Highlights and Achievements
Jenny’s Place honours the Awabakal people, the traditional custodians of the land on which we operate. We also respectfully acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of our neighbouring Nations; the Worimi, Wonnarua and Darkinjung people.
We recognise the history of our First Australians and acknowledge that this land was, is and always will be, Aboriginal land
To Elders past, present and emerging, we thank you for your historic and continuing custodianship of the land and of your cultural heritage, and we commit our respect to the stories, traditions and living cultures that have sustained for many thousands of years.
We provide safe passage and transformational support to help rebuild the lives of women and children living with domestic, family and sexual violence and/or homelessness.
The most credible and respected innovator in the domestic, family and sexual violence and homelessness service sector, the organisation that leads the way in shaping early intervention and recovery, and succeeds in engaging the whole society to help solve the problems of intergenerational violence in our community.
Compassion: Kindness, compassion and a calming presence make all the difference.
Equality: We are champions of social justice. Every person deserves dignity, respect, and opportunity.
Empowerment: Women already hold strength and power – our role is to stand beside them as they reclaim it.
Collaboration: Better service for our clients cannot be delivered in isolation.
Courage: It takes courage to do this work. Only the courageous lead the way.
A safe community
free of violence
and homelessness.
It is a great privilege to Chair the Jenny’s Place Committee and it is with pride and appreciation that I reflect on our service achievements over the past year. These achievements are made possible through the dedication, compassion, and professionalism of our staff, volunteers, and supporters, who work collaboratively to deliver intensive support to women and children experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) and homelessness.
The 2024/25 financial year saw positive structure review that included the considered internal re-allocation of existing personnel and the welcomed appointment of new staff. In particular, our Domestic Violence Resource Centre welcomed two specialist frontline roles; an identified Aboriginal caseworker and a specialist caseworker assigned to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. We also recruited an additional generalist caseworker to this team. These positions are funded through the NSW Government National Partnerships Agreement and they are absolutely vital to elevating our service capacity to provide culturally informed care that is highly responsive to social need.
The structure review also saw the refinement of our four specialist service delivery streams; Refuge Accommodation, Homelessness Outreach, Specialist Children and Young People Program and the Newcastle Domestic Violence Resource Centre. This process included the appointment of lead caseworkers to each stream and with this structure now firmly embedded in our service delivery, we are realising improved operational efficiencies and cross service collaboration to the benefit of clients, personnel and program partners. It is a fabulous outcome, and I extend my gratitude to Jenny’s Place, CEO, Dawn Walker, for her vision and determination to foster productivity and service enhancement.
As we celebrate the successes of this year, we are also mindful of the need to future-proof our organisation. The landscape in which we operate is constantly evolving, and it is essential that we continue to plan strategically to sustain service delivery in pace with social demand. To safeguard this trajectory we have commenced work on our 2025 – 2028 Strategic Plan and I thank the Committee members, executive and staff for coming together in the later months of the financial year to reflect on our
service history and identify future priorities for this incredible organisation and the community we serve.
Finally, I would like to announce that the Jenny’s Place team recently completed and fulfilled the accreditation requirements of the Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES). The ASES accreditation defines and determines community service standards and is vital to guiding best practice service delivery within our sector. Upon completion of the review, Jenny’s Place achieved an outstanding result with a perfect service rating of 100% measured against ASES standards! I cannot understate the importance of this five-year service accreditation and I congratulate every member of the Jenny’s Place team who consistently demonstrate a passionate commitment to governance, service excellence, sector innovation, continuous improvement and team development and wellbeing. I particularly thank Dawn and our Operations Manager, Brodie Clark, for their work in supporting the accreditation review which equates to months of planning and reporting – thank you and congratulations!
Nothing would please me more than to finalise my report with heartening news of a lessening incidence of domestic, family and sexual violence but tragically, this is not our reality. These social issues, which so often co-exist, remain critical for women in our community and of course when women are impacted, so too are their children and the generations that follow. What I am certain of is that our service and the wonderful team that completes it, remains wholly responsive to supporting women and children through this unthinkable trauma. We are holding tight to the knowledge that our work transforms lives and leads to the long-term safety and serenity these women and children so rightly deserve, and for that I am deeply grateful.
Thank you to the Committee members that serve alongside me, to Dawn, and to the wider Jenny’s Place team for remaining true to our vision and purpose.
Lynne Graham
Chairperson
Jenny’s Place Management Committee are responsible for the stewardship and governance of the organisation. We are grateful for the counsel and collective expertise of our elected committee members and look forward to their ongoing contribution to our service.
Lynne Graham
Jacqueline Rimington
(commencing AGM November 24)
Elvira Johnson
(exiting AGM November 24)
Mwaka Mtonga
(commencing AGM November 24)
Lisa Evans
(exiting AGM November 24)
Trudie Larnach
Lisa Evans
(commencing AGM November 24)
Meg Dolan
It is not enough for our clients to survive, we need them to recover.
With every new day, I gain a deepening respect for our clients; for the remarkable team of workers at Jenny’s Place; for the resourcefulness of our whole sector and for the understanding and utter devotion of everyone who supports and offers protection to the most vulnerable women and children in our community.
Walking alongside specialist domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) and homelessness workers, you are drawn closer to life. There is no escaping how real this is – the gravity of women and children arriving at our refuges in the back of ambulances and police cars with just the clothes on their backs. You realise the superhuman strength and courage it must take when you are terrified of leaving, but you are deathly afraid to stay. Our clients are faced with the stark, incomprehensible cruelty in that the very act of leaving violence renders them and their children homeless.
Eighteen months into the role, I see that in this work, there is never an easy day. Some days break your heart more than others. It makes me think of Marcia Chapman, of her heart, and of how much she must have borne during her 35 years at Jenny’s Place.
One of the most disquieting things that I have observed in these 18 months, is that so many of the people we support have extremely complex needs.
No other services ‘live in the house’ with DFSV survivors in the way that our sector’s services do. This unique proximity brings us up close to the catastrophic damage that is done, and the complex needs that arise from exposure to sustained DFSV trauma and the homelessness that follows. Within the walls of our refuges and our transitional properties, we see women and children suffering from severe PTSD, complex mental health and addiction issues. With new government funding we are beginning to establish services which support the needs of children with intense behavioral, speech and developmental delays. The profound impact of living with DFSV over a sustained or acute period, is devastating to see up close, especially in children.
The struggle to thrive haunts our clients from one generation to the next. These open wounds are passed on through the familial line, parent to child. It’s a human tragedy of Shakespearian proportions. An age-old story that is so sad, you couldn’t write it.
Jenny’s Place provides safe passage and trauma informed practical support to women and children, and as a specialist crisis support center, we have earned the trust and respect of our stakeholders and our community. It is only through the faith and generosity of our funders and our community that we have been able to expand our crisis support services and continually improve the way we deliver support to our clients. Significant milestones in crisis response have been achieved through the action of our local, state and federal government, and via the love and support of our community and our benefactors. Together we have helped thousands of clients escape DFSV and homelessness and we have set them on
a path to rebuild their lives. With women coming forward in greater numbers to report that they are victims of DFSV and/or facing homelessness, there is the confirmation that more people are trusting the collaborative system that we have built together.
With this trust, comes responsibility.
At Jenny’s Place, we live in the house alongside some of the most uniquely vulnerable women and children in society. We are ideally placed to understand that it is only through our remarkable clients, through individual recovery one client at a time, that we can ever begin to turn the tide on DFSV. To enable this vision, there needs to be a seismic shift which moves us all from being predominantly a network of support systems which are weighted towards crisis response, to a more balanced approach which incorporates Recovery as a central, foundation service stream. Alongside robust crisis response, there needs to be a sustained focus on developing and embedding specialist Recovery support programs that enable the psychological and physical recovery of our clients, young and old. Every DFSV, child protection and homelessness service needs to have individualized programs which provide cohesive multi-disciplinary mental health, allied health and addiction support, housed together under one roof, aimed at enabling long term, individual recovery.
We will never be able to heal our society, if we cannot restore the wellbeing of our individuals.
It’s time to recognise that any organisation that is part of or is aligned to our sector, can harness the unique knowledge and understanding that only we have, and use this wealth of knowledge to have bilateral purpose and impact. More than crisis responders, we can become the leaders of metamorphic societal change, for this generation and for the generations that follow.
I devote this message to the visualisation of new era of innovation within our services and across our stakeholder landscape. This vision weaves us together to become a powerhouse for Change. One in which government and NFP community organisations like ours, alongside police, justice, health, corporate and community benefactors, come together to advocate for whole system change.
Societal change and innovation is a shared responsibility which begins with individual action.
The future vision for Jenny’s Place will see the establishment of three core service pillars.
The JP Centre for Woman and Children
Our established services where we provide safe passage and practical support for women facing DFSV and/or Homelessness.
The JP Centre for Learning
Where we will strengthen our collaboration with leading universities and research centres to use data integrity and knowledge to inform our actions.
For society to change, we encourage the men in our community to become central to the solution.
Dawn Walker
CEO
women and children were supported across Jenny’s Place service streams in the 2024/25 financial year.
children and young people presented to Jenny’s Place with their mothers in the 2024/25 financial year. Every child or young person supported by Jenny’s Place has access to specialist children’s trauma programs including The Sunshine Hut and our Specialist Workers Children and Young People Program.
Jenny’s Place supported 1211 women and children in the 2024/25 financial year. This number represents clients receiving dedicated casework across all core services irrespective of the length of the support period. It does not include those women connecting with Jenny’s Place via our Intake team. It is important to note that in some instances a client is supported across multiple core services, and this can result in variations in client data. An additional 828 women were unable to be supported.
Children
(from beginning of support period)
In order to optimise our service to clients, Jenny’s Place underwent an important internal structural review in the 2024/25 financial year. This review resulted in the identification of four new leadership appointments for each of the existing service streams; crisis/refuge accommodation, homelessness outreach, SWCYP (Specialist Workers for Children and Young People) and the Newcastle Domestic Violence Resource Centre.
With this new structure in place, we are able to deliver enhanced service and cost efficiencies, holistic multi-disciplinry case management- driven by expert leadership across all client support touch points.
The structure also enables professional development pathways for those appointed to, and those aspiring to, leadership roles at Jenny’s Place. We are excited to be realising these important service outcomes for our clients and staff and will continue to build on these positive results into the future.
A key focus area for the 2024/25 financial year was service wide preparation for the Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES) accreditation, scheduled for formal review in August 2025.
While we were confident our service delivery and operating policies and procedures would see our ASES accreditation renewed for another three year term, the process presented Jenny’s Place an opportunity to conduct a robust internal review in advance of ASES consultation. Through this process we were able to cement and evidence our commitment to best practice service delivery, leading to successful ASES accreditation review and renewal.
Domestic, family and sexual violence early intervention starts with children and young people. In the 12 months to June 30, 2025 Jenny’s Place supported 526 children. This significant increase in youth intake highlghts the critcial importance of expanding age appropriate, trauma informed services that support the immediate and longer term recovery of some of the most uniquely vulnerable children in our community.
To maximise this opportunity Jenny’s Place has formalised the Specialist Workers Children and Young People program (SWCYP), ensuring integrated child-centric case management, allied health care and psychological support for every child and young person exposed to DFV and/or homelessness. Specifically, the SWCYP team conisists of two specialist children’s caseworkers and service based speech and occupational therapists. These staff members work collaboratively with our wider casework streams, our Sunshine Hut children’s trauma program, and where appropriate, external agencies, to provide every child personalised support across all aspects of their life.
Ultimately, our intentional approach to child- centric early intervention will support the child’s immediate physical and psychological wellbeing, while also facilitating DFV prevention by addressing the well-evidenced interrelationship between childhood experiences of DFV and relational dysfunction in adulthood.
We feel very confident that the investment we make in children and young people today will have lasting generational impact, lessening the long-term incidence of DFV in our community.
Jenny’s Place Sunshine Hut program is a vital collaboration between the University Of Newcastle School Of Psychological Science and has been generously funded by Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
Since it’s commencement in 2023 the Sunshine Hut program has provided clinical psycholgical support to over 100 children and their mothers. The program framework includes individual consultation and group based workshops to provide mothers a parenting toolkit specific to raising
children impacted by trauma. The immediate and long-term benefits resulting from this specialist support is genuinely life changing for the child and importantly, it also addresses DFV prevention by shifting the documented trajectory of generational abuse.
With the social impact of this program being realised and expenditure tracking below forecast, Newcastle Perament Charitable Foundation approved a variation to our funding agreement to extend program delivery through to the close of semester one, 2025. The University of Newcastle also extended the Sunshine Hut Vocational Placement Agreement to provide continuing access to post graduate clinical psychology students and program coordination and supervision.
“Thank you for always listening to me and for being someone I can trust. It can be really hard to feel like I am doing a good job of being a mum. I have been told so many times that I am a bad mum and working through the things I have been doing well helps me to believe in myself more.”
With program delivery uninterrupted for the remaining months of the 2025 calendar year, we will now look to secure indefinite funding for this vital program, so that our clients continue to benefit from onsite psychological support into the future.
In June 2024 Jenny’s Place was awarded funding via the NSW Government NPA New Specialist DFSV Workers program to appoint three DFSV caseworkers including an identified worker to support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) communities and caseworker for culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD). These appointments were actuated this financial year with a marked elevation in engagement across both community groups. We are very proud of the progress made by our specialist ATSI and CALD caseworkers over this 12 month period and feel confident their community presence and sector expertise is creating trusted pathways for women and children experiencing DFV and homelessness to access lifechanging support.
Jenny’s Place continues to work with social housing provider, Housing Plus to construct a nine unit crisis accommodation development in Lake Macquarie. The development, which is expected to be operational in 2026, is funded by the NSW Government with the support of independent funding partners; the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, Wests Group Australia and the McCLoy Group.
The property will have capacity for nine women and up to 30 children on any given night, significantly increasing Jenny’s Place emergency intake and embracing gold standard core and cluster design, which includes clusters of fully furnished independent accommodation, supported by a core building of social services. The women and children living within the units will have access to intensive onsite casework provided by Jenny’s Place and wrap- around support programs including the Sunshine Hut children’s trauma program, empowerment and self-development workshops, tenancy and housing support, legal aid and other personalised referrals.
The volume of women contacting the Jenny’s Place for support continues to increase as a result of the ongoing housing crisis and consistently prevalent domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) assaults.
In addition to the 1211 clients supported by Jenny’s Place, our Intake team logged 1513 phone enquiries, a 31% increase in calls for assistance compared to the year prior.
The Intake process is managed by the Newcastle Domestic Violence Resource Centre Lead and with just two part-time Intake workers assigned to triaging incoming enquiries, this notable increase in social need has stretched the team beyond their funded capacity. Despite this considerable escalation, this small but committed team work tirelessly to link women and children to critical internal and external support services.
Their day-to-day role includes fielding incoming calls and providing DFV first response support, client advocacy to access emergency temporary accommodation, and where available, processing refuge or housing referrals for longer-term accommodation placements. The team have built strong relationships with other Specialist Homelessness Services and housing providers, which plays a vital role in identifying and securing safe housing for women and children leaving violence or experiencing homelessness.
The Newcastle Domestic Violence Resource Centre (NDVRC) was established by Jenny’s Place in 2008 to address known service accessibility limitations for women and children experiencing DFSV in Newcastle and throughout the Hunter and Lake Macquarie regions. The Centre has a dual focus; leading DFV prevention and early intervention through community access and education, and providing highly responsive, action oriented casework for victims of domestic abuse.
Presently, the NDVRC operates Monday to Friday and is staffed by four DFV caseworkers including our specialist CALD and First Nations caseworkers. In the 2024/25 financial year this expert team supported 181 women (120 being new referrals to the service). Sixty-six of those women presented with children in their care, resulting in 119 children being offered specialist children’s and young people casework and trauma informed psychological support through our SWCYP and Sunshine Hut programs.
In this time the team have provided extensive practical and emotional support to women and children experiencing (or those with past experience of) DFV. Case management plans are varied and carefully tailored to the specific needs of each client but support consistently includes safety and exit planning – to help women implement self-protection measures and leave violence as safely as possible, crisis and post crisis support including access to counselling, legal advice, financial assistance, and other advocacy and referral representation.
It is important to note that in the 12 months to June 30, 2025 the NDVRC team have recorded a significant increase in serious threat referrals for women and their children. The team have worked closely with Child Protection, Police and other services in response to these incidences of serious threat and have received positive feedback from clients and services relating to their support.
The current housing crisis and financial strain on families continues to be the primary deterrent to women and children leaving abusive
relationships, and sometimes this results in women remaining in violent relationships. The legal system can also be a significant barrier, as it is often used to perpetuate ongoing forms of DFV. The NDVRC team continue to develop and strengthen relationships with housing providers, real estate agencies, legal and financial services in effort to reduce these barriers and to create pathways to safety for our clients.
Housing affordability and accessibility within the private rental market and social housing sector continues to impact the availability of refuge beds. With rising market rents in Newcastle so often out of reach for our clients, and with social housing waitlists extending beyond several months, we are finding it increasingly challenging to transition refuge clients into independent accommodation. The outcome is that clients are remaining in refuge well beyond the recommended six week term, creating unavoidable access delays for women in urgent need of crisis accommodation.
Jenny’s Place currently operates two crisis accommodation refuges; one for women with children – warmly referred to as our ‘families’ refuge’ – and a second for single women. Both of these properties have operated at capacity for the majority of the 2024/25 financial year, with the onsite casework team committed to supporting each clients’ recovery and safety throughout their stay. While refuge is an important safe haven for many women and children leaving violence and facing homelessness, it is always our objective to help our refuge clients re-establish their independence – securing housing is a vital first step in achieving that objective.
In the last financial year Jenny’s Place families refuge accommodated 25 women and 43 children, this represents a 34% decrease in the number of women accommodated in the 12 months prior. This significant reduction can be directly attributed to the lack of affordable housing for families, affecting transition rates to longer term accommodation. Women and children remain in refuge far longer now than in prior years because of the housing crisis. The singles refuge accommodated 49 women over the 12 months to June 30 and this is a more consistent reflection of the number of women accommodated in refuge in the year prior.
Despite the housing challenges outlined, our refuge casework teams have remained resilient and optimistic, drawing on their sector expertise and networks to facilitate client relocation where ever possible, and observing and celebrating each client’s personal progress as they begin their recovery and plan their future free from violence.
In the 2024/25 financial year our Outreach team supported 324 women and their children through various programs.
Jenny’s Place Transitional Accommodation Program offers tenancies in collaboration with partnered social housing providers, allowing Jenny’s Place clients to secure tenancies ranging from 12 months to five years. In June 2025 Jenny’s Place was given nomination rights to seven additional Transitional Accommodation properties, bringing our total Transitional Accommodation property portfolio to 31.
During these tenancies, clients receive dedicated support from a Jenny’s Place caseworker, helping them address barriers that may prevent them from obtaining a private tenancy in the future. This holistic approach to client care aims to empower women and foster long-term housing stability.
Over the 12 months to June 30, 2025 we supported 42 women and their children in Transitional Accommodation tenancies, and due to the well- documented shortage of affordable housing in the Hunter region, we have extended many of these tenancies beyond their planned 12 month term.
The Rapid Rehousing Program assists women and their children who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Caseworkers help clients apply for Social Housing Assistance, secure additional funding support, and provide housing resources to facilitate their entry either into the private rental market, short-term emergency accommodation or medium-term supported housing. Each client presents to Jenny’s Place with unique needs and our client-centered approach to Outreach enables us to work closely with clients to help identify and secure safe and stable long-term housing solutions that reflect their personal circumstance and financial capacity.
It is worth noting that as a direct result of the housing crisis and rising cost of living, we have observed a substantial increase in demand for our Rapid Rehousing program. At the commencement of the financial year, the Rapid Rehousing waitlist exceeded 12 weeks and through the tenacity and dedication of the Outreach team we were able to reduce this wait time to an average of 5.5 weeks by June 30, 2025. This surge in demand is a reflection of the absolute desperation felt by those experiencing housing insecurity, and evidence of the urgent need for government support to lift the supply of affordable housing in our community.
The Early Intervention and Prevention Program assists women and their children to sustain existing tenancies and prevent homelessness. This year 42 women have avoided eviction and remained safely housed due to support provided through this program.
The Early Intervention and Prevention Program assists clients in instances where their tenancy is at risk and where client gives consent for the Outreach team to advocate on their behalf. The caseworkers work closely with social housing providers, real estate agencies and private landlords to negotiate and secure agreement for the client to remain in their property.
Concurrently, caseworkers support clients to overcome the barriers jeopardising their tenancy. Factors including competing financial obligations and debt, domestic violence, mental health, parenting and family support, alcohol and drug use, literacy and property care are among the possible issues impacting tenancies.
The This Way Home Project is managed by Home In Place and includes access to nine temporary accommodation units for people requiring accommodation for up to 28 days. Additionally, there are 24 medium-term accommodation units where tenants can reside for up to two years. The Project Facilitation Group includes representatives from Home in Place, Department of Communities and Justice, ITEC Youth, Nova for Women and Children, Wandiyali, Warlga Ngurra, St Vincent De Paul (Matthew Talbot), Jenny’s Place, Baptist Care, Samaritans Foundation and Wesley Mission. In the 2024/25 financial year Jenny’s Place supported seven clients through This Way Home tenancies.
Social service collaboration is a priority for Jenny’s Place as we understand our potential to provide transformational support to women in crisis is heightened when we work together. In 2024 the Outreach team established an important partnership with Newcastle homelessness support service, Soul Hub. The partnership provided Jenny’s Place to better engage the more vulnerable members of the community through a weekly clinic at Soul Hub. This clinic has created an opportunity for our Outreach team to provide direct response to clients’ immediate and urgent needs, often preventing the need for them to join the waitlist for ongoing support.
The Specialist Worker for Children and Young People (SWCYP) team have connected with and supported on average 50 families and upwards of 100 children throughout the 2024/25 financial year. This support has largely been directed within the refuge setting where children and young people are processing critical stages of adjustment and recovery.
Over the 12 month period the SWCYP team has observed an increase in the complexity of support required and of client’s needs. This observation led to expansion of the wrap around allied health services which now includes onsite speech and occupational therapy. The caseworkers and the allied health team work together to ensure a person-centred approach to case planning and therapeutic intervention.
The addition of service based allied health workers has been further supported by the overall operational development of the SWCYP program. Changes in leadership, service expansion, and a continued focus on trauma-informed care for children and families accessing our service has led to the development and activation of new processes, policies, and procedures; improvements that have strengthened internal consistency, enhanced service delivery – establishing a clear, trauma-informed framework for client engagement, and informed staff practice for the future.
A major focus for the program this year has been the continued development of a trauma-informed, therapeutic model of care. The SWCYP
team have continued to partner with the University of Newcastle School of Psychology through the Sunshine Hut program to elevate our understanding of the complex needs of children exposed to family violence and homelessness, and the effects it has on a child’s development. The Sunshine Hut program supports the SWCYP team by delivering counselling and therapeutic support to mothers, children, and young people impacted by DFSV. This collaboration brings therapeutic expertise directly into the service by integrating psychology into the SWCYP casework program. This partnership not only enhances the program’s capacity to respond to client needs, but also contributes to innovation in service delivery and long-term learning and developments in trauma recovery and mental health.
To ensure a safe and nurturing space for children and young people in our service, the program invested in new equipment, including sensory play equipment and child-specific resources. The introduction of psychology led resources such as “Big Life Journal” have been an excellent resource for our teams to deliver a high quality and specialised service. These initiatives are shaping a responsive, evidence-based therapeutic environment that supports recovery, resilience, and long-term wellbeing for those affected by family violence and homelessness.
The progress achieved this year reflects the SWCYP program’s continued commitment to providing trauma-informed, child-centred support in a safe
and responsive environment. Our team remains focused on continuous improvement and looks forward to building on this year’s achievements in the next 12 months.
Jenny’s Place has been supporting women and children impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence and homelessness for close to half a century but I am acutely aware that we have never delivered this essential community service in isolation. So, it is with heartfelt gratitude that I acknowledge the incredible people and organisations who so generously work with us to extend the highest standard of care to our clients. We are united in our strength and commitment to keeping women and children safe – thank you for standing with us.
Dawn Walker, CEO
Kath Carmody, Carol Crompton, Wendy Kingston, Sue McDonald and Ean Sutton – you are a vital and valued extension of the Jenny’s Place team! Thank you for all you do to support our fundraising efforts and the safety and wellbeing of our clients.
We are immensely grateful to our friends at C3 Victory, who help maintain our clients’ gardens and in doing so support positive tenancies.
The work delivered by the volunteer team at Friends With Dignity is genuinely life-changing – thank you for helping our clients create their new home.
Thank you for so generously welcoming client referrals and providing our clients free legal advice.
Our partnership with Homes NSW has continued to thrive this year with Senior Client Service Officers on site each month to support our clients in understanding the requirements of the NSW Housing Register.
We work in close and trusted partnership with Home In Place, a valued stakeholder who proactively supports Jenny’s Place clients via the provision of innovative and affordable housing solutions for women and children escaping DFSF and/or homelessness.
Jenny’s Place continues to work in partnership with social housing provider, Housing Plus to develop a nine unit core and cluster crisis accommodation property in the Lake Macquarie community. This important construction project will transform crisis accommodation in our region with every client provided fully independent accommodation from which to commence their trauma recovery. Pictured below: are some of the Core and Cluster project stakeholders including representatives from Housing Plus, Wests Group Australia and Jenny’s Place.
To Consortium members – Carrie’s Place, Got Your Back Sista, Family Support Newcastle, Newcastle Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service, Nova for Women and Children, Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services, Upper Hunter Homeless Support and Warlga Ngurra Aboriginal Women and Children Domestic Violence and Homelessness Service – thank you for the shared knowledge and solidarity.
Pictured below: Some members of HDFVC.
Your expert financial counselling and financial literacy provides our clients the support they need to rebuild financial independence after leaving violence.
To the OzHarvest team, thank you for fuelling our refuge based families with welcomed weekly deliveries of fresh and nutritious groceries.
We are grateful for the opportunity work with you to host a weekly clinic for women experiencing homelessness and for the meals prepared with love and kindness.
To Saskia Behan and the participating graduate team, our deepest gratitude for your expertise and professionalism. The Sunshine Hut program is life altering and our clients will forever carry the strength and knowledge you’ve gifted them.
An extraordinarily important service providing our clients with trusted, expert legal advice specific to domestic violence offences – thank you for easing our clients’ burdens with your compassion and expertise.
The weekly workshops provided by the Zahra Foundation helps our clients develop vital life skills, resulting in self-empowerment and financial literacy. We are grateful for the opportunity to offer this important program at Jenny’s Place.
Adventure trekking continues to be a fundraising priority for Jenny’s Place with the community actively engaged in the trek program, whether through direct participation, sponsorship or media interest.
The focal trek for the 2024/25 financial year was the Kumano Kodo Trail (Japan) which saw 14 dedicated local women take on the steep and challenging 85km hike featuring remote villages, historic shrines and the famous Nachi-no-Otaki waterfall. The images below showcase trek highlights.
In addition to the Kumano Kodo adventure, there were three other treks hosted outside of the 2024/25 financial year but where funds were received within the reporting period; the Heysens Trail Flinders Ranges, Larapinta Trail and the Bay of Fires treks. These treks, when combined with funds raised through the Kumano Kodo trek, collectively raised $215,340.95 in support Jenny’s Place service delivery; an incredible act of physical and financial generosity that has sustained our service delivery and expanded our community support.
One particularly important trek initiative activated in the 2024/25 financial year was Jenny’s Place first ever ‘men’s only’ trek. Aptly titled Champions for Change, this trek would unite 11 of the region’s most wonderful men to open dialog and encourage male led role-modelling and leadership on the issue of DFSV prevention.
The group connected, planned, prepped and fundraised throughout the 2024/25 financial year before heading off to the top end on August 28 to tackle 70kms of the Larapinta Trail over just six days. The trek was a huge success and we are incredibly heartened by the support of these great men who demonstrated what we have always known, that the incidence of DFSV will only ever be lessened when men mentor men on the importance of safe and respectful relationships.
Just as the 2024/25 financial year commenced, 16 incredible local women were wrapping up a gruelling 120km hike of the Heysen’s Trail Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The crew completed the trek on July 4 despite freezing conditions, frozen tents and consistent, drizzling rain which made the steep and rocky terrain difficult to navigate. We are in awe of this extraordinary crew who won over the wildest weather to stoically complete this epic nine day adventure.
Positive social change is only possible when every member of our community steps up and stands against the issue of domestic, family and sexual violence. We extend our deepest gratitude to our trekking family, to those committed women AND men who intentionally instigate change through action – thank you!
Jenny’s Place service delivery is possible due to generous government, corporate and community investment. This investment is made through various giving initiatives including grants and tenders, bequests and trusts, general donations, corporate contributions, sponsorship and community led events.
Collectively, these generous contributions fund our casework capacity, our operational costs and importantly, they provide us the financial leverage to extend our programs to meet known gaps in DFSV and homelessness service provision. This support is absolutely vital to our purpose, our function and our social impact and without it, women and children in our community would be at a heightened risk of harm and homelessness.
With this knowledge, it is important to reflect on the extraordinary contributions made by so many organisations and individuals over the last financial year because it is this support that allowed us to help 1211 women and 526 children in their immediate time of need. So, on behalf of the entire Jenny’s Place team, please know that we recognise the gravity of your investment; you make our work possible and in doing so, you are improving life outcomes for women and children each and every day.
Jenny’s Place was awarded eight grants over 2024/25 financial year, culminating in a total grant investment of $285,586. This funding has benefitted a range of programs, enabling Jenny’s Place responsiveness to known gaps in service provision across the sector.
Orica Impact Fund – $36,200 specified to Jenny’s Place Outreach Program for the purchase and installation of security cameras for all transitional accommodation properties.
Primary Health Network – $8,000 specified to Jenny’s Place staff training and development
Third-party community and corporate fundraising was a special feature of the 2024/25 financial year. The following fundraisers shone a spotlight on the issue of DFSV in our region and contributed significantly to our programs and service streams.
July 2024
Funds raised – $11,035
February 2025
Funds raised – $8,600
July through October 2024.
Funds raised – $10,553
March 2025
Funds raised – $75,000
September 2024
Funds raised – $16,740
March 2025
Funds raised – $22,500
September
Funds raised – $6,630
April 2025
Funds raised – $5,000
October 2024
Funds raised - $12,000
April 2025
Funds raised – $8,000
December 2024
Funds raised – $44,731.96
June 2025
Funds raised – $17,500
December 2024
Funds raised – $11,500
A special thank you to our generous corporate partners:
In addition to financial gifts, Jenny’s Place receives in-kind support estimated to be well in excess of $350,000 p.a. In-kind contributions range from pro- bono corporate and media services, office space for our community relations team (provided at no charge courtesy of HL Mullane), community and corporate donation of goods that support our clients’ needs; food, hygiene and household products, gift cards and special occasion gifts – Easter, Christmas and Mother’s Day. We simply can’t express the importance of this in-kind support which dramatically reduces our service expenditure and allows us to elevate our standard of care and client provisions.
Betty Cares Foundation
We receive remarkable support from the Betty Cares Foundation who provide clothing packs for women entering refuge. These new clothes come in a range of sizes and are a welcomed gift for those who often arrive at refuge with so little.
Fast Fuel
Women experiencing homelessness often struggle to access and prepare the nutritious meals that are so vital to their health and wellbeing. We extend special thanks to the team at Fast Fuel who so generously provide nutrient packed ready meals for our clients.
Kiwanis
A Kiwanis welcome pack complete with pyjamas, clothes, toiletries, toys and craft supplies is gratefully provided to every woman and children entering our refuge.
Next Steps Australia
The linen packs donated by Next Steps Australia are a vital supply for women settling into a new home. Each pack comes compete with all the linen, bedding and bath essentials. On behalf of every client that has been gifted these essential packs – thank you!
Paragold Distributors
Thank you to the team at Paragold Distributors for our regular donations of beautiful handbags and travel bags. We fill these bags with all the essentials our clients need and they are always warmly received with gratitude and excitement!
Susan Roskell Memorial Toy and Gift Drive
Todd Sheldon and the team at the Susan Roskell Memorial Toy and Gift Drive are the cheer our families need at Christmas. Our sincere gratitude for your tireless work in coordinating donations of toys and gifts to Jenny’s Place and so many other services throughout the region.
The Local Church
Thank you to the members of The Local Church for donating a range of gifts and goods and for providing much needed people-power at our Christmas warehouse.
HL Mullane
Tony and Tania Rhodes of HL Mullane have been true and faithful friends of Jenny’s Place, providing a home for our community relations team. Tony and Tania generously donated an office space rent-free over many years, a remarkable contribution and act of great kindness to our service. Thank you so much for caring out Jenny’s Place, and the work we do for the women and children in our community.
Mezzanine
Mezzanine provides invaluable support to Jenny’s Place through expert advice, stewardship and implementation of our digital strategy and branding. To Nikki, Luke, Liz and Jess, we simply can’t thank you enough for being a valued extension of the Jenny’s Place team.
Strategic Group
To Chris and Jill Boswell, Dianne Lowe and the wider Strategic Group tech family, thank you! We are infinitely grateful for all you do to keep us networked and fully operational! Your enduring commitment to Jenny’s Place continues to make an enormous difference to the women and children we support.
Southern Cross Austero (SCA – Newcastle)
Special thanks to Mike Crowhurst and the team at TripleM and Hit106.9 Newcastle for supporting Jenny’s Place through their annual Embrace Community Partnership. As a SCA Embrace charity partner, Jenny’s Place is gifted a generous on-air campaign to help raise awareness about the issues of DFSV and homelessness in Newcastle.
2025
2024
Revenue
$
$
Revenue
Interest income
Other income
Employee benefits expense
Depreciation and amortisation expense
Other expenses
3,302,748
59,021
14,586
(2,184,728)
(116,332)
(871,130)
2,322,513
31,964
30,167
(2,042,962)
(117,607)
(571,803)
Profit before income tax
204,165
(347,728)
Income tax expense
–
–
Profit for the year
204,165
(347,728)
Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax
–
–
Total comprehensive income for the year
204,165
(347,728)
2025
2024
Current Assets
$
$
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables
Prepayments
Total Current Assets
2,807,754
14,332
40,395
2,862,481
2,420,899
10,993
45,430
2,477,322
Non-Current Assets
Property, plant and equipment
Right of use assets
Total Non-Current Assets
Total Assets
8,524
14,363
22,887
2,885,368
38,660
10,559
139,219
2,616,541
Liabilities
Current Liabilities
Trade and other payables
Borrowings
Lease liabilities
Employee benefits
Other financial liabilities
Total Current Liabilities
Non-Current Liabilities
Employee benefits
Lease liability
Total Non-Current Liabilities
Total Liabilities
249,839
4,449
15,606
365,990
427,083
1,062,967
63,013
–
63,013
1,125,980
190,297
630
90,458
299,310
352,319
933,014
112,714
15,590
128,304
1,061,318
Net Assets
1,759,388
1,555,223
Equity
Retained Earnings
Total Equity
1,759,388
1,759,388
1,555,223
1,555,223
The financial statements cover Jenny’s Place Incorporated as an individual entity. Jenny’s Place Incorporated is a not for profit Association incorporated in New South Wales under the Associations Incorporation Act (NSW) 2009 and Associations Incorporation Regulation (NSW) 2010 (‘the Act’).
The financial statements are special purpose financial statements that have been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards (including Australian Accounting Interpretations), the Associations Incorporated Act 2009 (NSW), Class Order 11/01 as issued by the NSW Fair Trading and the financial reporting requirements under the organisation agreement with the Department of Family and Community Services (DFACS). A statement of compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) cannot be made due to the Group applying not for profit specific requirements contained in the Australian Accounting Standards.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable Australian Accounting Standards, Australian Accounting Interpretations and other authorised pronouncements with the exception of the following:
AASB 119 – Employee benefits.
2025
2024
Revenue and Other Income
$
$
Revenue from contracts with customers:
DCJ funding
Other grant income
Revenue recognised on receipt:
Client fees
Fundraising and donation income
Total Revenue
2,437,999
168,644
51,434
644,671
3,302,748
1,759,840
81,091
66,614
414,968
2,322,513
Other Income:
Rent choice income
Insurance recoveries
Gain/(loss) on sale of plant and equipment
Sundry income
(76)
14,664
–
(2)
14,586
4,258
–
21,818
4,091
14,586
Result for the Year
204,165
(347,728)
The result for the year includes the following specific expenses
Employee expenses:
Salaries and Wages
Movement in entitlementsStaff training
Supernnuation
1,928,626
16,979
34,062
205,061
2,184,728
1,877,443
(8,172)
1,033
172,658
2,042,962
Depreciation and amortisation
Plant and equipment
Leasehold improvements
Right of use – Buildings
217
29,919
89,196
116,332
250
31,163
86,194
117,607
Consulting and professional fees
Fundraising expenses
Insurance
234,618
16,762
99,759
53,830
95,952
76,645
Our Social Impact Highlights