In a 2024-25 pre-budget submission, the IWHC outlines a request for funding over three years to establish another centre in the northern Illawarra, plus recurrent operational funding, including a larger workforce.

Executive director Sally Stevenson said the centre was "absolutely overwhelmed with demand" at its existing site in Warilla, where it had been located for 35 years.

The IWHC submission said there was a year-long wait for counselling and casework grew from 19 to 32 women in six months.

"We need to take into account that 50 per cent of our clients come from the Warilla area, and 75 per cent come from south of the Primbee line," Ms Stevenson said.

"So what that tells us is that we're not accessible to women in the northern Illawarra who may need us.

"We know absolutely that there is demand up there for a whole range of women's health needs, but specifically for domestic, family and sexual violence support, because we know that as an epidemic and a public health emergency, it doesn't discriminate, and we know in the northern Illawarra the rates are high."

Another key reason for expansion, she said, was the desire to provide better support to two cohorts: the multicultural community and the community around the University of Wollongong, especially young women.

Ms Stevenson said sexual assault had increased by 47 per cent in the past five years in regional NSW and it was young women who experienced sexual assault the most.

"But we also know that young women have very high rates, relative to the population, around anxiety, depression and stress, so we really want to be able to improve our service options to young women, multicultural women, and women of the northern Illawarra," she said.

The centre in Warilla was also small, she said, so a second site was also needed to accommodate the IWHC team.

The IWHC hopes to establish this second site somewhere in the suburbs stretching from Wollongong to Corrimal.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey will deliver the budget in June.

The IWHC continues to work on the Women's Trauma Recovery Centre, an Australian-first service which is set to begin receiving clients in the coming months.

The IWHC is trying to secure a permanent site for the centre.

An offer for a potential location at the old Port Kembla Hospital site has been withdrawn.

"We're continuing to have discussions with the NSW government and we are positive that the data and the information coming out of the interim centre will confirm the absolute need for a permanent site," Ms Stevenson said.