Empowering women and children experiencing family violence and homelessness

This Hobart organisation provides safe emergency accommodation and support to women and children impacted by family violence and those experiencing homelessness.

Vouchers offer flexibility and access to basic aid and services while also promoting dignity of choice, inclusivity, empowerment, trust, and independence to the women and children we support. Providing individuals and families with vouchers to basic material aid (e.g. groceries, fuel, and transport) gives people the dignity of choice in meeting their own unique needs.

For women and children living in emergency accommodation, they are at a transitional point in their lives with many experiencing significant trauma, stress and uncertainty about the future. Offering opportunities for socialisation, recreation, and inclusion is critical for creating stability and healing. Being able to offer opportunities to individuals and families to participate in recreational activities can help support a parent-child relationship, and give people dignified access to basic social inclusions occasions such as going to the pool, participating in school holiday activities, attending an art class.

Many of the individuals and families who seek support from this organisation experience significant financial difficulties and entrenched, intergenerational disadvantage. For example, many people are reliant on benefits to support themselves and their families, and sometimes they may not have any income as they might not be eligible for Centrelink, or their payments are yet to begin as their circumstances have changed (e.g. escaping family violence, no longer being able to afford a property).

While the team work diligently to connect individuals and families with appropriate supports that meet their immediate and long-term needs, the material aid available is reliant on community donations. Examples of material aid this organisation regularly provides include food relief, transport vouchers including Uber and bus tickets, gift cards, entertainment vouchers such as pool passes, Telstra Top Up, and Vinnies clothing vouchers. 

The escalating cost of living is creating a surge in the number of people we support who are experiencing financial hardship. Given the limited availability of one-off donations, meeting the increasing demand is challenging. The increased cost of living is also creating more barriers for people to access basic necessities such as: increased transport costs causing people to not be able to attend emergency appointments and school, affording medications, and access to medical assistance not covered by bulk billing, which is putting additional pressure on the type, volume, and frequency of additional aid that we can offer to people in need.