Victim survivors of domestic and family violence in the Northern Rivers region of NSW will have access to fully furnished safe houses thanks to Australian not-for-profit, RizeUp’s Homes Program, supported by funding grants from our Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
RizeUp’s Homes Program provides furniture and appliances to enhance crisis accommodation, and access to support from trained volunteers that helps pave the way to safety in times of crisis.
RizeUp is expanding its existing operations beyond Queensland, Victoria and some areas of NSW, in response to increasing demand for their services: a 14.4 percent increase[1] in sexual assault and domestic violence related assault has been recorded in New South Wales over the last two years.
RizeUp Founder and CEO, Nicolle Edwards, said the RizeUp Homes Program is a vital social service that supports women and families to safely leave violent households and never look back.
“RizeUp’s Homes Program helps survivors move onto the next stage of their post-violence lives by supporting their move to secure and suitable housing in a safe and nurturing environment,” said Nicolle.
“Thanks to the support of the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation’s $69,000 grant, we can offer victim survivors in the Northern Rivers region with access to 20 fully furnished safe houses that don’t just put a roof over their head, but help foster a sense of safety and comfort at such a challenging time. We take crisis accommodation and fit it out with everything these women and their families need to not only function, but be comfortable.
“This means more victim survivors and their families can avoid the alternative options, which are often ‘sleeping rough’ or being forced to return to abusers through economic necessity,” she said.
Our Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation Chair, Jennifer Leslie, said RizeUp is creating a physical space for survivors, along with digital resources that raise awareness about the realities and pervasiveness of this issue.
“Domestic and family violence occurs in communities across the country. It is a devastating reality for far too many, regardless of age, socioeconomic or demographic grouping. Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation is determined to help rewrite the future of disadvantaged Australians, and are incredibly proud that our grant, which has funded furnishings for 20 safe houses and training of RizeUp volunteers, can support vulnerable women and their families when they need it most,” said Jennifer.
Addressing a hidden crisis
Over the last two years, Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation has provided RizeUp with two funding grants to help deliver the RizeUp Northern Rivers Hub in 2020, and more recently, to develop their Hidden Crisis campaign.
The Hidden Crisis campaign is an online education awareness program for people affected by domestic violence, which aims to engage the community in developing an understanding of ways to support vulnerable families.
“This video campaign is a powerful, visual reminder that domestic and family violence occurs within all communities and that we must work together to raise much-needed awareness of the impact domestic and family violence has on so many lives,” said Ms Edwards.
“It is our hope that the Hidden Crisis campaign prompts important conversations and brings them to light instead of keeping them behind closed doors.”
The Hidden Crisis campaign was delivered with the support of a $26,600 grant from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation. To view the Hidden Crisis campaign, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uk5Sy4gYCc.
[1] NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW Recorded Crime Statistics quarterly update March 2021, Media Release, 10 June 2021, https://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Pages/bocsar_media_releases/2021/mr-NSW-Recorded-Crime-Statistics-Quarterly-Update-Mar-2021.aspx, (accessed 25 October 2021)