Women’s Refuge is concerned that Min Tariana Turia is accusing it of being misleading around details of government cutbacks.

“We have clearly had a $383,000 cut to our baseline funding and it came into effect on July 1, 2011," says CEO Heather Henare. "This money goes directly to our 45 affiliated Refuges and each Refuge will be impacted to the tune of approximately $8511 each," she says.

Our refuges have had letters from us about this and we were told about it from MSD,” she says.

Although Women’s Refuge applauds Ms Turia’s Family Centred Services Fund it says this funding is for project work and is guaranteed over a 12 month period only.

"Our cuts have come from a Short Term Residential care fund. This fund subsidises women who stay in our safe houses for less than 6 days. We have 206 women and children who need to stay in one of our safe houses every night. It is this money that is affected. How each Refuge absorb this
loss will vary,” she says.

Women’s Refuge is in the middle of an annual fundraising campaign involving celebrity and symbolic auctions available from www.trademe/refuge and hopes to raise money for the 40% of its work that is not government funded.

www.womensrefuge.org.nz if people wish to donate directly to Women’s Refuge.

ENDS

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