OUR WORK

Family Violence

We support women and their children who want to be safe from family violence by providing 24/7 crisis support and temporary accommodation.

We operate crisis accommodation for women and children who need to immediately escape family violence. The women needing our support have experienced, or are at immediate risk, of serious harm: through physical and emotional violence, threats, sexual assault, and stalking. Our crisis accommodation is accessible 24/7, and provides secure and immediate housing, typically for seven to 10 days.

Our refuges provide longer-term safe accommodation for families escaping violence who are still at risk and have nowhere else safe to go.

Our outreach support also extends to women living in refuges, transitional housing or their homes.

Our family violence work in action

 

‘The hardest time of my life’

A young mum and her daughter are now safe together after family violence and mental health challenges.

Security, independence and stability – they're the words that 21-year-old Bella* uses to...

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‘My own place’: Alice’s new beginning

In 12 months, Alice has rebuilt her life and is now in brand new, and permanent, accommodation built by McAuley.

Sitting in her brand-new, light-filled apartment Alice looks back on the last 12 months and says...

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Yasmin’s story: ‘Baby steps’ to a new beginning

Alone in a new country, Yasmin feared for her life after family violence.

While her new home is a 'dream' there were years when Yasmin's life, marred by family violence,...

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Escaping was Jenna’s plan; what came next would take a team

Crisis support helped Jenna and her children make it safely home

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Megan’s story

‘There’s always been a piece of the puzzle missing’

It might have seemed that the worst moments in Megan’s journey to escape a violent...

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WEstjustice partnership leads to alleviation of crippling debts

Financial abuse is common in violent relationships, and can hold women back from leaving and establishing new lives.

The WEstjustice community legal service has achieved amazing outcomes in working with women to...

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Vivid portraits of the emotions of women and children who have experienced family violence

'Smarty pants, kitty or tiger?' is a powerful insight into the impact of family violence.

The book is a compilation of artwork created by women and children living at our family violence...

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One in four women are affected by family violence.

One woman a week on average is killed by her partner.

Eight women a day are hospitalised because of family violence assaults. One in 12 of these is pregnant.

In Victoria, in the past 5 years, the total number of incidents of family violence has increased by 19%

For women aged 25-44 family violence is their greatest health risk factor - greater than smoking, alcohol, or obesity.

65% of women with children in their care reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.