On the eve of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November, an UN-recognised day that marks the start of the 16 days of Activism Campaign to end gender-based violence, Women’s Community Shelters (WCS) and its project collaborators are proud to celebrate the opening of the first modular response to crisis housing in NSW at Biyani House.

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More women than ever are escaping violence and becoming homeless each day, and requests for assistance to WCS have grown by 20% in the past year.

Across their network, one in two women seeking help are still turned away due to a lack of available safe beds, with 73% of women presenting in crisis fleeing domestic and family violence. Safe beds save lives, and the expansion of Biyani House delivers essential capacity.

“At Women’s Community Shelters we see an ever-increasing number of women and children seeking assistance from our shelters across Greater Sydney, and the primary reason they need help is to leave domestic and family violence,” says Annabelle Daniel OAM, CEO, Women’s Community Shelters.

“Our network receives double the number of requests for help for every woman and family we can accommodate, so the need to do more, quickly, sustainably and at a high level of quality, is ever-present.”

Daniel says this modular response shows we can accelerate the provision safe shelters and housing across the State.

“These modules are not only quick and efficient to build, but they are beautiful too. We applaud the NSW Government for funding this innovative solution and thank the wonderful Biyani House – Revesby Women’s Shelter team, along with our dedicated community partners Shape Builders, DAS Studio, DT Infrastructure, Revesby Worker’s Club and Temple & Webster who have gone above and beyond to make this possible,” she says.

“We will continue working hard to bring together government, the private sector, philanthropy and community for more ground-breaking projects like this, to help build an Australia where women and children can live free from abuse, and flourish.”

Biyani House will provide urgently needed independent living spaces for up to six women and their children fleeing domestic and family violence. This shelter is part of the WCS network of thirteen refuges across NSW.

“There’s an overwhelming demand for crisis accommodation in Sydney and the Canterbury Bankstown area has one of the highest reports of domestic violence incidents to police,” says Deb Sarkar, Chair, Biyani House.

“This innovative construction approach has meant that the modules could be built offsite, while services continued at Biyani House, minimising the time the service was shut for renovation.

“We’re really excited to welcome more women and children to our shelter than ever before and provide them with a space that is not only safe and private but also warm, dignified and beautiful - a place for healing and hope when it is needed the most.”

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Temple & Webster contributed by designing the interior styling and providing with beautiful furniture and homewares and Alinta Energy provided new electrical appliances to contribute to energy efficiency and long-term sustainability goals. Biyani House landowners Revesby Worker’s Club made their property available for this innovative community solution.

“Temple & Webster have provided the styling, furniture and homewares for a trauma-informed design, to create a restorative and nurturing space for women to feel safe and calm and allow them to commence their healing journey with dignity,” Adam McWhinney, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Office, Temple & Webster says.

“We believe everyone deserves a beautiful and secure environment – especially in times of crisis. We are proud that this is the thirteenth property Temple & Webster have furnished for Women’s Community Shelters growing network of safe havens for women escaping domestic and family violence.”

The four new modular units, funded by $2.4 million NSW Government Core and Cluster Program, show what great outcomes are possible when community, business and government work together to take action and find innovative solutions for the escalating need for crisis accommodation.

The units were prefabricated in Victoria over a 10-week period and craned onto the Biyani House property in August. Onsite works were completed in just 16 weeks, significantly reducing disruption and enabling faster delivery of urgently needed safe housing. Every day counts when keeping women and children safe; and the key benefit of modules vs traditional housing is speed.

“SHAPE was able to deliver this vital project in half the time of traditional building methods, fast-tracking urgently needed safe havens for women and children and allowing Biyani House’s life changing services to remain operational for longer,” Peter Marix-Evans, CEO, SHAPE Australia.

“We’re proud to have been part of Sydney’s first modular crisis accommodation project, which paves the way for innovative modular solutions that have the potential to play a big role in meeting the growing demand for social and affordable housing across New South Wales.”

The refuge includes a communal area, gardens, child-safe play area and spaces for group activities. The units also feel like real home - warm, dignified, beautiful, and far removed from outdated perceptions of modular housing.

“It was essential that these units feel like real homes - warm, dignified, and far removed from outdated perceptions of modular housing,” Dino Vrynios, Director, Das Studio says.

“We spoke with Biyani House residents to really understand what was important to them. We worked really hard to make sure the environment was comfortable and inviting and safe.

“This project now stands as a demonstrator that makes a compelling case for developing a pattern book of pre-approved modular designs to accelerate the delivery of crisis shelter infrastructure across NSW.”

This project now stands as a demonstrator and makes a compelling case for modular design to accelerate the delivery of desperately needed crisis shelter infrastructure across NSW and Australia.

The project has been delivered by a dedicated group of partners. The Biyani House Board, a committed group of volunteers, contributed to design and planning, and enlisted architects Das Studio to design the modules, consulting residents to ensure the new modular environment would be comfortable, inviting and safe.

DT Infrastructure has provided pro bono project management throughout the project. SHAPE Australia manufactured the modules offsite, transported them to Sydney and managed the onsite works.

“Alinta Energy is proud to support Biyani House, through the provision of energy-efficient appliances that contribute to long-term sustainability and reduced operating costs,” Stephanie Bowen, Head of Sustainability and Community, Alinta Energy.

“By helping lower ongoing energy consumption, our contribution enables more resources to be directed toward providing care and stability for women and children as they rebuild their lives. We’re honoured to play a role in creating a safe, comfortable, and energy-conscious home that fosters dignity, resilience, and hope for the future.”

Images: Biyani House opening / Cassandra Hannagan

Clémence Carayol

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