WEstjustice legal support

In partnership with WEstjustice we work to address economic abuse experienced by victim-survivors of family violence.

Economic abuse is the use of financial resources by perpetrators to exert power and control, which can trap victim-survivors in a vicious cycle of financial dependence, violence and legal problems.

Up to 99 percent of the women who present to family violence support services have experienced some form of economic abuse. The program integrates a lawyer and financial counsellor at a women’s housing facility and advocates for the improvement of family violence across industry and government.

In FY21, the program delivered a total of $312,116 of financial benefit to women supported by McAuley.

Evaluation of the WEstjustice partnership with McAuley

An evaluation of the project was launched in 2022. It found 137 women had been helped to regain financial security after family violence. More than $900,000 in debt accrued through financial abuse had been waived. This represents an average of $11,000 per woman who sought to erase abuse-related debt.