Women's refuges
Your article "Women's refuges reeling as funds dry up" (Leader, November 20) misrepresented the Going Home, Staying Home reforms and the services available for women and children who are escaping domestic violence.
In the St George and Sutherland Shire area, the St Vincent de Paul Society is the preferred provider for the Going Home, Staying Home package.
The society operates two properties in the area — Marian Villa and Amelie House — that provide crisis accommodation specific to women and children escaping domestic violence.
Other properties managed by the St Vincent de Paul Society are available to provide transitional accommodation that can house women and children who have left violence, while they re-establish themselves in the community.
The NSW government's Going Home, Staying Home reforms were undertaken to match funding to need and to ensure fairness in the way that funding was allocated.
The overall level of funding and number of government-owned properties across the state has not reduced with more than half of the new service packages for women only, or having a discrete specialist response for women and their children.
There has been no loss of crisis beds in government-owned properties for women and children escaping domestic violence.
Additionally, funding for the Start Safely program, which helps families escaping domestic and family violence in NSW to secure accommodation in the private rental market, was extended to $10.4 million annually over the next four years.
Jean's Place is still in operation, providing crisis and outreach support for Aboriginal women.
The same applies for St George Women's Housing.
I applaud the work undertaken by Crossroads Community Care Centre in providing additional women-only emergency accommodation in the area.
While Crossroads did not participate in the Going Home, Staying Home tender process, the government does fund the service.
Geraldine O'Grady,
district director, South Eastern Sydney
Family and Community Services
