Family Violence
Family Violence and Homelessness
Family Violence is a major cause of homelessness in Australia. It makes women and children vulnerable to homelessness in two major ways: firstly, violence removes the sense of safety and belonging associated with the home; and secondly, leaving a violent situation usually requires leaving the family home (Chamberlain & Johnson 2013).
In situations where people experiencing domestic and family violence need to leave their home, Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) can provide crisis and emergency accommodation; income support; counselling; referrals to legal services; connections to social housing providers; other specialised support or referrals to specialist providers.
This page is a resource for those working within the homelessness and family violence sector (especially in the eastern region) who are seeking information to support their clients.
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If you are in immediate danger call 000 and ask for the Police
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If you or someone you care about is experiencing family violence, contact The Orange Door, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Or find your nearest Orange Door Service
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After hours, contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 24/7 or visit: safesteps.org.au
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Tell someone you can trust – a family member, a friend, a neighbour or your doctor
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For CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) family violence response, services and programs, contact InTouch Multicultural Centre against Family Violence on 1800 755 988 (Monday to Friday, 10.00am – 4.00pm). FVREE (formerly EDVOS)- 9259 4200 also has access to free interpreter services if required.
Sector News
The EHN Practitioner Meetings provide a great opportunity for practitioners and allied services to come together to share information and ideas and to enhance your professional networks. We have a broad range of speakers from a range of complimentary services discussing topical issues; programs and new initiatives.
Training
Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) Training
Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) is the new provider of the SHS Funded Training (taking over from Wodonga TAFE in 2019)
The SHS Learning Program is a central portal for training and educational resources for workers in the Victorian Specialist Homelessness Sector (SHS). The program contains a mix of live training sessions, self-directed eLearning courses and other useful resources.
Client Supports and Activities
STEP FORWARD is an educational support group for women who have experienced family violence and are looking for strategies and resources to heal from their experience and regain a sense of their rights.
Research and Reports
In late 2021, The Salvation Army did a nationwide Social Justice Stocktake to get to the heart of what people were seeing in their local communities. From there, they built a map of social justice priorities across Australia.
Practitioner Resources
The State-wide Children’s Resource Program (SCRP) advocates for and assists practitioners in homelessness support and other non-government services to respond more effectively to the needs of children who have experienced homelessness and/or family violence.