By No to Violence Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Watt 

 This article was originally published in the March edition of Parity. We have republished this week with their kind permission to mark Homelessness Week 2023. 

 In Australia, too many women are not safe in their home. 

 According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1 in 6 women have experienced violence from a partner they live with. 

 When there is family violence and abuse, it is the victim survivors who are usually forced to flee.  

 It is the women and children who move away from their friends, work, school and support networks. 

 Too often, it is the victim-survivors who carry the burden of keeping themselves safe. 

 At No to Violence, we believe it is time to shift this burden: to remove it from the victim-survivors and place it firmly on the men who use violence.  

When it comes to keeping women and children safe, one fact remains indisputable: we cannot stop family and domestic violence until we stop men from using violence and abuse.  

Supporting a violent or abusive man to move out of the family home is one way in which we can help to break the cycle of violence. 

Importantly, excluding the man from the home also provides an opportunity to keep him in view – not just through the criminal justice system but also through counselling and behaviour change programs. 

For 30 years, No to Violence has been working directly with men who use violence, to help them take responsibility and change their behaviour.   

We work with those who are causing the harm, to bring about change, while keeping the victim survivor’s safety at the centre of everything we do.   

  We also work with family members, friends and colleagues who are impacted by men’s family violence and with the frontline workers who are impacted by the work they do with men who use violence.  

 No to Violence operates the Men’s Referral Service, the national counselling, information and referral service for men who use violence against women. 

 No to Violence also works with Family Safety Victoria and the Salvation Army Crisis Service to deliver the Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service (MACS). 

 MACS began in September 2020 and was originally designed as a trial project providing 14 days of accommodation and counselling to men who had been excluded from the home via a Safety Order or Interim Violence Order.  

 Men who use the service are required to engage with the Men’s Referral Service, which offers referral pathways to counselling, drug and alcohol support and helps facilitate longer-term housing – keeping them in view of the broader service system. 

 Although MACS works with men who use violence, a primary aim of the program is ensuring the safety of affected family members.  

 A May 2021 evaluation of the trial found it performed an important role in addressing a service gap within the family violence service system and was effective in providing temporary accommodation and associated supports to men involved in the program. 

 It found an increased likelihood that victim-survivors experienced increased levels of stability and safety during the high-risk period immediately after the man’s legal exclusion from the family home.     

 Importantly, the evaluation also found that the counselling support model within the service provided a valuable opportunity for regular system engagement with men in the program.  

 From when the program began in September 2020, through to March 2021, MACS received 217 referrals. 

 From September 2022 to March 2023, MACS received 360 referrals – demonstrating a 66 per cent increase in demand for the service. 

 The Victorian Government recently provided short-term funding to expand this program to enable more men to take part and access services — and for longer.  

 Continued funding for MACS is vital to help keep victim-survivors safe while connecting men who use family violence with the services — and housing — they need to begin to change their behaviour. 

 MACS was the first program of its type in Australia. The level of demand for its services suggest the potential for it to be replicated in other states. 

 Fundamentally, No to Violence understands that if we do not address the root causes that enable men to use family violence, they will continue to be violent and abusive.  

 When we believe that men using violence have the capacity to change, it moves the discussion to a more supportive and respectful process.  

 Services like MACS allow us to support men to change their behaviour – and help make the home a safe place for women and children. 

 But more can be done.  

 No to Violence wants to work with the housing and homelessness sector to explore ideas to help prevent homelessness among women and hold to account men who use violence. 

 We also encourage those who work in the sector to contact No to Violence at info@ntv.org.au to learn more about our work. 

 Anyone who is concerned about their behaviour, or wants to access the MACS program, to call Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491. 

The Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service  

Facilitated by Men’s Referral Service qualified counsellors and The Salvation Army, the Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service (MACS) works with men who have been excluded from the home due to their use of family violence. 

This service is designed to keep women and children safe. It is for men who have used family violence and: 

• Have been excluded (via a Family Violence Intervention Order or Family Violence Safety Notice) from the home due to family violence. 
• Need of crisis accommodation. 
• Require specialist support during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions. 
• Are interested in engaging in counselling support to address their behaviour.  

 What men can expect: 

• They will speak to a qualified counsellor who will support you into accommodation. 
• They will be treated with respect and without judgement. 
• Qualified counsellors will speak with them about ways of addressing violent and abusive behaviour. 
• Qualified counsellors will help them get access to counselling services such as mental health, drug and alcohol, the Caring Dads program and Men’s Behaviour Change Programs.    

The Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service  

Facilitated by Men’s Referral Service qualified counsellors and The Salvation Army, the Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service (MACS) works with men who have been excluded from the home due to their use of family violence. 

This service is designed to keep women and children safe. It is for men who have used family violence and: 

• Have been excluded (via a Family Violence Intervention Order or Family Violence Safety Notice) from the home due to family violence. 
• Need of crisis accommodation. 
• Require specialist support during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions. 
• Are interested in engaging in counselling support to address their behaviour.  

 What men can expect: 

• They will speak to a qualified counsellor who will support you into accommodation. 
• They will be treated with respect and without judgement. 
• Qualified counsellors will speak with them about ways of addressing violent and abusive behaviour. 
• Qualified counsellors will help them get access to counselling services such as mental health, drug and alcohol, the Caring Dads program and Men’s Behaviour Change Programs.