4 graphs that show how RSL sub-Branch funding has supported veterans and families
RSL sub-Branch donations have helped RSL LifeCare Veteran Services deliver programs for thousands of veterans and families in 2024.
By Lachlan Haycock
At a glance:
- Over the past three years, RSL sub-Branches have donated a total of at least $8.6 million dollars to RSL LifeCare Veteran Services to support the delivery of support programs to veterans and families.
- The financial assistance provided directly to veterans in 2023-2024 increased by 26 per cent from the previous financial year.
- These valuable donations, together with funding from RSL LifeCare, have enabled the delivery of financial, housing and employment assistance, and DVA claims and advocacy support to veterans and their families.
- An announcement about the most recent donation by RSL NSW to RSL LifeCare Veteran Services will come later this year.
RSL NSW and charity partner RSL LifeCare Veteran Services are committed to delivering valuable support and services to veterans and their families wherever they live in the state.
In the past three years, RSL sub-Branches have donated a total of at least $8.6 million dollars to support the delivery of its programs. These valuable donations have helped to enable the delivery of the following:
- Free advocacy, claims and appeals support
- Financial and employment assistance, and housing support
- A range of wellbeing activities such as the Spur Ranch Equine Program
- On-the-ground support via the Veteran and Family Hub network
A further donation is expected to be announced later in 2024.
The scope of RSL LifeCare Veteran Services support is always expanding. Take the opening of a new Veteran and Family Hub in the Central Coast earlier this month, which is one of five hubs operated by the charity across NSW, purpose-built to cater to the unique needs of the veteran community.
Let’s take a look at how financial support from RSL sub-Branches has helped RSL LifeCare Veteran Services to directly help veterans and families in need.
Financial support has increased
The below graph outlines how increased donations from RSL sub-Branches has contributed to an increase in the total value of financial support provided to veterans.
In 2023-2024 this financial support totalled $359,342, marking a 26 per cent increase from the previous year.
A new standard set at Spur Equine Ranch
Next, here’s a look at how the Spur Equine Ranch Program, run by a team of trained professionals in Picton, southwest of Sydney, has gone from strength to strength.
This program saw 137 participants take part in the 12 months to June 2024, contributing to a total of 281 since 2021-2022.
As a result, more than 1,300 hours of volunteer activities were logged in the past year, and further activities are always being planned.
Light at the end of the tunnel for claimants
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide heard from veterans and family members who described challenges of lodging claims with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).
In the past financial year, RSL LifeCare Veteran Services helped 777 veterans to lodge 3,390 DVA claims.
And veterans have issued glowing feedback for this assistance.
“We [surveyed] a veteran who'd been seeing our Department of Veterans’ Affairs claims adviser,” said Shoalhaven Veteran and Family Hub Manager Lesley Labka. “When we asked them how satisfied they were with the service, they said it was ‘fantastic’ and personally thanked the adviser who’d helped them.”
Other highlights
Further insights from the 2023-2024 data include:
- Almost 60 veterans or their partners were referred to the RSL Employment Program.
- More than 140 veterans experiencing homelessness were provided 4,902 nights of accommodation.
- RSL LifeCare Veteran Services hosted 382 events throughout the Veteran and Family Hub network, engaging more than 11,400 participants in activities.
- RSL LifeCare Veteran Services also helped veterans to lodge 227 new Veterans' Review Board appeals.
RSL NSW and RSL LifeCare are committed to continue providing essential support and services to veterans and their families. RSL LifeCare Veteran Services, the charity partner of RSL NSW, provides free advocacy, claims and appeals support, while the statewide network of Veteran and Family Hubs, supported by RSL NSW, offers in-person services.
