New Hunter program to help women leaving prison rebuild their lives

newy.com.au – A new intensive support program for women leaving prison in the Hunter was launched on Thursday 11 December 2025. The state Government partnered with not-for-profit Embrace People & Place on a residential facility backed by a major private donation.

The program aims to reduce reoffending by providing intensive pre- and post-release support, including stable accommodation, help into employment and practical assistance with documents and services.

Funded through a donation from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation, the residential facility will offer wraparound support for women leaving custody to help them rebuild their lives and avoid returning to the criminal justice system. The NSW Government says the initiative is designed to bolster rehabilitation by addressing housing, work and access to essential services in a structured way.

Eligible women will receive six months of pre-release support while still in custody, focused on identifying and addressing their needs after release. This includes securing stable housing, navigating pathways into full-time employment, obtaining identity documents and connecting with key services, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Following release, women will be able to access support for up to two years, with case workers helping them maintain accommodation, stay engaged in work and training, and connect with health and community services. The program has a strong emphasis on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, acknowledging what the Government describes as the unique barriers they face in reintegrating into the community.

The service will be delivered through a partnership between Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) and Embrace People & Place, under Embrace’s Women in Community program. The site, in the Hunter, was previously a Periodic Detention Centre used to re-skill minimum-security inmates and has been refurbished by CSNSW into an accommodation facility.

The Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation has committed $5.7 million over three years to fund the operation of the program, which the Government has described as an unprecedented intensive support model for women leaving prison. Work has already begun to prepare eligible women for the program, ahead of the first cohort moving into the facility in 2026.

Education and skills training are a key part of the model. According to NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data cited by the Government, there was a 45% reduction in property offending among inmate trainees 12 months after they were released from custody in 2021. Officials say this shows the impact structured programs can have in reducing recidivism.

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said the initiative was about both rehabilitation and community safety. “This innovative collaboration demonstrates the Government’s commitment to keeping our communities safe by enhancing rehabilitative outcomes and reducing reoffending,” he said. “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.”

Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington said women leaving prison often faced complex and overlapping challenges. “Women in prison are already disproportionately impacted by intergenerational trauma, poverty and domestic, family and sexual violence,” she said. “When women leave prison it’s very difficult for them to find a positive path without the right support.”

Washington said the pilot would play a role in “breaking the cycle of recidivism” in the region. “This is an important pilot program which will give women in the Hunter, a second chance to build a better future,” she said. “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 said improving outcomes for women in custody was one of his key priorities. “This program represents a significant opportunity for collaboration between CSNSW and Embrace to support vulnerable [women] and aid their rehabilitation,” he said.

Embrace People & Place founder and chair Tracy Norman said the organisation’s values were grounded in “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,” she said. “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 chief executive Coralie Nichols said safe housing and work opportunities would be central to the model. “The Women in Community program is about giving women leaving prison the support they need to return to community life with dignity and confidence,” she said. “By providing safe accommodation, employment pathways and wraparound support, we’re helping women make positive choices and build the lives they want for themselves.”

The Government says the pilot delivers on its commitment to explore new rehabilitation and reintegration pathways for women in custody, with the first residents due to move into the refurbished Hunter facility in 2026 and the program funded for at least the next three years.