Veterans' support service No Duff can't help any more due to lack of funding

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

Neil Death sought help from No Duff, a veteran's support service. Now it's having to cut its services (Video first published September 10, 2019).

A charitable trust set up about four years ago by veterans for veterans can no longer help those in crisis due to a lack of funding and volunteers.

No Duff’s board announced on Monday it could not help any new veterans in crisis due to “a lack of suitable and tangible support”.

The trust had already made deep cuts to its crisis response hours in 2019 after a funding shortfall.

Aaron Wood, one of No Duff’s trustees, said those working at the coalface in the “very high-risk” and “high-stress” operations management roles were burned out.

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“We came to the realisation we did not have enough volunteers without risking their mental and physical health,” he said.

“We just haven’t been able to fill those operations manager roles. We need people that have the right character and personal circumstance.”

Wood said No Duff’s board reached the conclusion its immediate, peer-to-peer services would have to pause as it did not have enough volunteers and the funding to employ people.

No Duff is different to other veterans’ support networks as the bulk of its volunteers have served and been deployed overseas. (File photo)

“We need up to 10 fulltime employees or 20 volunteers just to run the response side alone and safely.”

In the past five years, the trust had supported about 500 veterans and their families. It averages between eight and 10 “responses” per month.

No Duff had received less than $500,000 in grants in about five years and those from the government only made up about 13 per cent of this, Wood added.

Veterans the trust was already supporting would be referred to “higher care” such as the RSA and Veterans Affairs.

“We know the price that will be paid for this. We fully understand and accept what is going to occur – more deaths.”

Kane Te Tai, one of the founders, said a “huge hole” would now be left.

Afghan veteran Kane Te Tai carried a 110kg load around the 2020 Round The Bays course to raise awareness of veteran welfare issues.

“Veterans are just going to go right back to the darkness. It is the only option they have got,” he said.

“To be fair, I am pretty broken up about it. We will still be out there, it does not mean the doors in our own houses are shut.”

He explained No Duff built rapport with veterans in order to provide wraparound support from other organisations such as Veterans Affairs.

“We are a bridge that is practicable, knowledgeable and does not have an off switch.”

The Afghanistan veteran said No Duff’s point of difference was shared experiences.

“We have all served, all been deployed overseas, so we understand how the machine and mind works.”

Te Tai said it seemed like the Government had forgotten about No Duff.

It had been providing the charitable trust with about $25,000 to help veterans with post-traumatic stress .

“No-one needs warriors when it is peace time. It is the history of the world – shuffle them off into the dark and forget about them.”

Te Tai had found himself “another veteran in crisis” and had used No Duff recently.

“Mainly just because my life was not heading in a very good direction. Having someone on the other end of the phone, you know they understand.”

A veteran who served overseas twice said he would be dead or in jail if it was not for No Duff.

“I can put my hand on my heart and say that,” he said.

“I got out and started seeing my family disappear in front of me. I did not know how to cope with what was happening to me.”

In the army for 10 years, he said No Duff volunteers “get it”.

“It is just straight understanding.”

With No Duff no longer able to provide direct support to veterans, he warned “it is going to be bad”.

“There are so many of us out there having problems.”

Defence Minister Ron Mark said the Government’s most recent payment to No Duff was in August.

“It was disappointing to hear that the No Duff Charitable Trust is putting on hold its direct support to veterans in crisis. The trust and its volunteers have done valuable work to support New Zealand veterans and their families since the organisation was set up in 2016,” he said.

“No Duff Charitable Trust has also heightened Government awareness of the mental health of our veterans – we have responded by putting more resources into the RSA and Veterans Affairs.”