By SCOTT REID

Homelessness is primarily caused by domestic violence, studies have found.

Statistically 24 per cent of all cases were directly due to domestic violence, national peak body Homelessness Australia said.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were found to be 35 times more likely to suffer from homelessness than non-Aboriginal women.

Barwon Health Clinic manager Bethany McClellan said domestic violence had a major effect on everyone involved. 

“It’s a trauma for the person experiencing the family violence, and that can have lasting effects on their health and well-being, whether they are directly involved in the violence or observing it,” she said.

“There’s a large population of people that live in their cars or they’re in very transient housing situations.”

New South Wales, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria all ranked domestic violence in first place among reasons leading to homelessness.

Women and children have been found to be considerably more likely to suffer from domestic abuse according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Sen-Constable Simon Turner from Victoria Police has said  it was a constant issue.

“Every shift that I’ve been on there’s at least been one unit attending a family violence situation,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily physical harm that’s being caused, it’s the mental harm of it. And obviously if children are seeing that kind of behaviour it could basically pass it down to the next generation,” Sen-Constable Turner said.

“It becomes a bit of a cycle.

“You shouldn’t be in fear of the people that are supposedly your loved ones. A home should be a safe environment and if it’s not you need to seek help."

Council to Homeless Persons peer educator John Kenney said the longer people were homeless, the more chronic problems became.

“Prevention is critical – recognising when people need help.”