Housing Plus receives $588,000 for Orange Crisis Centre in Orange through the Building Better Region’s Fund
Today’s announcement, securing $588,800 from Building Better Regions Fund, will bring the current total of cash and in kind tally to around $1.1Million, which is 2/3rds of the way and a significant step towards achieving our target of $1.7m.
CEO of Housing Plus, David Fisher explains “We are delighted to receive word that Housing Plus’ application for Building Better Regions Funding to support a dedicated, purpose built crisis centre to help women and children fleeing domestic violence has been successful. We wish to thank Andrew Gee and all our supporters in making the case for a crisis centre which today, because of this announcement is a significant step closer. Our application demonstrates that for every $1 spent on a centre we will save Government over $3.”
The Orange Crisis Centre will be a purpose, built best practice facility for women and children who are at the highest risk of harm or death from domestic violence. These women and children require the protection of a highly secure and discrete facility that provides intense crisis response case management and support to rebuild their lives without violence
“It is a fact that the rates of domestic assault in the Canobolas Local Area Command (LAC) (NSW Police Force) sit at 730.6 per 100,000 population. This is nearly double the NSW state average of 395.4 per 100,000 population” says Mr Fisher.
Why is a Crisis Centre needed in Orange
“The Orange Crisis Centre will address three critical problems that the Orange community currently faces:
Problem 1: The Orange community experiences very high levels of domestic and family violence. In the Canobolas Local Area Command, the rates of domestic assault are nearly double the NSW state average.
Problem 2: There is no Crisis Centre in Orange for women and children escaping domestic and family violence, who have been assessed by Police as at ‘serious threat of further injury or death’.
Problem 3: Women are left with the options of either leaving their community to seek refuge, or remaining in the violent and dangerous relationship.”
What the Crisis Centre will offer
The centre will comprise: six self-contained units with en suites and kitchenettes; a common area with internal play area for children; a common kitchen; staff areas; meeting rooms; common laundry; outside terrace with secure play area; secure rear parking; monitored alarm system; CCTV; 24-hour on-call system; and panic alarms.
Housing Plus will oversee the delivery of the project and will provide ongoing management of the service as part of its existing portfolio of domestic violence services. Construction is expected to commence later in 2017, subject to planning approvals, and be completed in 2018. Housing Plus will work closely with the private sector to apply best practice to the design, construction and delivery of the project, and achieve optimal outcomes for the community in the short, medium and long term.
Value for Government
When delivered, the Crisis Centre will bring significant social and economic benefits to the area including: improved physical and mental health, and overall wellbeing for women and children escaping domestic violence; improved community connectedness for victims; significant cost savings for the economy; and the creation of around 200 local jobs.
An independent Cost Benefit Analysis, carried out by Arabella Perugini-Sheere of A.P Sheere Consulting, calculates a benefit-cost ratio of 3.02, which means that for every $1 invested into the Crisis Centre, there is a $3 return.
Community Support
The Orange Roundtable members and the wider community for the Crisis Centre has been very strong, with a wide network of local businesses, not for profits and voluntary groups demonstrating their commitment to solving this problem. Through the experience of the Roundtable and several attempts to identify funding, the only solution to secure funding for this project is through a combination of government, community and corporate contribution. There are too many individuals and organisations to list that have supported Housing Plus to raise funds for the Crisis Centre. However, the major donors who have donated $5,000 or more include: Australian Government Building Better Regions Fund; Orange City Council; Newcrest Mining Limited; Orange Ex-Services Club; Quota International of Orange; PWM Advice; Zonta Club of Orange; and Dymocks Charitable Trust.
On future fundraising
“We are delighted and overwhelmed by the support we have received from community groups, individuals and businesses to establish a crisis centre in Orange.
We are about to launch a $1 a coffee cup donation across Orange in September and are interested to hear from employers and employees who may wish to donate and benefit from the tax relief.
If anyone wishes to donate, support and learn more about the Crisis Centre please contact Housing Plus Justin Cantelo 1800 603 300 or go to the web site www.housingplus.com.au
ENDS
For further information, telephone Justin Cantelo on 1800 603 300 or email BDIM@housingplus.com.au.
Visit www.housingplus.com.au to learn more about Housing Plus.
Background on Domestic Violence in Orange
Domestic violence in Australia is a significant societal problem with enormous social, economic and fiscal impacts. At a local level, the rates of domestic assault in the Canobolas Local Area Command (LAC) (NSW Police Force) sit at 730.6 per 100,000 population. This is nearly double the NSW state average of 395.4 per 100,000 population.
There is currently no Crisis Centre in the Canobolas LAC for women and children that have been assessed by Police as being at ‘serious threat of further injury or death’. In 2015-16, there were 445 women and 270 known children that met this criteria.
The National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010 – 2022, in particular National Priority Area 3 aims to provide victims of domestic and family violence with greater support and choice by strengthening accommodation options and supports for women and children escaping violence.
Orange is the only regional town of its size in the western region without a Crisis Centre to accommodate women and children escaping domestic and family violence that are deemed at ‘serious threat of further injury or death’. Alternative Crisis Centres, in Bathurst, Forbes and Dubbo, are often at full capacity and, due to their location, are inappropriate to provide secure and effective support for victims.
The current homelessness service in Orange, Going Home Staying Home (GHSH) funded by Family and Community services NSW, provides a crisis accommodation facility for men and women without children; however, it is predominantly utilised to full capacity by homeless single males. Housing Plus also manages three crisis houses to assist with the demand from women and children fleeing domestic violence who are at low risk and can live safely within the community.
However, the more pressing need for safe, 24-hour secure crisis accommodation for women assessed by NSW Police as being at ‘serious threat of further injury or death’ remains unmet. Housing Plus, the Police and Government agencies have reviewed the situation and collectively agree that there is an urgent need for a Crisis Centre in Orange to service the Canobolas LAC region.
Why Orange needs a Centre
Three key interrelated problems are driving the need for intervention:
Problem 1: The Orange community experiences very high levels of domestic and family violence. In the Canobolas Local Area Command, the rates of domestic assault are nearly double the NSW state average.
Problem 2: There is no Crisis Centre in Orange for women and children escaping domestic and family violence, who have been assessed by Police as at ‘serious threat of further injury or death’.
Problem 3: Women are left with the option of either leaving their community to seek refuge, or remaining in the violent and dangerous relationship.
The nearest Crisis Centres are in Bathurst, Forbes and Dubbo. Women and children have to leave their home, employment, schools, family supports, and community to access suitable crisis accommodation, uprooting them from their supports, family and networks.
Without a Crisis Centre, women are deterred from leaving violence, sometimes opting to stay in the relationship rather than leave Orange and surrounds to find safe refuge. The only alternative is temporary accommodation in local motels, but these are a poor substitute for the support offered through a 24-hour Crisis Centre, and do not provide adequate or safe facilities for women with children, so that they can be supported to leave the violent and controlling relationship rather than return to the cyclical violence. The nearest Crisis Centres for women and children are in Bathurst, Forbes and Dubbo, which are a distance of 50km, 120km and 150km respectively from Orange. Uprooting women and children from their home, employment, schools, family supports and community often causes significant negative effects on the victim’s wellbeing, the children’s development, and may delay recovery from the trauma.
A Crisis Centre is an important resource for women and children escaping domestic and family violence. It gives women a safe place to go where they are supported and children are properly cared for. Women that have escaped domestic and family violence require 24-hour support and direction immediately after the crisis from trained professionals. This is essential to keep the victim safe, to deter them from returning to the perpetrator, and to aid their recovery.
For women escaping domestic violence, the perception of being safe is as important as being safe. This is due to the predatory nature of domestic violence, which means that the perpetrator will try anything to find the victim, including tracking devices, GPS services on mobile phones, friends and family connections, remorse, promises and intimidation. It is important for victims and their children to be accommodated in a secure Crisis Centre where they are surrounded by other people, not left alone to be preyed upon, and are able to be better protected by Police.
Local Action
In October 2015, Housing Plus convened the Orange Domestic and Family Violence Roundtable (the Roundtable) to bring together MPs, local Council, NSW Police and Government agencies to explore the short, medium and long-term solutions to tackle the high rate of domestic violence in Orange, and address the crisis accommodation gaps and shortfalls in the Orange community.
Building Better Regions Funding
Nearly $500 million is available through this program the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) which aims to create jobs, drive economic growth and support strong regional communities across Australia by funding infrastructure and community investment projects.
The BBRF invests in projects in regional and remote Australia, outside the major capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra.
Housing Plus and the Roundtable have sought $588,800 in funding (40% of the total construction costs) under the Building Better Regions Fund, in combination with State and Local Government funding, and community and corporate sponsorship for the purpose of constructing a purpose-built Crisis Centre.
