On Friday 27 September, The Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter officially opened our new on-site office at the Shelter.?Unfortunately, James Griffin, State Member for Manly and Patron of the NBWS, was unable to be in attendance at the opening, but his support, both financially and through his constant advocacy for the service, was most?evident in the major changes that have occurred in the physical?improvements to the?accommodation at the Shelter.?Staff, volunteers, project managers JDV Projects and the Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter Board where joined by?Zali Steggall, OAM and Federal Member for Warringah and a select group of dedicated donors and supporters to mark this momentous occasion.?
Prior to the office being built, the shelter team shared a cramped office and were working out of one of the repurposed bedrooms. This was less than an ideal working environment for the shelter team and did not allow residents the privacy they need to start to re-build their lives.
The completion of the shelter offices on-site marks the end of a 12 month process, designed to improve the privacy and amenity for both the Shelter residents and team of support staff and volunteers.
Through the generous pro-bono support of JDV Projects and their partners, the office build was made possible through the donation of their project management skills and relationship expertise to coordinate some 27 local contractors who all in turn, very generously donated their specialised skills and worked tirelessly to make the estimated $120,000 build possible.
Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter Chair, Rosy Sullivan and Shelter Manager Jacqui Leonard officially opened the new office with the help of Jason DeVos the Managing Director of JDV Projects.
JDV Projects Managing Director Jason DeVos explains ?In July this year, The Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter approached JDV Projects with a request to see how far we could stretch their limited budget as a result of their fundraising activities to create a new dedicated office environment allowing them to free-up additional crisis accommodation.
JDV Projects were instantly keen to participate , however we hatched an even better idea ? Our Mission quickly became – ?you keep your funds raised for the operations of the Shelter and helping those in need, we will see if we can deliver the project for you at no cost.”
With the skills and services of the JDV team plus the ability to leverage our close relationships with our valued sub-contractors and suppliers, we knew that it was the ideal opportunity to give back and make a real difference for those in less fortunate circumstances.?
Shelter Manager Jacqui explains what the build means to the staff and residents ?We are so proud of NBWS for without the Community we would not exist and do the work we do. The work of the builders and tradies is a huge example of how Community can and does make a significant difference in people?s lives. The guys said they had wives, daughters, sisters and mothers and it was a wonderful opportunity to help where they could.?
About the Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter
What do we do?
The Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter (NBWS), formerly Manly Women?s Shelter, is a non-profit community organisation and registered charity. Providing up to 3-months? crisis accommodation and support to homeless and at-risk women. We provide shelter, security and assistance to enable these women to rebuild their lives by accessing permanent housing and support systems. As well as providing accommodation, food and clothing, our services include access to medical care, particularly for mental health issues and domestic violence. We provide counselling, teach life skills and provide education with a view to enabling future employment. NBWS supports homeless residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Support for us
Currently, our annual operating costs are just under $700,000. The Shelter accommodates up to ten women at any time for as long as 3-months. An additional six women live in transitional accommodation for up to 12 months, easing the bottleneck of need in the Shelter and supporting their smooth transition back to independent living. Since opening our doors in 2010, the Shelter has accomodated 450 women. We additionally support vulnerable women at risk in our community via our Outreach Program. Our outstanding results emphasise the exceptional quality of the Shelter?s service delivery.
NBWS has assisted over 90% of our residents to transition back into the community successfully and sustainably. We?re justifiably proud of these results and strive daily to improve them.
How you can help
It costs approx. $650 per week to care for a woman to stay at our Shelter and all donations are enormously appreciated. To donate please visit: http://nbws.org.au/donate/
Tickets are on sale to the Northern Beaches Women?s Shelter annual Melbourne Cup Lunch on Tuesday 5 November, 2019 at the beautiful Novotel, Manly. All tickets include a glass of champagne, a delicious 3 course meal and a 50% tax deductable donation.
To book or to make a tax deductable donation please visit: https://events.humanitix.com.au/nbwsmelbcup2019