A new crisis accommodation service has opened in Melbourne’s west, providing victim-survivors with support and a place to stay when escaping violence.
McAuley Community Services for Women has expanded with the launch of Heywood House, providing 14 units of accommodation for victim-survivors.
There are seven family suites and seven single units, each with a kitchenette and views of either a garden or courtyard.
Heywood House also provides communal spaces for social interaction, a children’s room, a garden, laundry, space to work with support staff who are available 24/7 and attend online meetings or court hearings.
The units will be able to house up to 35 women and children for a period of up to two months as they work towards a more permanent housing solution.
McAuley CEO Jocelyn Bignold OAM said the units will give women and children the dignity of living independently and with privacy, while also having access to on-site support services.
“Heywood House creates a safe haven, where women and children receive individualised support and can recover and take some time before making decisions about their next move,” Bignold said.
In Victoria, family violence is the biggest cause of homelessness, with 30,921 women and 14, 763 children presenting to homelessness services in 2020 and 2021, after feeling violence.
“Heywood House will allow women and families fleeing family violence to access immediate assistance, and also start putting plans in place to begin safely living their lives outside of our facility,” Bignold said.
“We have a long history of providing a range of support services for women and children who have had long histories of trauma, family violence and mental illness.
“As well as providing crisis and longer-term accommodation, we’ve developed initiatives that focus on working with survivors of family violence as they rebuild their lives. These extend to legal, financial, employment support of women as well as a focus on working with children to address their unique needs following trauma – including the support of their learning”
“Heywood House will allow us to continue and expand that important work.”
Getting Heywood House up and running was helped by funding from the Victorian government, which provided $69.1 million for refuge and crisis accommodation in its 2022-23 budget.
Later this year, McAuley will open a second facility with another 12 units, also in Melbourne’s west.
Heywood House was named in honour of Sheila Heywood, one of two Sisters of Mercy who founded McAuley’s family violence operations.