Govt $500 anti-violence donation `insulting'

KATE NEWTON
A cheque for $500 to combat domestic violence has insulted Presbyterian Support East Coast (PSEC) so much they have decided to "Return To Sender".
PSEC recently received a letter from the Ministry of Social Development saying its funding to help stop domestic violence had been increased and attached a cheque for $500. Chief executive Shaun Robinson said the amount was "stupid and insulting".
"Our first reaction was disbelief and then shock and then 'are they serious'. Then we were quite angry," Mr Robinson said.
The organisation sent the cheque back with a note saying the amount was insulting to people who worked with family violence everyday.
Last week a report revealed family violence in Hawke's Bay had risen 50 percent over 10 years.
Domestic violence call-outs in Hastings increased from about 900 in 1995 to about 1300 last year. In Napier they increased from 600 incidents a year to 950 a year in the past decade.
PSEC, which dealt with family violence, had joked the $500 won't even pay for the petrol to visit one family for three months.
Their Rangatahi programme helps teenagers who have been involved with family violence and gets $6600 a year in funding.
Mr Robinson said the Government made a "song and dance" when they pledged an increase of $9 million over four years to stopping domestic violence when the May budget came out.
Six months later that money has finally started to roll out.
"It probably cost them a couple of hundred in administration to give it to us," Mr Robinson said. "When you have only a small amount of money it's a stupid thing to do."