Qld womens' shelters struggle with demand

Karen Lyon Reid's life changed two years ago when a close friend ended up in hospital on the verge of death.

It wasn't illness that put her there.

It was her husband.

Things had first turned violent about a year earlier but when it happened again, she almost didn't survive.

Thankfully, time in hospital healed her body.

And when she emerged from the ward, weeks later, the process of healing her life began.

Since then, Ms Reid has dedicated herself to helping other women undertake the same journey in her role as the chief executive of The Lady Musgrave Trust.

Queensland's oldest charity, the trust provides shelter to women between 18 and 30 and their children who are either homeless or about to be.

She estimates that about half of the women who come to the trust are fleeing abuse.

They're put up in one of the trust's 11 shelters, which can house up to 35 women at a time.

But that's not enough and there are plans to expand next year to try to resolve an ever-growing backlog.

Ms Reid says it's "shameful" the charity is so in demand, as it prepares to mark its 130th anniversary.

She says the onus is on the entire community to ease the burden: government, business and everyday Queenslanders.

"I've been calling for the property sector to step into this space because there is a drastic shortage," she said.

"Government can't pay for it all, and certainly not-for-profits can't."

She said it would make a huge difference if developers provided just one unit per project or if corporations sponsored temporary loans.

There's also hope productive talks with the Palaszczuk government could see the trust win funding for the first time in its history.

By all pitching in, Ms Reid hopes the wider community will be able to help women get the support they need to reclaim their lives.

Or, given some 63 Australian women have already died as a result of domestic violence this year, simply keep them alive.