Crisis housing for victims of domestic violence in the Gunnedah shire may be available by June.
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The project is the first of its kind for Jobs Australia and if it is successful, may be rolled out in Glen Innes and Inverell.
Job Australia chief executive officer Nigel Barlow said Tamworth building company Daltrak should start work on the house this month and he's hopeful the business will utilise Gunnedah contractors.
Mr Barlow said while the house was "structurally sound", "we are having to strip it right out".
"It's basically a complete renovation inside," he said.
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There will be new flooring and carpet, and a new kitchen and bathroom. Solar power and solar hot water will also be installed to make the house more economical.
The backyard will also undergo a makeover and play equipment added for children.
"We're not skimping on it. The place is going to be really nice and purpose-built for families," Mr Barlow said.
"We'll keep the house stocked with essentials."
A major focus of the outfit is on security, and security screens, doors, fencing and CCTV are just some of the elements included.
"Security, obviously, is a big deal so a reasonable amount of money is being allocated to that," Mr Barlow said.
"We've spoken to people that manage just about every refuge in the New England North West as well as interstate. We've spoken to police, the local council and other providers that operate in a similar space. We've really done our homework on that."
Mr Barlow said the CCTV would likely be monitored by a local security company.
"Gunnedah police have been very supportive and continue to be very supportive. Inspector Wurth has been a great advocate for the house," he said.
"I think as much as it would be good to have monitoring there [at the police station], if something untoward was happening, they'd be there."
The success of the house is really heavily reliant on the support of local providers in the community, and we have that.
- Nigel Barlow, Jobs Australia
Mr Barlow said Jobs Australia would partner with organisations including the Salvation Army and Homes North to get people the help they need.
"One of our principal partners will be the Salvation Army through their Doorways program, so they will be providing case management and ongoing support and that sort of thing," he said.
"We're not experts in domestic and family violence ... the success of the house is really heavily reliant on the support of local providers in the community, and we have that."
Mr Barlow said the house would be able to accommodate one family at a time but there is room to build a unit out the back if there is a need.
The house will also be pet-friendly because "we think that's a pretty important part of it all".
"From what we're hearing, a lot of women in that situation won't leave because of that or will return home because of the welfare of pets," Mr Barlow said.
Another "really important" focus is connecting victims with organisations that can help them get accommodation of their own so they don't have to return to the situation they fled from.
"From what we can gather ... we're probably only seeing one-third of domestic and family violence incidents reported, which is absolutely shocking," Mr Barlow said.
Mr Barlow said there was "a real need" for crisis accommodation and the community had contacted Jobs Australia with offers for "white goods to furniture to food to personal needs".
"I've not seen this level of support for anything else anywhere," he said.
"The community of Gunnedah should be proud of themselves."