A new pilot program will help support women and children experiencing family violence across the Geelong region to stay safe in their homes.
The Safe at Home pilot, delivered in partnership with Meli in Geelong, aimed to allow women and children to stay in their homes by providing rapid safety planning and wraparound support.
Minister for Housing Harriet Shing said emergency accommodation and pilot programs looked to help keep women in the family home.
“This will provide support and wraparound services for Victorians, including victim-survivors of family violence,” she said.
The model will look to help victim-survivors stay at home with tailored support and safety enhancements while the perpetrator moves elsewhere rather than the victim having to relocate.
Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said the pilot would deliver important changes to ensure people experiencing family violence can safely stay in their homes.
“This service will provide a vital service locally, stopping homelessness, and informing our statewide response to family violence,” she said.
Safe at Home is designed to respond within 48 hours to identify individual and household needs, which could include violence case managers, access to legal and financial experts, and children’s support workers.
Acting premier Ben Carroll said the program would help prioritise victim-survivors through “swift and comprehensive services”.
“From talking to women who have lived experience of family violence and homelessness, one of the biggest changes we can make is to support them to be able to stay in the family home,” he said.
Safety assessments will be regularly conducted, and if circumstances change and it is no longer safe to stay at home, the victim-survivor will be supported to move.
