Flat Out

Flat Out is a Victorian community organisation working with women, trans and gender diverse people who have experienced criminalisation and incarceration. They work alongside people to address the harms of the criminal legal system while advocating for structural change that reduces criminalisation and strengthens community safety.

Their vision is a community where women, trans and gender diverse people can thrive without prisons. Guided by abolitionist, intersectional feminist and anti-racist principles, Flat Out provides individual advocacy, peer support and systemic advocacy that centres the expertise of people with lived experience and is informed by close collaboration with them.

Flat Out address the intersecting impacts of family violence, homelessness, poverty, disability, racism and child removal, recognising these as key drivers of criminalisation. They are uniquely placed to do this work because of their strong community relationships, collaborative approach with people with lived experience, and decades of trusted advocacy across Victoria.

Their current priorities include supporting people leaving prison, advocating for housing and family reunification, challenging harmful laws and policies, strengthening partnerships with people with lived experience, and building a financially sustainable organisation.

Funding will expand direct support, strengthen systemic advocacy, deepen collaboration with people with lived experience, and build organisational capacity to ensure their work remains independent, responsive and sustainable.

Flat Out advocacy has helped shape public debate and policy on bail laws, prison conditions, strip searching, family violence misidentification and housing justice, while direct support assists hundreds of people each year to navigate complex systems and build safer futures.

WEBSITE