, conditions imposed before housing is offered, paused housing applications and debts due to family and domestic violence resolved.

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“What this program has created is a quick and easy process to address those barriers with Homes NSW, and together we are able to really remove systemic challenges that Aboriginal women are experiencing,” Legal Aid NSW senior solicitor housing and homelessness Natalie Bradshaw told About Time.

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Thanks to the Homeward Sisters program, Tracy was able to secure priority housing that meets her needs.

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Her new home is on the ground floor, which she needs because of her lung condition. She is now approaching her one-year anniversary of being released from custody, and said she is now feeling optimistic about the future.

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“Ending up in a tent was very stressful,” Tracy said.

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“If it wasn’t for Legal Aid I’d still be in a tent waiting for housing. This project has been a big help and life-changing because it’s meant I have a roof over my head and it reduces my risk of reoffending.”

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Homeward Sisters works with First Nations women in prison approaching their release date, and refers them to a legal aid lawyer to help them resolve any outstanding issues that might stop them from getting social housing assistance from Homes NSW.

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The results for people who have accessed the program have been “amazing”, Bradshaw said, with the majority of First Nations women taking part in it being approved for priority housing.

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“I’ve been doing housing work for a very long time and I’ve never seen such great outcomes for our clients,” Bradshaw said.

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“It’s been life-changing for our clients.”

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The initiative started as a pilot program, and has now been expanded to become an ongoing initiative.

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It has already worked with 245 women – two-thirds of First Nations women in prison as of the start of this year.

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Nearly two-thirds of these women have a child aged under 18, and 68 per cent were previously homeless.

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“Children are always at the forefront of our clients’ minds when they’re released from custody,” Bradshaw said.

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“They want to be reunited and this project has really seen us help women on that journey and get there faster – to be reconnected with their children, families and community.”

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The vast majority of people the program has worked with also were experiencing a mental health condition or domestic violence.

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According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2019, more than half of the people leaving prison expected to be homeless in the community.

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NSW government data from 2023 found that from 2011 to 2016, 12 per cent of people leaving prison accessed homeless services within one year.

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The rate was double that for First Nations women, with nearly a quarter of all of those leaving prison accessing specialist homelessness services.

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Legal Aid NSW has placed fliers in women’s prisons in the state and will soon have information available on the tablets.

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First Nations women in prison in NSW can self-refer for the program by calling Legal Aid NSW for free through dialling #2 on the CADL phone system.

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You can also get a support service R A Correctional Staff member to refer you.