How Covid-19 Made Women’s Refuge Stronger

In March, as families around the country were told to ‘go home’ and ‘stay safe’ in the hope of stopping the spread of Covid-19, for many, home was anything but safe.  

Those working at New Zealand’s 40 Women’s Refuges knew that thousands of women around the country would be self-isolating with their abusers.

“I was absolutely terrified,” says Dr Ang Jury, CEO of New Zealand’s Women’s Refuge.

“I was really worried about how women were going to contact us because if you were locked up 24/7 with the person who's perpetrating the violence, it's going to be hard to get the privacy to make a call.”

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In the following weeks the charity saw the number of calls to its 24-hour crisis phone-line halve.

But it also saw the number of people contacting its discrete shielded internet site spike by 35%.

Realising there was an acute need to support these women and children, the charity had to change the way it worked.

“We had to go from a service premised on face-to-face contact and the ability to build rapport by being up close and personal with someone, to doing more of that work over the phone or over Zoom,” says Dr Jury.

“That’s very hard to do, especially for refuge workers who are used to giving someone a hug.”

“We had to go from a service premised on face-to-face contact and the ability to build rapport by being up close and personal with someone, to doing more of that work over the phone or over Zoom,”  - Dr Ang Jury, CEO of Women's Refuge NZ.

UNDER PRESSURE

Although well accustomed to helping people in crisis, Women’s Refuge was now facing one of its own.

It discovered operating a network of shelters and safe houses during a nationwide lockdown required a new approach and a lot more resources.

Instead of using their existing multi-occupancy safe houses, the charity had to book motels, campervans and even Airbnb accommodation for those fleeing abuse, so they could maintain social distancing.

“We didn’t have any contingency budget for this,” says Dr Jury.

“And we were really struggling to provide things like food, PPE, transport and technology, especially phones and computers so we could keep in touch with everyone.”

It was at this point the charity received additional funding from the Government and a $500,000 donation from ANZ Bank (New Zealand).

“Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the lives of so many people and I felt strongly we should support Women’s Refuge and its efforts to help some of the most vulnerable in our community,” says ANZ NZ CEO Antonia Watson.

“We were blown away,” says Dr Jury.

“The additional funds came at just the right time and helped ease the financial pressure on our Refuges. It also allowed us to think about the future, and how we can be better prepared if anything like this happens again,” she says.

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LONG-TERM RESILIENCE

With the equivalent of about 350 fulltime staff, working in 40 different locations, Women’s Refuge swiftly realised it need to have a better understanding of the people that make up the charity.

During lockdown, many staff had their own health issues and families to take care of, making the task of running the service even more challenging.

“We didn’t know enough about our staff and our vulnerabilities as a team, and that made things difficult and stressful,” says Dr Jury.

“With part of the ANZ donation we are now mapping these things out and developing a workforce resilience plan that means we’ll be much better prepared.”

In April, ANZ NZ donated a total of $2 million to Women’s Refuge, Age Concern New Zealand and the Salvation Army in New Zealand as well as the Red Cross and a number of local charities in the Pacific to support vulnerable people through the Covid-19 crisis.

The use of the money on long-term, capacity-building projects like this is part of ANZ’s commitment to help people and communities thrive.

Since 2017, ANZ has made it easier for women referred by the Women’s Refuge to set up their own bank account, even though they may not have ID or a permanent address.

“Whether you are a bank or a charity, the Covid pandemic has shown us the value of being prepared and having a plan for when something like this happens,” says Ms Watson.

“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Women’s Refuge with this project and I’m sure it will put them in a better position to help those in need in the future,” she says.