Olivia*, who spent five years in prison, agreed to speak to The Examiner provided she remained anonymous.

She said she heard plenty of "horror stories" from other women in prison when it came to their accommodation options.

"One woman was paroled at seven o'clock at night and didn't have anywhere to go because she was from up north and had to rely on going to an unsafe living environment with drug addicts," Olivia said.

Olivia said she was one of the lucky ones.

She comes from a relatively stable background with lots of support from family and friends.

She firmly believes that some women who leave prison and don't have safe accommodation end up taking drugs to medicate themselves and, in some cases, turn to sex work.

Olivia thinks accommodation should be made available for all women exiting prison so that they can have their children returned to them and be able to sort out their lives.

"It's a safety issue, and women are at risk. I have been in a dangerous living situation in the past, and that's, unfortunately, how I ended up in jail in the first place," she said.

Olivia said government funding needs to be divided into one common denominator and that all housing bodies must unite rather than split among multiple groups.

"There needs to be a more collaborative approach and everyone needs to come together to work on a solution.

"Everyone's talking a lot, but we're getting nowhere," she said.

According to Olivia, it is common for prisoners to have bad credit histories, which can exclude them from using real estate agents to secure accommodation.

She went on to mention the difficulties prisoners face inside prison in terms of arranging stable accommodation when they are only allowed limited phone calls.

She also mentioned that many newly paroled prisoners need to rely on Centrelink benefits for some time, and those funds need to be more to cover the average rental property prices.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said, "Appropriate post-release accommodation is essential for people applying for parole.

"People leaving the Tasmania Prison Service (TPS) facilities are supported to find suitable accommodation before their release through dedicated TPS Planning and Reintegration Officers.

"Parole refusals due to a lack of suitable accommodation are rare.

"The government has also introduced a Prisoner Rapid Rehousing Program, providing those leaving the Tasmania Prison Service with transitional accommodation."

Homes Tasmania CEO Eleri Morgan-Thomas said, "Prioritisation for social housing considers the applicant's circumstances to determine their level of need and ensure that those in greatest need receive housing offers first."

"People exiting an institutional facility, such as a custodial arrangement, are categorised as 'Highest Priority' for the Housing Register.

"Applications for social housing through Housing Connect can be received while a person is still in a custodial setting or when they have exited the custodial setting," Ms Morgan-Thomas said.

Homes Tasmania partners with the Department of Justice and the Salvation Army to deliver the Beyond the Wire program.

This program provides accommodation and support to help people reintegrate into the community and transition into secure accommodation.

A portfolio of twelve homes in the south is dedicated to this program for adults leaving custodial arrangements.

Anyone experiencing or at risk of homelessness is encouraged to contact Tasmania's front door service for all housing assistance, Housing Connect, at 1800 800 588, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

*pseudonym used