Long-running Northern Beaches charities fear their subsidiary funding provided by Northern Beaches Council is about to be pulled – as was attempted three years ago but was reversed following public pressure by Northern Beaches Council.
LocalKind, Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter (NBWS) and Burdekin Association (Beaches Hub) currently receive a combined $258,000 a year from Council to fulfil their services to the community. Council has no obligation to provide this funding, but has been honouring former arrangements in place prior to amalgamation.
But as Council sharpens its pencils, expenses including grants programs have gone under the microscope and been recommended for ‘tightening’. Council is instead looking at reducing its grant offering and putting what is available out to competitive tender.
Technically, the funding would not be “pulled” but rather “not renewed”, but with the support in place for so long, its effect would be the same.
This approach was first introduced in 2023 when the issue was voted-on without notice. Council voted to redistribute their funding to a greater number of groups, gradually taking it away from the big three, but still allowing them to apply for smaller grants competitively alongside other organisations. This new funding model was capped at $50k a year for the chosen groups.
The decision was met with significant public and political backlash, and it was reversed following direct appeals from the charities and by many who had been helped by the services.
This led to the decision unanimously becoming undone by Councillors with the organisations retaining full funding for another three years.
That agreement expires at the end of this financial year, with Council providing no guarantees it will be extended. But Manly Observer understands discussions have begun on the issue, with Burdekin and NBWS confirming they have already had a meeting where they shared the financial accounts of their services.
How Are The Charities Feeling About This?
Craig Stevens has been CEO of LocalKind for almost four years and says the organisation provides an array of services to a mix of vulnerable groups in the Northern Beaches community, “Whether it’s homelessness, domestic violence, youth support, general welfare support, whatever it is that people need, it’s the place of last resort,” he said.
LocalKind currently receives the bulk of the funding from the Northern Beaches Council subsidy at $100,000. Although this is not their only source of funds, it’s treated as their ‘core funding’ which contributes to paying staff, and covering utilities.
While Mr Stevens says he understand the rationale of giving other charities “a slice of the pie”, he sees smaller grants providing a greater number of organisation as a less effective use of funding, essentially diluting what it can achieve.
“I’m not speaking to the other services, just out of respect that I’m not a voice for them… but we are covering the whole of life cycle,” he said. “[We help] people from all different demographics, although largely they are people that have fallen through the cracks and are quite vulnerable…. if we don’t have the expertise in house, we work with other services to find a warm referral pathway.”
Northern Beaches Women’s Shelter similarly believes that its services are too crucial to the community to what they see as a funding cut to be warranted.
CEO Narelle Hand says the organisation has exceeded their KPI of clients each year, as well as tripled their bed capacity from 3,000 in the last 12 months.
The shelter receives the least amount of funding from Council at $68,500. Other sources of finance is $64,000 from the Department of Communities and Justice and a $100,000 housing innovation grant, set to expire soon. The rest of their financial assistance comes from fundraising.
“There is an expectation, or the thinking, that there’s all this State Government funding and there’s all this funding that we can apply for, there’s no funding for outreach,” Ms Hand said.
“This service is a lifeline, and if this service wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be here. I’m hoping they [Council] got that message and that they value the importance of what we’re doing.”
“This service is a lifeline, and if this service wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be here. I’m hoping they [Council] got that message and that they value the importance of what we’re doing.”
Like LocalKind, NBWS argues competing for the grant to allow the opportunity to cast a wider net is unnecessary as they already collaborate with their sister shelters, Women and Children First, Mary’s House and Hornsby Women’s Shelter. Ms Hand says she is also the chair of DV Network, Homelessness Interagency, and works with 32 other organisations on the Northern Beaches collaboratively.
Conversely, Burdekin CEO Justene Gordon says she does support a Council decision to have organisations compete for a grant, believing funds should be distributed on a “needs-based approach” following a review, rather than it be handed out based on historic relationships. Still, she vouches the services of the Beaches Youth Hub are essential as they are unique to the area, and should remain funded.
“The hub was brought about because of the high suicide rate in the Pittwater community… and the absolute need, critical need, for a youth-based service presence in the Pittwater community,” Ms Gordon said.
“I genuinely believe that it’s a gap and that there should be a service… All of the youth services are based in Dee Why or to Manly, and so it’s reasonable that the Northern Beaches community should invest in a hub in the Pittwater region.”
The youth hub receives $93,000 in Council funding, with $16,000 going back to Council for the rent of the Avalon Recreation Centre. The remaining funds goes to a role described as the organisation’s “anchor.” It entails attending the phone, coordinating the services, and facilitating young people connecting with the services. Much like NBWS, Ms Gordon says they struggle to maintain other pathways of funding.
What Council has to Say
Northern Beaches Council’s official statement is that they are in close contact with charities and other support groups regarding the upcoming review, which will be decided at a yet-to-be-determined Council Meeting. It may be voted on in the last meeting of the year before Christmas.
Councillor Sarah Grattan – who voted for the funding change in 2023 – shares that there are no current plans to cut funding with the idea being “extremely premature.” Her personal view now s that Council is “better off supporting a few charities with enough funds to be meaningful (& pay for a person) rather than smaller grants.” She also said investment in the three exisiting organisations makes sense and provides tangible benefits, but will declare a conflict on the issue and not vote when it is presented, due to her position as CEO at Lifeline Northern Beaches.
Councillor Grattan further questioned why the State Government doesn’t ‘step up’, as it has the jurisdiction to fund community services, while local governments have no obligation to do so.
This viewpoint was similarly shared by Councillor Vincent De Luca, who voted to restore the funding two years ago.
“We’re in need of domestic violence and prevention services because the State Labor government slowed us down continuously,” Councillor De Luca said. “These three are hard-working organisations, and unfortunately, again, local government and ratepayers are left to try and address cracks where essential services are falling through.”
Contrary to what Councillor Grattan said, Councillor De Luca stated there had been plans discussed to not only consider cutting the Council funding to the charities, but cease to provide it altogether, once the subsidies expire next year.
More information to come.
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