CONCERNS with a recent state government reform to do with homelessness were expected to be aired in the Great Lakes Council chambers on Tuesday.
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Mayor Jan McWilliams and councillors Leigh Vaughn and Jim Morwitch tabled a notice of motion for Tuesday’s ordinary meeting, urging the council to call on NSW Premier Mike Baird to address points of concern about the recent Going Home, Staying Home reforms.
“The council noted with concern the funding cuts and resulting closure of women’s and children’s refuges in NSW following the state government’s Going Home, Staying Home reforms,” the notice of motion authored by the three councillors read.
Going Home, Staying Home takes the place of specialist homelessness services (SHS).
SHS was a program which provided funding for a range of support and accommodation services to assist the homeless or those at risk of homelessness, including women and children affected by domestic violence.
Under Going Home, Staying Home, only the successful tender organisation would receive funds to continue providing services.
Unsuccessful tenderers, which once received SHS funding, would be left to fund themselves.
“There is no women’s refuge in Great Lakes,” Cr McWilliams said.
“Women and children in
distress in our area have the only option of getting themselves to Taree, if they can get transport.
“With the current reallocation of funding, the Taree refuge will be now obliged to provide accommodation for homeless men and women without any specific reference to women and children escaping domestic violence.”
The notice of motion requested the council call on Mr Baird to immediately reinstate funding to women and children’s refuges and to adequately fund women’s and children’s domestic violence refuges to reduce the current turn away rate.
It further requested the state government release all documentation to substantiate its claims there would be no losses to pre-existing refuges and to reinstate specialist women and children’s domestic violence refuges in the “six out of 15 districts where dedicated services” were no longer available.
The final request in the notice of motion called on Mr Baird to recognise the importance of women-only services and commit to ensuring adequate funding was directed to these.
