WOMEN HELPING WOMEN
There are 56,000 homeless women across Australia each night and about 75 per cent are in that situation because of domestic violence.
These were just some of the harsh facts delivered by Annabelle Daniel CEO of Women’s Community Shelters during a dinner to celebrate the Zonta Club of Sydney Hills’ 40th birthday last week.
Women’s Community Shelters helped set up The Sanctuary – The Hills Women’s Shelter three years ago and is in the process of a new Shelter in Parramatta.
The Parramatta shelter, which is due to open soon, will be the seventh that CWC has helped set up, including one in Hornsby.
Running a women’s shelter cost around $420,000 a year. For every available bed at women’s shelters there are 3 or 4 requests from women needing crisis housing immediately.
Ms Daniel was presented with a cheque for $3000 at the Zonta dinner to help with items for the new shelter. CWC has also helped set up affordable housing for women over 55 in Beecroft in a former nursing home for 20 women.
Special guests at the birthday dinner, held at Springfield House Dural, included Hills Shire Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne and Zonta District Governor for District 24 Sharyl Scott.
Founding members, Patricia Lawson, Rhondda Giggis Close and Shirley Purser cut the cake Figgis Close and Shirley Purser (pictured) cut the birthday cake.
Since 2002, the Zonta Club has mad 5800 breast care cushions for women undergoing surgery and supplied 3400 birthing kits to women in Third World Countries.
There are 1200 Zonta International clubs in 67 countries.
To find out more about Zonta visit facebook.com/zontaclubsydneyhills/. The club meets on the third Monday of the month.
To find out more about Women’s Community Shelters visit womenscommunityshelters.org.au
