I have written several times (A call for Father’s Stories and Why is a Dad’s Pain Less) about the Australian-based support group Dads in Distress that has been dedicated for years to helping fathers survive divorce. With a male suicide rate spiraling out of control, Dads in Distress seeks to offer support to Dads who are facing traumatic life events, primarily divorce or loss of custody. (Young separated men in Australia are 10 times more likely to die from suicide than by road accident!)

I was extremely saddened today to learn in a forum post on Dads on the Air that this noble organization may be closing its door soon due to a lack of funding.

It is with much sadness that I write to inform you that dads in
distress Inc will be forced to close its doors and disconnect its
emergency 1300 number come July unless adequate operational funding
can be secured. Our current funding under the ‘Stronger Families
Strategy’ culminates in July and we have been told that there is no
funding available to us under that dept again.

The group has been operating with limited funding over the past 7
years through the help of big hearted men. Unfortunately we have lost
a lot of good men who had great expertise but put simply ‘had to
eat’. These men have given hours and hours of their free time in
order to help those less fortunate then themselves. We will be
forever grateful to those that have donated their time and energy to
the plight of fatherlessness in this country.

Unfortunately there comes a time of realisation. We just cannot
continue as we have been. The demand for our services is ever
increasing and we are unable to adequately meet the needs of the
increase. . .

–Tony Miller Founder Dads in Distress

Read the rest of the post here. . .

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