Women leaving prison will have the opportunity to live and work in the Hunter thanks to a new pre and post-release support program that provides accommodation and employment opportunities to support their return to community.
Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong today visited the accommodation and support facility at Tomago, which will be run by Newcastle not-for-profit Embrace People & Place and will provide intensive wrap around support for women leaving custody.
The program provides six months of pre-release support to selected women in custody with a focus on identifying their post-release needs, and securing long-term housing and employment.
The women then spend up to two years in the program which aims to provide practical supports to the women like obtaining drivers’ licences and accessing the NDIS and other support services.
The program will prioritise First Nations women and women from the Hunter and is designed to help them to overcome some of the challenges women face when returning to the community.
The program will incorporate traditional knowledge and healing practices to create an environment of empathy, understanding, trust, safety and respect.
Embrace People & Place is already working to identify new opportunities to collaborate with advocacy and support services to establish partnerships ahead of women being released and housed at Tomago in 2026.
The program is funded by a generous donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation that has committed to providing $5.7M over three years to operate the program.
The Tomago site was a former Corrective Services NSW training facility that has been refurbished by minimum-security inmates learning skills and gaining qualifications under the supervision of trade-qualified officers.
“Women’s pathways into crime are often a result of entrenched social disadvantage and experiences of victimisation and cumulative trauma, so programs like these are vital to provide them targeted support to ensure they don’t return to custody or unsafe environments in the community.
“The Minns Labour Government has invested heavily in helping protect victims of domestic violence and this program presents another opportunity to keep women safe and further support their integration into the community in a meaningful way.”
“The Women in Community program is about giving women leaving prison the support they need to return to community life with dignity and confidence. By providing safe accommodation, employment pathways and wraparound support, we’re helping women make positive choices and build the lives they want for themselves.”
“At Embrace People & Place, our values centre on dignity, connection and possibility for every person in our region. We have built the Women in Community program because it reflects exactly what we stand for — creating pathways for people to rebuild, reconnect and belong. Supporting women as they return to community life isn’t just the right thing to do, it strengthens the whole region and embodies the kind of compassionate, empowered Hunter we believe in.”
“Improving outcomes for women in custody is one of my key priorities as Commissioner, and this program represents a significant opportunity for collaboration between CSNSW and Embrace People & Place to support woman and aid their rehabilitation.”
