She has worked at the centre – in Social Services Minister Scott Morrison's electorate – for 27 years, but, come March, will have to turn away people who come in asking for crisis help with bills, rent, medicines, food, travel and funeral costs.

The centre is one of many that lost federal government funding last year as part of a $271 million cut to social service grants. In December, Ms Bird found out that Crossroads lost the $6000 it had been using to employ someone two days a week to organise emergency relief.

Linda Sabato, who will lose her job as the emergency relief community worker, said Crossroads provided a critical stopgap for people in financial distress.

"People are going to end up in the street, they will get their electricity cut off."

While the grants cut was made under former minister Kevin Andrews, Mr Morrison has explained that the government has focused grant funding towards front line services – rather than advocacy and peak bodies – due to budget constraints.

But it was revealed during Senate estimates on Thursday that there will be about $10 million less available for organisations to carry out emergency relief in 2015-16 than there was in 2014-15.

In a briefing paper released to its member organisations, the Australian Council of Social Service also says the cuts are biting front line services as well.

It argues funding uncertainty and cuts "have left many organisations without critical government support to provide services, policy advice and connection with community over major social and economic priorities".

It is calling on the government to restore the funding cuts in the short term and in the longer term, work with community service providers to determine "adequate" funding levels over a five-year time frame.

It is also calling for details on what funding has been provided and cut for social services to be published immediately, on a geographic or target population basis.

Ms Bird said Crossroads' situation is made more difficult because she does not know where else she can refer people.

"We tendered on our own and also in a consortium ... none of these applications were successful. We don't yet know who else received the funding, if any."

Noting that the number of women Australia who have reportedly been killed as a result of domestic violence this year is already in double figures, Ms Bird said the cuts were shocking "at this time when we're desperate to help people who are in crisis with financial assistance".

Mr Morrison said he announced bridging funding last month to help organisations who did not qualify for funding in the December round ensure there are "no service gaps".

"The bridging funding will enable critical frontline services such as those provided by Crossroads Community Care to continue until the end of March 2015 and provide the opportunity for them to refer their skills, staff and/or clients to new grant recipients as they come online from 1 March 2015," he said.

"Regrettably the government's budget repair task means there is a reduction in the overall size of the Department of Social Services grants program."