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Dear Mary's House Services Supporters,
As our first newsletter of the 2025 year, we want to thank you for your generosity and share the impact of your support.
In the absence of government funding, our community is what enables us to provide critical services to women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
To put it simply, without you, Mary's House Services would cease to exist.
Without you, we would not have been able to provide critical care to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, both at our refuge and now, at our even larger community program centre which provides for women at varying stages of their domestic and family violence journey.
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Each November, we publish an Annual Report outlining our impact. You can access the latest report here to read about Mary's House refuge, the Daisy Outreach Centre and to hear directly from our clients about the work that we do.
Today, we want to give you even more direct insight into the difference your support makes. |
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What you will read in this update:
- The impact of your donations: How we supported women and children over the last year
- Safety first: How we endeavour to protect women and children from further harm
- Comprehensive support: Casework, legal assistance, and financial aid
- Community programs: Helping women at each stage of their journey with practical guidance and evidenced based therapeutic programs
- How your donations make a difference: A breakdown of key services and outputs
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In the full year ending 2024, Mary’s House Services:
- Provided refuge accommodation to 18 women and 17 children escaping domestic and family violence
- Transitioned 16 refuge families to longer-term, safe, affordable housing
- Provided ongoing care and education to women navigating their next steps, with over 250 enrolments in our community programs, many participating in multiple workshops and clinics
- Provided 78 families with casework and housing support
In the eight months since the close of last financial year, we have continued to provide safety and sanctuary to more women and children at our refuge, and our community centre has expanded to support women through a variety of programs tailored to their needs.
- An additional 9 women and 8 children were provided safe accommodation
- 33 more families were added to our case work register
- Increased our program offering with two new programs at the community outreach centre
- 70 women attended programs at our outreach centre
- Restructured an existing program to improve engagement
- Established group excursions to offer community connection and source clothing apparel for our clients at no expense
- Overall program attendance increased for the last term
- 62% of our clients participated in multiple outreach programs
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From the moment a woman reaches out to Mary’s House Services - whether through a referral from a professional service, another not for profit, a friend or self-referral - her safety is our highest concern.
This means:
- Our dedicated intake and referral case worker conducts a thorough safety assessment to gain full overview of her situation
- Securing safe transport to the refuge if she is at immediate risk
- Conducting a technology sweep of her personal devices to check for spyware, tracking apps, or other safety risks including, where necessary, home safety audits - noting all clients who are taken in at our refuge have their devices checked prior to arrival
- Ensuring medical needs are met, whether urgent care or ongoing health conditions
- Protecting our existing clients and staff by carefully managing intake processes
Women who come to us are often in danger from perpetrators who continue to monitor and control them. The safety measures we implement ensure they can start rebuilding their lives with less fear.
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I would like to contribute $500.00 towards the protection of victims-survivors against cyber technology abuse with the provision of more safety and technology sweeps for women fleeing this intimidation. |
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Every woman at Mary’s House Refuge is assigned a dedicated caseworker as her primary point of contact, while also benefitting from the collective expertise and support of our entire social work team. Our caseworkers assist with:
- Provision of interim hotel or safe place accommodation as an emergency measure prior to being taken in at the refuge
- Attending and advocating for our clients' needs with police
- Assisting with applications for financial support and housing
- Helping children settle into new schools and education systems
- Providing brokerage support, such as grocery vouchers, transport assistance, and essential items or immediate childcare and communication needs
- Connecting women with financial, legal, and counselling services through our community centre
- Providing court support
I would like to contribute to emergency hotel
accommodation by donating $250 |
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The average length of stay at our refuge is around three months, but our support extends well beyond that. Many women continue working with our caseworkers long after they leave, ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to rebuild their lives and manage through the long process of healing.
We do what we need to do for as long as it takes.
I would like to help by donating each month $100
toward more Mary’s House Services caseworkers |
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Not all women who seek our help are able to leave their situation immediately. Many are still living with or being monitored by a perpetrator and managing their daily risks. Some women are living independently and are no longer in immediate crises, but are struggling to reconnect with themselves or their children after experiencing domestic abuse. Our community programs play a crucial role in supporting these women, offering:
- Legal and financial clinics to help them understand their rights and options
- Counselling services to support their emotional and mental well-being
- Safety planning and risk assessment, tailored to their individual circumstances
- Domestic and family violence parenting workshops which include practical tips and connectivity to provide women with strategies and tools to support parenting their children who have also been impacted by domestic and family violence
- Domestic and family violence support groups and workshops that help women to stay connected, build confidence and begin the slow but hopeful recovery process in a compassionate and safe environment
- Assistance with re-entering the workforce and employment pathways
- Longer term mentoring
These programs are essential for women across varying stages of their journeys; those who are working toward leaving an unsafe environment, those living at our refuge, and for the many who have transitioned to safe longer-term accommodation but require on-going support due to the complexity of the impacts of domestic and family violence.
I would like to help the community programs reach more women in need by making a monthly donation of $50 |
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- Specialist social workers providing critical, one-on-one support
- Immediate critical care for women and their children escaping violence
- Professional counselling services
- The relocation of victim-survivors to longer term, affordable and safe housing and more permanent accommodation co-ordination
- Relocation expenses support and organisation
- Legal, financial, and evidenced based therapeutic well-being programs for women in crisis
- Brokerage support in the forms of gift cards and purchasing power for items such as essential supplies, individualised dietary needs and clothing, personal care items, children’s care paraphernalia, transport, and many more everyday matters we often take for granted
- Essential set up requirements in longer term safe accommodation; beds, mattresses, cupboards, utilities, kitchenware, and appliances
- Technology safety sweeps of personal devices, ongoing safety plans and home audits to assess safety requirements in new housing
- Management and co-ordination of our community programs
- Ongoing mentoring beyond casework
- Operational staff to deal with trades, removalists, purchasing requirements, refuge supplies co-ordination (household shopping, maintenance and cleaning)
- All work, health and safety compliance, governance, organisational safety and cyber protection, HR procedure, training requirements, finance management, including receipting, accounts payable
- Community engagement, communication, donor care and fundraising initiatives, excluding events external organisations may undertake on our behalf.
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Your donations make a difference
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| Mary's House Services Supporters, this is what you and our friends, family and community network of Mary's House Services do for the women and children of the Northern suburbs and those fleeing to Sydney's North for safety and care - all of which, without you, would currently cease to exist.
Mary's House Services remains deeply grateful for your ongoing support. Again, without government funding, your generosity is what makes all this possible.
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Ways you can help:
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Save the date in your calendar for 26 October 2025 - Mary's House Walk is back and bigger than ever!
We are proud to partner with the North Sydney Bears for 2025. Save the date for the Bears’ first home game for the season, set for Sunday May 4th at North Sydney Oval. Stay tuned for more Bears updates soon.
Watch out for our upcoming Mother's Day raffle for a chance to win! |  |
Gift cards:
Various denominations of gift cards we can provide to our clients for essential shopping needs.
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Raffle/Auction prizes:
We are always grateful to our corporate supporters who are able to provide raffle prizes and auction items to assist in our vital fundraising efforts.
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Art supplies:
We have a shopping list of much needed art supplies to support our community programs and art therapy classes.
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Vehicle:
MHS is in desperate need of a new vehicle to assist in the safe transport of the women and children we help on a daily basis.
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Share:
Please spread the great work we do to support women and children by sharing our MHS newsletter with your friends and family.
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Donate:
Donate to Mary's House Services on International Women's Day, Friday 7th March 2025, in lieu of attending a social event
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Thanks to members of our supporter community who thoughtfully extend their network to us, with introductions to new supporters.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events.
With thanks,
Yvette Vignando
CEO |
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ABOUT US
Mary’s House Services was established in 2016, when motivated members of the community on Sydney’s north shore agreed to take direct, affirmative action on the issue of domestic violence to save lives. Mary’s House Services provides accommodation and professional wrap around services for women and their children escaping domestic abuse that enables our clients to be safe, hopeful and empowered to take the first steps in rebuilding their lives.
Our domestic and family abuse service delivery is 100% community funded and relies on the support of our local community and corporate partners. |
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