Photo Jeff Dawson
Local domestic family violence (DFV) and homelessness have clear links, according to the manager of the Women’s Resource Service (WRS), Ambyr Johnston.
Located at the Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre, the WRS is a critical service on the front line of DFV.
Ms Johnston told The Echo, ‘For example, in the last year alone, approximately ten per cent of Byron Shire [DFV] clients had secure housing at the time of the referral’.
She says, ‘We are a diverse community, and this is reflected in the numbers of women who are subjected to DFV’.
‘For the WRS, in the last year around 14 per cent of Byron Shire clients came from a CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) background.
‘The summer period is not just busy for local business, it is also a time when we see DFV spike, and it has been the same again this year for the Byron Shire.
‘For example, of the most recent 30 referrals, ten are for Byron Shire clients’.
WRS Q&A
Is there a common theme for those women seeking help?
‘Difficulties with very few affordable housing options, accessing public transport, cost of living’.
‘Fear of losing housing can prevent women from wanting to report to police. Women fear reporting to police owing to concerns of retribution in our small community’.
Is the service able to assist all the women seeking help?
‘We respond to all referrals that come in – if for some reason we can’t offer case management support, then we link women with other support options’.
‘Our aim is to ensure no woman or child falls through the gaps, and so we take a holistic and flexible approach to see how we can assist that person with the resources we have available.
‘We are a small team, so there are many challenges as there is a huge demand for these types of services’.
If there was additional funding available from governments, how could it be used to help those in need?
‘The DFV sector is chronically underfunded’.
‘There are slow and small steps to improve this happening, however, funding to services who are on the ground embedded in local communities needs to be significantly increased to meet the demand.
‘To ensure those seeking help have safety, dignity and choice, a combination of specialist case management support, and access to financial assistance is needed, along with a range of crisis accommodation options’.
What do you see as a long-term solution to lessen DV impacts?
‘I see that our society and communities are blind to the systemic and pervasive attitudes and beliefs that foster and normalise violence and abuse’.
‘The government, the media, education system, justice system, sporting and local businesses communities all need to recognise and acknowledge the extent of the problem before any solutions can be devised.
‘DFV needs a whole-of-community response. It affects all of us, and I mean every single one of us, in one way or another. I have been working in the DFV sector in the Northern Rivers for almost a decade, and I have seen families from every town and village, from every economic level of our community impacted.
‘I see the only long-term solution to prevent and reduce violence and abuse is for the whole of the community to recognise, acknowledge and be accountable – to work together for change’.
Where to get help
Across the Northern Rivers, there are specialist service providers who can offer crisis accommodation, legal support, financial assistance, and ongoing case management.
The Women’s Resource Service can be contacted Monday to Friday, 9am till 4pm on 6684 4299 (Mullumbimby), via mdnc.org.au, or via email at [email protected]
In Byron Bay, the Fletcher Street Cottage (supported by The Byron Community Centre) recently launched their Women’s Emergency Relief Program.
It offers immediate assistance such as transport to safe locations, food vouchers, and emergency camping equipment for women in crisis, financial instability, and homelessness. Phone 6685 7830.
The Northern Rivers Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (WDVCAS) offer free support to women and children who have experienced domestic violence.
Phone 6621 1044 or 1300 720 606, from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Women Up North Housing Inc. (WUNH) provides housing services for women and their children who have experienced domestic or family violence. Phone 6621 7730.
The NSW Domestic Violence Line is 1800 656 463.
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