Mary’s House Shines a Light on Domestic Violence in Our Own Backyard

Not again.

This thought has been especially front of mind in recent weeks when confronted with the almost daily news of another woman or child being lost to violence at the hands of someone who shared or used to share a home with them.

This thought was echoed on Tuesday 21 July when Lane Cove Rotary gathered for its regular Club Night. The topic on the table wasn’t fundraising targets or committee reports; it was a confronting reminder that domestic and family violence isn’t happening somewhere else. It’s happening in Lane Cove, and in every suburb like it.

Guest speaker Janine Wood, Philanthropy and Communications Manager at Mary’s House Services, addressed the club with a presentation that combined hard data with the lived reality of the women and children the organisation supports every day.

What Is Mary’s House And Who They Help

Mary’s House Services has been operating on Sydney’s lower North Shore since 2016, running a refuge and a Community Program Centre funded almost entirely through community philanthropy. The organisation supports women and their children at every stage of their journey away from domestic violence and abuse. Clients come from all faiths and cultures, drawn from more than 30 Sydney postcodes and beyond.

Mary’s House is a separate service to Delvena Women’s Refuge in Lane Cove, which In the Cove readers may know from previous coverage. Both support women and children escaping domestic violence on the lower North Shore, but Mary’s House pairs its refuge with a broader Community Program Centre and runs almost entirely on community donations rather than government funding.

The numbers Janine shared put the scale of the issue in stark terms:

• 1 in 3 Australian women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime
• 2 in 5 women (39%) have experienced violence since the age of 15
• 90% of women’s violence experiences were by someone known to them
• 1 in 4 Australian children are impacted by domestic and family violence
• NSW Police receive a domestic and family violence incident call every three minutes

Perhaps most telling was this: while 91% of people agree violence against women is a problem in Australia, only 47% believe it’s a problem in the suburb they live in. Mary’s House exists, in part, to close that gap in perception. The need is local, even when it’s invisible.

A Growing Need

Mary’s House now supports more than 400 clients annually across its refuge, transitional housing and community outreach programs. But demand is accelerating faster than the service can expand:

• 63% increase in demand for services in the last year
• 45% growth in demand for domestic and family violence counselling since the programs began
• A 6x expansion in transitional housing support since the organisation was established
• 222% increase in technology safety sweeps and safety plans year on year, as perpetrators increasingly use smart devices to track and control victims

Despite providing over 20,000 safe room nights of accommodation at the refuge, Mary’s House was unable to accept 118 clients in 2025 alone, purely due to lack of capacity. The demand, as Janine put it, never ceases.

More Than a Roof

What sets Mary’s House apart is the breadth of support on offer once a woman and her children are safe. Its free community programs include:

• Domestic and family violence education
• Counselling and family legal clinics
• Financial empowerment and support
• Mentoring and employment pathways
• Parenting programs
• Art and exercise therapies
• Group therapy and community connection
• Safety scans and planning
• Health and wellbeing support

Importantly, women do not need to be case-managed by Mary’s House to access these community programs. They’re free and open, with childminding available on request. Of the refuge and community clients supported last year, 100% transitioned into longer-term affordable housing, and 87% reported improvement across all three key metrics of safety, stability and emotional wellbeing by the time they left the service.

Rotary’s Ongoing Support

Lane Cove Rotary’s relationship with Mary’s House extends well beyond a single guest speaker slot. One of the organisation’s major fundraisers, the Mary’s House Annual Walk, has become a North Shore Rotary collaboration with several clubs joining forces to fire up their barbecues and cook breakfast for hundreds of hungry walkers crossing the finish line. It’s community fundraising at its most practical: bacon and eggs in exchange for donations that keep the refuge’s doors open.

New Club President Andrew May reflected on the evening and Lane Cove Rotary’s broader partnership with Mary’s House:

Members who attended on the night described the presentation as a powerful reminder of why this cause matters so close to home:

Locals Can Help

Mary’s House relies on the community that built it, and the community that will sustain it into its next decade. There are several ways Lane Cove locals can get involved:

• Donate or fundraise: support the Mary’s House Annual Walk, or make a direct donation via maryshouse.org.au
• Volunteer or mentor: the organisation’s mentoring and employment programs rely on community volunteers helping women rebuild financial independence
• Spread awareness: simply talking about domestic and family violence as a local issue helps close the gap between the 91% who see it as a national problem and the 47% who recognise it in their own suburb

If you or someone you know needs support, Mary’s House can be contacted directly:

• Referrals and support: 1800 002 111 or [email protected]
• Administration and general enquiries: (02) 8937 2094 or [email protected]
• Website: maryshouse.org.au

Lane Cove Rotary meets fortnightly, with fellowship from 6.30 pm before each meeting. For more on the club’s community work, visit lanecoverotary.org.