Who We Are

Community Shelters are incredibly important in helping meet the demand for crisis accommodation for Women who are victims of domestic violence or are homeless and through a holistic and outcomes based approach, can make a large different to Women and Children at a critical time in their lives.

Our organisational strategy has been based around the four pillars of Client Support, Sound Management, Internal Perspective and Community and through our structured approach and continuous improvement focus, the Shelter possesses a robust governance framework.

In conjunction with the Strategy Committee, an ACNC Governance for Good self-evaluation was completed with all items assessed against the business model and any gaps were identified and managed appropriately. BWHCWS has also engaged an independent qualified auditor to conduct annual audits and provide additional advice and support. An annual budget is currently being developed and will form part of the Board Review for 2020/2021.

In addition to the ACNC action plans we established critical path schedules. One of which was focused on the board, specifically around the establishment of sound management practices, community engagement and internal effectiveness. Internal effectiveness activities were at 80% complete and included board development, subcommittee framework and induction process. The second critical path centred around plan/build and elements of operationalising the shelter. The vast majority of these activities have either been deferred or changed based on the current shelter situation.

In addition to the above, the board has implemented BoardPro to efficiently and transparently manage time, meetings, decisions and to centralise all board documentation. At the same time we implemented the use of 3 standard board papers for all board meetings to ensure consistency.

As part of our focus on professional and personal development, a training day was arranged and run by Board members. Additionally, DV awareness training was hosted by WCS, and DV Alert training – offered both online and face-to-face, was offered by Lifeline and attended by various Board members. 6 masterclasses run by WCS were made available to all Board members.

Our Shelter is being developed and led by the community for the community and our thanks are extended to the many community members and organisations who support and have offered to support the Shelter as with your assistance, we will continue to grow awareness and provide these essential community services.

The community support has been nothing short of sensational and as we progress to 2021 and as the demand for our services continues to increase, the community support becomes increasingly more important. BWHCWS also enjoys a very positive and supportive dynamic with Camden Council and has received support and offers of support from a number of organisations such as Rotary Narellan, Gregory Hills Next Gen Rotary, the Camden Wollondilly DV Committee, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, the Wollondilly Women in Business Network and others.

Our Board has also been busy setting ourselves up for success through the development and commencement of the needed subcommittees that will help us achieve our mission and we are positioned well for 2021.

Special thanks to Masterton Homes whom have committed to building a purpose-built Shelter. Whilst due to the unprecedented circumstances of COVID19, the build has been delayed, Masterton’s commitment and support is unwavering, and we are truly grateful. The Board are currently investigating and progressing discussions on interim Shelter options and are committed to being operational in 2021.

Did You Know

In excess of 56,000 Women are homeless in Australia each night and more than 1 in 2 are turned away from crisis accommodation due to limited spaces.

Whilst residing in Blue Wren House – Camden Women’s Shelter, the Women and Children will receive case management support to obtain assistance with:

• Housing
• Legal Issues
• Financial Support
• Healthcare/ Health Support
• Counselling
• Parenting and Independent Living Skills
• Training and Employment

Referrals can be made to Blue Wren House – Camden Women’s Shelter via:

• Link2Home – NSW Homelessness support line
• DV Hotline – Support line for victims of Domestic Violence
• Other referral pathways such as Police, Hospitals, Uni/TAFE/School, GP’s & self-referral.