The Minns Labor Government is today launching an unprecedented intensive support program for women leaving prison that will bolster rehabilitation and reduce reoffending by providing support with accommodation and employment in the Hunter.
Generously funded with a donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation, the new residential facility will provide wrap-around support for women leaving custody, helping them rebuild their lives to prevent crime.
The program will provide six months of pre-release support to eligible women with a focus on identifying and addressing their post-release needs and provide practical supports.
This includes securing stable housing, navigating full-time employment, as well as obtaining identity documents and accessing vital services such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Support in these areas can strongly promote reintegration into the community and prevent entrenchment in the criminal justice system.
Education and skills training play an important role in reducing recidivism, with BOCSAR data from 2021 revealing that 12 months after inmate trainees were released from custody, there was a 45 per cent reduction in property offending among all groups of trainees.
Following release, the program offers support for up to two years with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. It acknowledges their disproportionate representation in custody and unique barriers to reintegration.
The service will be delivered through a partnership between Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) and not-for-profit Embrace People & Place (Embrace).
Work has already begun to prepare eligible women for the program, with the first cohort to be housed at the facility in 2026.
This site was a former Periodic Detention Centre aimed at re-skilling minimum-security inmates before being refurbished by Corrective Services NSW into an accommodation facility. The program is largely funded by a donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation that has committed to providing $5.7 million over three years for its operation.
This collaborative initiative delivers on the Government's commitment to exploring new pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration for women in custody, taking into account their unique experiences and needs.
Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said:
"This innovative collaboration demonstrates the Government's commitment to keeping our communities safe by enhancing rehabilitative outcomes and reducing reoffending.
"We need to offer initiatives that acknowledge and respond to the unique experiences of women who enter custody.
"We know that women's pathways to criminal behaviour are often a result of abuse, disadvantage and trauma - and this project will support community safety in an effective and meaningful way.
"I welcome the Ian & Shirley Foundation's contribution, and I wholeheartedly thank them for their ongoing support in this important project."
Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington MP said:
"Women in prison are already disproportionately impacted by intergenerational trauma, poverty and domestic, family and sexual violence. When women leave prison it's very difficult for them to find a positive path without the right support.
"This is an important pilot program which will give women in the Hunter, a second chance to build a better future. Our government is proudly partnering and investing to break the cycle of recidivism, improve outcomes and create stronger, safer communities."
Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Gary McCahon PSM said:
"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 to support vulnerable woman and aid their rehabilitation."
Embrace People & Place Founder and Chair Tracy Norman said:
"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."
Embrace People & Place Chief Executive Officer Coralie Nichols said:
"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."
