Jenny's Place and Housing Plus build new domestic violence refuge in Lake Macquarie

Lake Macquarie is one of 27 regional areas which will benefit from the new 'Core and Cluster' program, offering women self-contained units and access to services after fleeing DV.

Delivered through Housing Plus and managed by Jenny's Place, the development will allow for survivors to move on from their experiences in their own space, Jenny's Place operations manager Stacey Gately said.

"The development will allow for a much more trauma-informed, child-friendly experience for people that as we are aware, quite often leave with just the clothes on their back," she said.

"Anecdotally the demand always outweighs the supply, our turn-away figures are always huge, anecdotally probably half of the people looking to access refuge we aren't able to accommodate.

"Is it enough? Will it ever be enough? Are we all in a situation where we'd want to see DV not so prevalent in our society? Absolutely, but nine units will make a huge difference for our community."

Jenny's Place will have four staff on site to assist women and their children, with the ability to bring male teenage children into the units.

The accommodation is for the initial crisis point, likely housing women for three to six months until they can be supported into more independent living arrangements.

It will be able to accommodate up to five families at a time and four single women, with indoor and outdoor play spaces for children as well as designated areas for pets and communal areas.

Lake Macquarie was chosen as the result of a state government analysis which identified gaps in services and looked at the prevalence of domestic violence.

Minister for Women and the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said the announcement is particularly important because domestic and family violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in NSW.

"Domestic and family violence are the only two crime categories in NSW that have consistently risen over the last two and five years," she said.

"This provides women with the dignity to be able to live independently in their own space, which is the best place for them to recover from trauma in the first few months after leaving.

"I am asking everyone to stand up to prevent domestic and family violence in NSW, what I say to people is that if you hear it, if you see it, call it out - that is the way we will end domestic and family violence in NSW."

Women will be referred predominantly through 1800 RESPECT, the 24-hour national sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line.

The new refuge was welcomed by Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper who said it will help close the gap for women and families wanting to escape domestic violence.

"Is it going to change everything? No it's not," he said.

"The problem we suspect is much deeper than what we actually know and it's always going to be a problem for us.

"But if we can give people a sense of dignity and control in this space, they're going to be in a much better place and I think we haven't been able to do that very well in the past."

The Lake Macquarie refuge is one of 10 that will be delivered in partnership with Housing Plus, supported by more than $5.9 million in state government funding.

EMERGENCY accommodation for women and children escaping domestic violence will be built at Lake Macquarie.

The state-of-the-art refuge is thanks to a partnership between Housing Plus and specialist domestic violence and homelessness service Jenny's Place.

The Lake Macquarie centre will be designed in the new 'core and cluster' model, an innovative approach that provides women with independent accommodation and access to critical services such as counselling, legal help and education on site.

Jenny's Place executive manager Marcia Chapman said the region is in desperate need of crisis accommodation.

"We know that many women are trapped in violent relationships simply because there is nowhere else to live and this challenge is heightened for women with children," she said.

"With community housing and the local private rental market now stretched to capacity, the Core and Cluster grants program will help services address the crisis housing issue and importantly, elevate the standard of accommodation provided to women leaving violence."

The independent living model is thought to be an improvement on the communal refuge accommodation that has long been the standard in crisis care.

It's believed it better meets the needs of individual families and gives women and children leaving violence the best chance at trauma recovery.

Housing Plus will build and manage the property, while Jenny's Place, which has operated in Newcastle for 46 years, will deliver accommodation and services.

It was important for a regional community to benefit from the government's funding for domestic and family violence accommodation, Housing Plus chief executive Justin Cantelo said.

"Our partnership with Jenny's Place combines our knowledge and expertise of design and construction with their local experience in service delivery," he said.

"The best of both is what we hope will be provided in Lake Macquarie."

The accommodation means women and children impacted by domestic and family violence will be provided with a safe and supported environment to get back on their feet.

It starts with safe, trauma-informed physical design and is complemented by a service delivery model that gives intensive support when it's needed most and a lighter touch when recovery begins.

Support will be personalised and offered in the refuge, meaning victims will have a base to return to and continue to receive education and support as they heal.

The state government announced $484.3 million in funding for women and children experiencing domestic and family violence in October 2021.

The Core and Cluster grants program will provide $426.6 million over four years to build new housing across the state.

Once all three funding rounds are finished and the refuges are open, more than an extra 2,900 women and children escaping domestic and family violence will be supported each year.

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