Her former husband never hit her or shouted but he carefully observed her every move, a trait she found endearing at first.

But when he started controlling her friendships and finances, she knew it was time to leave.

"A form of abuse is not only shouting and slapping," she said. "It's manipulation, emotional and financial abuse. He was very controlling."

Zara, whose name has been changed, found a safe haven at Kelly's Cottage, a women's refuge which has recently opened in Sydney's west to accommodate the growing demand for domestic violence services.

"This is just like a nest and I am a wounded bird," she says. "Soon I can fly away."

With the help of the facility's staff, the Malaysian-born mother of three is gradually putting her life back together and is aiming to undertake further study and find work.

"It's time to heal," she said. "I want to go to school and have a nice house."

Karen Burns, chief executive of Uniting Recovery/Uniting Hope, which manages the five-bedroom refuge, said domestic violence was the leading cause of homelessness among women and children.

"This crisis refuge means we can provide a more immediate response," she said. "Higher staffing levels mean we can accept women with more complex needs."

Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show one-third of women seeking refuge accommodation were turned away in 2013-14, an improvement on 2007-08 when two-thirds of women were unable to find a service.

NSW Family and Community Services minister Brad Hazzard​ said there was an increasing demand from women fleeing violent relationships.

"They need space, they need time and they need support because this is a serious issue," he said.

NSW government figures show there were 64 government-owned and 13 non-government women's shelters in 2014.

According to the state government, only one women's shelter closed down after the introduction Going Home Staying Home reforms, in which a number of specialist domestic violence services were transferred to larger providers such as St Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army and Mission Australia.

Mr Hazzard acknowledged the reform caused disruption within the sector but said it was necessary for long-term improvement.

"The changes caused some angst ... but most people now acknowledge they have brought on a big plus. They are seeing more people and services working together."

Roxanne McMurray, spokeswoman for refuge lobby group Save Our Women's Services, said many long-established shelters were decimated by the reforms.

"Many refuges with 30 to 40 years' experience lost funding and experienced staff and are now mixing homeless clients with domestic violence clients," she said. "They're simply not being run as specialist refuges like they have been in the past."

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