Survivors slipping through the cracks

Lower North Shore survivors of domestic violence have been left with a dearth of case workers, support groups, and affordable housing, as local support services are compelled to stretch their limited funding to the nth degree.

While the Liberal NSW Government has committed in the 2018/19 budget to spending $390m on domestic violence programs over four years, this figure falls significantly behind the $2.85b Victoria’s Labor government has spent since 2016. 

With the number of people killed as a result of domestic violence in NSW doubling between March 2018 – 19, local service providers say they are feeling the pressure. 

Affordable housing shortage

According to the Greater Sydney Commission, 83,500 new dwellings will be required for the Northern District by the year 2036, of which five to 10 per cent of viable floor space will need to be set aside for affordable housing, depending on the size and requirements of the LGA. 

While Mosman, Willoughby and North Sydney Councils, along with the State Government, have been focused on mapping out how to meet these forward targets through developing updated local environment plans, domestic service providers say families are falling through the cracks now.

“Affordable housing is a huge issue in our area,” a local worker for NSW Family Referral Services (FRS) tells North Shore Living. 

“It’s one of the main reasons why women stay in the home, because they don’t want to be out on the streets and, of course, the family court prevents them from leaving the area during the courts process, so their options are limited.”

While the State Government does provide assistance for families and individuals escaping violence to move into stable private rental housing through the $26.5m Start Safely program, the NSW FRS worker says there is a lack of long-term support options.

“The Start Safely program can be paid for a maximum 36 months, which really isn’t long when you’ve been dragged through court. When this topping up by the government stops, suddenly they can’t afford where they’re living, and they’ve got nowhere to go.”

This is partly due to the fact that, at present, there are just two shelters servicing the lower North Shore – the independently run Mary’s House and Delvena Women’s and Children’s Refuge in Lane Cove.

“In Victoria, they have women’s shelters all over the place because the government funds them but up here, they [the State Government] just don’t do things like that,” the NSW FRS worker laments. 

Caseworker crisis 

Alongside this, Northern Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service says it is overwhelmed by community need for local case workers. 

With the state-wide advocacy service receiving $10.7m of the four-year 2018/19 domestic violence budget allocation, a representative told North Shore Living the Northern Sydney branch simply cannot afford the amount of caseworkers needed to accompany clients to family law hearings and follow up with them after the court process.

According to the worker for NSW FRS, such understaffing can be felt locally across the sector, including within Family Referral Services, Family Support and Intensive Family Support service providers, and even in Family and Community Services. 

“We get cases that haven’t even been opened by them [Family and Community Services NSW],” she says. 

“Whether or not they’re serious problems, but they just can’t manage them. ‘Closed due to competing priorities’, it’s called.”

Prevention and support funding meagre

According to Susan Spencer, chair of the Lower North Shore Domestic Violence Network, many of the service providers in the area have been forced to stop offering local support groups as their allocated funding dries up. 

The worker for Family Referral Services counts just two support groups in the area, one run sporadically out of Waitara and a new wellbeing initiative in Naremburn.  

“There really is almost nothing on offer around here,” she explains.

“We have plenty of people who could run the groups in the area, but the funding just isn’t there.”

Susan says the same can be said for education initiatives in the area. 

“Staff are usually falling over themselves to get training because they don’t get that kind of guidance and most of their workplaces don’t have policies on what to do with domestic violence… training is always valued,” she says.

Opportunity or loss?

With the recent news of White Ribbon Australia going into liquidation, local service providers and domestic violence campaigners say this could prove an opportunity to see an increase funding and support being redirected to on-the-ground organisations.

“It’s an opportunity,” Mel Thomas, domestic violence survivor and founder of local violence prevention charity KYUP! says.

“I’d love to see Australia go, ‘OK, well White Ribbon is out, what are we going to do next? 

“We need to open our hearts, think bigger, step up and tangibly build upon the awareness it raised.”

Her words are echoed by the worker from Family Referral Services.

“Someone needs to step into the breach,” she says.

“They were doing good work, with all those businesses becoming accredited, such as Northern Beaches Council and Macquarie University. Now it’s time for someone else to step in.”