MEDIA RELEASE - Increased housing options for family violence survivors

Family violence survivors will now have access to increased housing options in Greater Dandenong.

Local family violence support service, Wayss, has added 16 new properties to its housing stock available for women and children escaping the horrors of family violence. The properties are in addition to 14 properties Wayss secured under the DHHS funded head-lease program in 2019.

Wayss Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Thomas, said head-leasing is a great opportunity for Wayss to directly access private rental stock in the local community for families in need.

"Stable housing is the first step in empowering a family violence victim survivor to take control of their life and recover. Once the family has secure accommodation, we can then coordinat specialist support services to help the woman and her children rebuild their lives," Ms Thomas said.

Wayss CEO Elizabeth Thomas.

"In just over 12 months, we've increased our housing stock to 30 head-lease properties under our management and that will result in some incredibly positive outcomes for families living in our local community. That's 30 families that now have the chance to build a positive rental history to support future tenancy applications - it's access to a critical first step that they may not have been able to take without this program."

Before linking the family with their new home, Wayss conducts a full safety and risk assessment of the property and works closely with local real estate agents to ensure the right property for the right family.

When they move in, the tenant pays only 33 per cent of the rent for the first six months, then 66 per cent for the remainder of the 12-month tenancy. The goal is for the family to then take over the lease and maintain the tenancy. The subsidised rent is a particular advantage when a woman is escaping a financially abusive relationship and needs time to get on top of their finances.

Ms Thomas said Wayss whole heartedly supports the continued development of the head-lease model across Victoria.

"Head-leasing is an extension of the housing first model, which focuses on getting people housed in safe, secure accommodation and then supporting them to stay housed by access to dedicated case-management. Safe, secure housing is essential to support families to plan pathways for living their best life," Ms Thomas said.

What is head-leasing?

Head-leasing is where a private rental property is rented from a landlord by a third party and then sub-let to the tenant. In the Wayss head-lease program, the property is on-let to a vulnerable tenant at a significantly reduced rental and Wayss takes on the responsibility of the rent and the tenancy obligations to the landlord.

What is financial abuse?

Financial abuse is one of the most powerful ways in which a perpetrator of family violence can gain control over their victim. It manifests in a range of forms and is often difficult to detect. It includes stealing money from a partner; taking out credit-cards or loans in a partner's name; refusing to pay child support; preventing a partner from undertaking paid work or study.

Banks digging deeper for victims of family violence

While it may come as a surprise to some, many banking institutions are heavily invested in more than money and are actively seeking to address one of the most insidious and silent types of family violence - the exploitation of family finances.

Financial abuse is a powerful way a perpetrator can assert control over their partner. It often impacts a victim's ability to remain living in the family home or, if need be, to pay for alternative safe accommodation where they can rebuild their lives with their children.

Research suggests around 16 per cent of Australian women will experience some form of financial abuse in their lifetime. Despite its prevalence, victims in a financially abusive relationship can be difficult to identify and typically experience control of finances over time. So, banks are acutely aware of the importance of their role in addressing this serious societal issue.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has sought to create a streamlined pathway to assistance for customers through its Domestic & Family Violence Assistance Program. Through the initiative, independent trauma counsellors, and not bank employees, take calls from eligible customers in need of support. When a victim calls, their immediate safety and needs are assessed. If eligible, financial assistance can be made available, which is designed to provide short-term, practical assistance to victims whose access to funds has been severely restricted or cut off completely. The program is designed to provide both immediate and ongoing assistance.

Forms of financial abuse

Financial control over a partner can include instances where a person:

• Controls access to finances
• Prohibits their partner from viewing financial statements
• Refuses to contribute financially to their partner or family, including child support
• Forces their partner to take out loans or credit cards in their own name
• Stops their partner from working or pursuing study
• Forces their partner to work unpaid in the family business
• Accumulates fines in their partner's name

Helping Wayss to support others

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has sought to assist expert service providers, such as Wayss, so they can extend their reach to support vulnerable families, while also creating further awareness about financial abuse.

Over last year's Christmas-New Year period, Commonwealth Bank members from branches at Pakenham, Karingal and Fountain Gate each presented $500 cheques to Wayss. The generosity from the bank's Community Donations Program is extraordinary, when you consider all three were independent nominations from each branch. All representatives commented they wanted to support the work of Wayss to assist vulnerable families experiencing family violence.

Pictured (L - R) Alan and CEO Elizabeth Thomas from Wayss,
with branch manager Conrad Fernandez.

The bank's program aims to support organisations that make a real difference in the community and staff members collectively decide upon the recipient. Pakenham Commonwealth Bank Branch Manager, Conrad Fernandez, said staff made it clear they wanted to help Wayss.

"We spoke with staff and asked them who in their community they wanted to support. It came out fairly strongly they wanted to help people such as those Wayss assisted," he said.





Wayss supports victim survivors to live a life free from violence

Inspirational relief dash for bushfire victims

The natural compassion of our Wayss team hit top gear earlier this month as many dug deep for an inspiring relief effort from staff members Jade and Bec, who sought to help animals and families impacted during the bushfire crisis.

Jade, a horse enthusiast, was spurred into action over the horrific loss of animal life throughout Victoria and NSW. Through her social media connections, developed through her passion for fostering animals, she learned many horses had been left unfed in the Gippsland area, due to evacuations. As Jade has a horse float with a large storage capacity, the duo put out a call for donations of hay or any items that could be delivered where needed most.

Once the supplies were collected, Jade and Bec completed an impromptu mercy dash to Bairnsdale. The country town was one of the most in-need, yet accessible, impacted areas.

"The fact is there were all these horses that nobody was really tending to because they were busy evacuating," Jade said.

"So over 300 horses hadn't been fed. Bec and I decided to donate our time as an instantaneous donation. We thought we could help the cause if we actually did something. We thought we could drive across there and drop off supplies, and help out the day-to-day caring of the animals, because who's doing that part?"

Jade and Bec called on donations from Wayss staff members and were impressed with the enthusiasm of their colleagues.

"We had a great response. Everyone was amazing," Jade said.

"I found random donations at my desk throughout the day, while people even bought clothes from the market for kids. Some people weren't too sure, so gave cash - and we went to the supermarket and bought slabs of water."

Jade and Bec also approached Dandenong Coles, which donated 10 slabs of water.

With the horse float packed to the brim, Jade and Bec headed to Bairnsdale. During their road trip, they even attracted the attention of metropolitan radio station, 3AW, which conducted a live interview.

Bec and helper Tara provided assistance for those impacted.

Bec said; "It was a bit awkward and they were like, 'why are you doing it? But, we were like, 'why not?'"

Once they arrived in Bairnsdale, Jade said she was better prepared for what she saw, having assisted during last year's Bunyip fires. Although, Bec said it was a new experience for her.

"As a city girl, there were many things I learnt - like not to stand behind a horse," she said.

"But there were so many things people are forgetting - like people have cats, but no cat litter. Dogs, but no dog food. Many were saying there were no ATMs with money in them, so they were unable to buy essential items."

Meanwhile, their feats also won praise within the Wayss office, with Lisa commenting; "It makes me so proud to walk alongside people who walk the walk".