Habitat for Humanity Australia is pleased to announce that they have been awarded AUD $909,822 by the Australian Government as part of the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation program. The Safe Places Emergency Accommodation program is part of the Government’s $78 million (GST exclusive) funding package to ensure there are additional safe places for women and children experiencing family and domestic violence.
The grant has allowed Habitat for Humanity Australia to increase emergency accommodation and provide indigenous women and children somewhere safe to live to escape violence.
As one of the successful recipients of the Safe Places grants in NSW, we have already started using this funding to build four units that can house up to 20 women and children at a time to create safe emergency accommodation in Sydney, New South Wales. Per year the accommodation hopes to house over 100 women and children.
This funding will create an option for indigenous women and children should they need to leave an unsafe situation.
We have partnered with DV West to manage and operate the services once the accommodation is ready to receive women and children.
DV West (formerly known as West Connect Domestic Violence Service) has a 40-year history of providing support and accommodation to women and children. Since 1995 we have successfully managed a range of specialist domestic violence services across the Nepean, Blue Mountains, Blacktown/Hills and Hawkesbury districts. These services include four refuges, 28 transitional housing properties, 5 outreach support hubs, a centralised intake and assessment service, Domestic Violence Response Enhancement service (DVRE) for women in temporary accommodation, group programs for women and children and in-house counselling. DV West has supported women in their greatest times of need.
With the support of DV West we are able to ensure a brighter and safe future for women and children escaping domestic violence. This project is supported by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
Due to the rise in building costs and materials, we are currently looking for gifts in kind to meet the needs for us to complete the build. If you know of a building organisation that can support us in the completion of this build please contact us today.
For further information on Habitat for Humanity Australia, visit habitat.org.au
ABOUT US
Habitat for Humanity Australia is driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live. Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort and has since grown to become a leading global non-profit for housing in more than 70 countries. Worldwide Habitat has helped more than 22 million people obtain safe and decent housing, along with strength, stability and independence to build better lives. Without decent housing, people become vulnerable to a range of issues, including increased health risks, reduced security and social isolation. In Australia, where Habitat for Humanity Australia has been working for 30 years, there is a great need to support disadvantaged people in our community.
To interview Brian Tasker, or for further information about the project and any other parts of Habitat’s work please contact Brian Tasker on [email protected] or Monique Crusius on [email protected].