Maitland’s anti-domestic violence service and homeless shelter Carrie’s Place is planning to expand into the heart of the city in 2017.
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The service made headlines through 2016 as it battled to protect victims of domestic violence in the face of Maitland’s soaring statistics. Its plight attracted numerous fundraisers from community groups, the largest of which pulled in more than $50,000 in September.
Carrie’s Place coordinator Jenny Harland said the increased rate of domestic violence and the changing policy around the issue had necessitated a drastic expansion of the service in the near future.
“We need to increase our space and expand our operations, so we’re pursuing somewhere to move in Maitland,” she said.
The service’s High Street Resource Centre has been the primary base of operations for most of Carrie’s Place’s 37 years. And while 26 case managers and court advocacy workers orbit the centre, it only has space for six or seven at any one time.
“We’ve totally outgrown the resource centre,” Ms Harland said.
“We need space for 30 [staff] minimum, 40 really.”
Carrie’s Place CEO Jan McDonald said the total number of staff would pass 30 early in the new year with recruitment for new case workers about to begin.
The expansion ties in with the roll-out of the Safer Pathways Program in which non-government services (like Carrie’s Place) will closely collaborate with an array of government departments from police and justice to housing, family and community and health.
Funding for the additional staff will come from Legal Aid NSW.
“This is long-haul government policy,” Ms McDonald said. “We’ll be holding fortnightly [Safety Action Meetings] with all the key players in reducing domestic violence.”
Ms Harland said the new headquarters would need to include a car park, access to public transport and security for people fleeing violence.
These practical features were in addition to its primary purpose of providing space for the growing number of case managers, solicitors, counselors, and other staff who keep the service operating.
“It’s good we’re getting more workers,” she said.
“But it’s sad we need them.”
The move would be mostly funded by money that the community had given to the service through 2016. The fate of the current resource centre is still being considered.
