New refuge for women and children opened in Gunnedah
A new Core and Cluster refuge for Aboriginal women and children fleeing domestic and family violence has opened in Gunnedah.
Transcript
00:00Family and domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness and no
00:04woman should have to choose between staying in a violent relationship or
00:08becoming homeless. This Homelessness Week I'm pleased to open Lilypilly Place
00:13owned and run by Aboriginal controlled community organisation Ganita Gunya.
00:19Securing safe housing is a critical hurdle to overcoming domestic and family
00:24violence and this new core and cluster refuge in Gunnedah comprises five
00:29self-contained dwellings with a suite of on-site specialist services such as
00:33counselling and legal assistance and employment support at the core. The new
00:39refuge is supported by 5.68 million dollars in capital and service delivery
00:43funding and delivering the refuges under the core and cluster model ensures that
00:49victim survivors have got access to wraparound services when they escape
00:53violence so that they can stay safe and plan for the future. We know that safe
00:59housing is a critical part of the matrix of support that we can provide women and
01:05children who need to leave a violent relationship and that is particularly
01:09the case in our regions and it's fantastic to have another women's refuge
01:13opening its doors in regional New South Wales. This particular refuge is
01:18receiving over five million dollars of New South Wales government funding and
01:21that's part of a 400 million dollar commitment to providing more women's
01:27refuges across New South Wales.