Latest news with #AnglicareWA
West Australian
3 days ago
- General
- West Australian
Long-promised Broome One Stop Domestic Violence Hub officially opens
The hub, named Bibimbiya Jan-ga Buru, meaning women and children's healing place in Yawuru language, is located at 19 Barker Street and provides a one stop entry point for a range of specialist supports for people experiencing family and domestic violence, including advocacy, counselling, legal assistance, and support for children. Service delivery is led by Men's Outreach Service Aboriginal Corporation, operating as Family Outreach Service, in partnership with Anglicare WA and service alliance members Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, Jalygurr Guwan Aboriginal Corporation, Broome CIRCLE and Legal Aid WA. The $23 million project also provides family and domestic violence outreach services to Derby and Bidyadanga. Ms Stojkovski said domestic violence has a devastating impact on families and breaking the cycle requires targeted services in primary prevention and early intervention like which is offered at the hub. 'The securing of a suitable property to house the Broome Family and Domestic Violence One Stop Hub is a significant milestone and will ensure victim-survivors can access a range of supports and get the assistance that's right for them, including cultural support and healing services, all from the single location,' she said. 'By co-locating key support with other community services, a 'soft' entry point is created, reducing stigma attached to seeking assistance.' It comes as the Kimberley continues to record the highest rates of domestic violence in the State, with 11,912 offences per 100,000 people in 2023-24, more than 15 times the Perth metropolitan area rate of 756 per 100,000 people. Despite this, the Broome location is some 18-months behind its originally announced opening date of late 2023 and was the last DV hub to start delivering interim services in November 2024. It is the third hub to open its dedicated facility in WA behind Kalgoorlie and Mirrabooka, which were officially launched in December 2020 and Perth in October 2024 after being announced in April 2024. An Armadale hub, announced at the same time as the Broome hub in 2022, started delivering interim services in September 2023 and is expected to transfer into full service delivery in 2025. Ms Stojkovski said the delay in finding a location for the Broome Hub was due to logistical challenges and the need to find a culturally appropriate site. 'It was logistics more than anything else, it took a long time to find a culturally appropriate place,' she said. Asked whether there was potential for another hub in Derby near where a woman was allegedly murdered by a man known to her in April, Ms Stojkovski said a lack of funding remained a barrier. 'If there was no restriction on money, we would have a hub everywhere but that's not feasible in a State such as WA,' she said. MOSAC chief executive Peter Mitchell said it had been a balancing act between finding an appropriate location and delivering the service in a timely manner. 'Going back to the whole issue of delay . . . we needed to get this right and not offer a half-baked option,' he said. 'The balance has been to make sure that we've got all the correct staff and all the resources we need before pushing it out to the general public while also recognising there are women still being harmed and you can't just close the door. So it's been a balancing act.' He also recognised funding was an issue, but said more services were needed to tackle domestic violence in remote areas. 'Let's acknowledge that there aren't enough services. The community would like more services, particularly outside of the Broome,' Mr Mitchell said. 'This is a great facility and we do have outreach services in Derby and Bidyadanga, but there's so many other places that also require that.' Acknowledging the delay, Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna said there was no one solution in tackling domestic violence. 'I do understand that it is a long time coming, and I'd also like to put on record that this is not the silver bullet,' she said. 'There are services in Broome and in outreach . . . in Kununurra and Derby. So there are services. Everyone's playing their part to try and get ahead of this.' It comes as a landmark study into men and domestic violence from the Australian Institute of Family Studies was released on June 3. The study found 35 per cent of men aged 18-65 years have used intimate partner violence in their lifetime, with an estimated 120,000 men nationally each year starting to use it for the first time. It also found men who reported high levels of social support 'all of the time' were 26 per cent less likely to report using intimate partner violence. Federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said early intervention was key to preventing domestic violence. 'We want to stop intimate partner violence before it starts. To do so, we need to do more than respond to it, we need to understand it,' she said. 'That's why this data from Ten to Men is so important. By providing an understanding of what may lead to men using violence, the study gives us a better chance of identifying those at risk of offending and intervening to ensure the healthy development of young men and boys.'
West Australian
4 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
New wardrobe service opens in Karratha for locals doing it tough
A permanent wardrobe service has launched in Karratha, providing free new clothing to people experiencing hardship. Through Anglicare WA's Thread Together initiative, the service allows people to choose clothes that suit their needs and personal style, helping restore a sense of dignity and confidence during challenging times. The initiative is part of a broader rollout across the North West, with mobile wardrobes due to launch in Port Hedland, Broome, and Kununurra. Funded by a $20,000 Horizon Power Community Partnership grant, the program has also received support from Horizon Power volunteers, who assisted with transport and assembly of the wardrobe. Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said while the service had been growing in demand and delivery in Perth, the partnership would allow it to expand into the Pilbara and Kimberley, supporting more West Australians doing it tough. 'More people than ever before are going without suitable clothes, prescription medicines and other essential items, as they have no income left after paying for accommodation, bills and food,' he said. 'An increasing number of women and children have also needed the support of services like Thread Together to start over after escaping family and domestic violence. 'The housing crisis and cost-of-living continues to affect people right across the State, but we know these issues are exacerbated in WA's regions, particularly in the Pilbara and Kimberley. 'People in need deserve the dignity and choice of new clothing, without judgment.' Referrals for the program can be made through a range of local community and social services, including Anglicare WA and headspace.
West Australian
5 days ago
- General
- West Australian
Native garden provides space for healing and learning at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Lotteries House
A new garden space has been created at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Lotteries House to provide a place for healing and learning. The Aboriginal Healing Garden was co-designed with Aboriginal community members and features native plants, fruit trees, a vibrant wall mural and seating area. The project was led by Anglicare WA in collaboration with Lotteries House and funded by the Department of Social Services. Anglicare WA Goldfields service manager Joshua Simpaya said the space created an outdoor meeting point for community agencies and their clients. 'It's a place where we meet community members that are engaged into our programs and other organisations . . . clients and staff can meet there,' he said. 'It's a really special place that will continue to evolve. 'I think it's a space that is ongoing, the community of Aboriginal people will continue to add to it.' Lotteries House is an office space occupied by not-for-profit community organisations including Anglicare WA, Cancer Council, Outcare, and Yorgum Healing Services, among others. Shalom Works, the maintenance business arm of rehabilitation service Shalom House, completed landscaping and paving works. 'It was very intentional to have them participate . . . because we're coming from the same principle of empowering and learning,' Mr Simpaya said. Clients engaged in Anglicare WA's social and financial wellbeing service helped build the garden and Goldfields Garden Creation provided horticultural advice. The space also features a vibrant wall mural painted by local artist Jason Dimer. The garden was officially opened on Thursday.
West Australian
30-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Kare Kits donation drive for Albany Women's Centre more important than ever thanks to cost of living
Cost of living increases and an uptick of women fleeing family violence means the donation drive to stock Albany's women's refuge with basic toiletries and clothing is more important than ever, organisers say. Albany Soroptomists and Anglicare WA are asking the community to give all they can to the 2025 Kare Kits Donation Drive to provide women and children housed at Albany Women's Centre with practical items to help them while they get back on their feet. AWC manager Joanna Fictoor said the drive, running from May to June, was more important than ever this year given the increase in women and children of all ages living at the crisis accommodation facility. 'With the housing and cost-of-living crisis, there is a significant increase in families living together,' she said. 'We are seeing three generations of families present for accommodation. 'The centre continues to operate at capacity, providing support and accommodation to 80 women and children, on average, every six months.' Now in its ninth year, the drive collects items for the drawstring bags that each woman at the centre can receive, containing essentials like shampoo, toothbrushes and clothing. Albany Soroptimists project co-ordinator Janet McArtney said people could support the drive in myriad ways. 'Financial donations or vouchers/cards for department stores and supermarkets are most practical as they can be used to buy school uniforms, general clothing, and shoes to fit the family in need or help to purchase furniture and whitegoods for women ready to move into permanent accommodation,' she said. 'We also need donations of boys' and girls' clothing in new condition and school items such as backpacks, lunchboxes, drink bottles and pencil cases filled with stationery. 'Full-sized toiletry items such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash and deodorant are also welcome.' 'Most pharmacies in Albany have gratefully shown their support for the donation drive by committing to donate excess stock throughout the six-week fundraiser.' Donations are collected from more than 45 businesses, schools and organisations across the Great Southern. Charmaine Trundle, from Albany real estate agency Wellington and Reeves, said she and her colleagues participated as a collection point every year and could see the need through their work. 'A lot of our teams see people first-hand, doing it tough, especially our property managers dealing with renters,' she said. 'So just that little thing of being able to give something that shows them the community cares and they're not alone and just left to their own devices is really the main thing.' Collection point locations and a portal for tax-deductible monetary donations can be found at .
ABC News
14-05-2025
- ABC News
Inglewood social housing residents need support despite anti-social behaviour, advocates say
Western Australia's leading social services organisation is calling for more support for social housing residents amid an outcry over the antisocial behaviour of a small group of people living in public housing in inner-city Inglewood. Inglewood residents have told ABC News they feel unsafe in their own homes, citing assaults and intimidatory behaviour in and around a social housing complex, which saw an influx of residents last year. Far from being considered a dangerous suburb, Inglewood, about four kilometres from the CBD, boasts a number of popular cafes and other local businesses, as well as some sought-after real estate. But the community has been speaking out after a number of recent incidents, including an alleged attack on a man in a car park over the weekend, the smashing of a unit window on Ninth Avenue, and numerous reports of aggressive behaviour and loud noises during the night. A number of people within the social housing complex spoke of their fear of living alongside what they say is a small minority who have been causing trouble and threatening retribution on those who contact authorities about their behaviour. But the WA Council of Social Service says demonising social housing residents is dangerous and counterproductive, and has urged authorities to focus on a solutions-based approach, focused on providing better support for those within social housing, as well as other nearby residents. WACOSS president and Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said blaming residents won't solve anything. "What we need to do is understand who are the people that are involved in this, and what do they need?" Mr Glasson said. "It might be that there are some supports that are available that can be put into that location to support those people so that they don't need to commit crime. "It might be that we need a police response. "But we can't say that the incidents of crime can only be resolved by closing social housing." He said housing was a basic need. "Everyone needs a place to live, everyone needs a place to call home, and some people do it really tough, and we need to recognise that for them, they need extra help," he said. Shelter WA chief executive Kath Snell backed calls for a stronger focus on support services for social housing residents and said everyone in the community would benefit. "We really want to make sure that people are safe in their homes, everyone is safe in their own communities and neighbourhoods, and that's including people who live in social housing and their neighbours," Ms Snell said. "And we think that a real way to support that is to be able to provide the right services that they need. "That might be mental health services, it might be services that help people retain their tenancy, or it might be anything around drug and alcohol support, it's not always those things, it just depends on the individual."
