Supporting Noosa’s domestic and family violence response is a Noosa Council priority.
Domestic and family violence is a disease destroying so many lives in our community – and it will not be tolerated.
May marks Queensland’s Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month (DFVP Month), to raise community awareness for domestic and family violence, and Noosa Council is working tirelessly in this space to support our local domestic and family violence response.
For more than a decade, Shine Houses have been providing those who are fleeing violent family and domestic situations with transitional accommodation and access to support services to help them establish their independence, deal with trauma and get back on their feet.
This is one of Noosa’s longest-running and most successful domestic violence support initiatives and Council has been providing land for the construction of the houses, including a land parcel just last year, for which we secured funding from the State to assist with the construction of another house that is now up and running.
Similarly, Noosa Council approved charity, Youturn Youth Support’s use of Council land at Tewantin for two tiny homes to provide short-term, transitional housing to young people in need, before taking the next step to independent living.
This is a great collaboration between Council and Youturn in coming together to deliver meaningful and necessary outcomes for our community. We are so proud of this joint initiative and I am very proud of the council staff who worked tirelessly to make this project happen and grateful to Youturn for their work in this space.
For Council, partnering with local support organisations and ensuring our non-for-profits specialising in domestic and family violence support have all the help they need is the best way Council can help respond to domestic and family violence issues locally.
Noosa Council’s Community Development team facilitates the Northern Sunshine Coast Social Services Network, which brings together around 25 agencies that work with vulnerable people.
The agencies take part in bi-monthly meetings to coordinate partnerships and share information, which all help improve domestic and family violence service delivery.
Community Alliance Grants are another way Council supports local charities, many of which are working hard to help those impacted by domestic violence, including The Salvation Army, Sunny Kids, St Vincent de Paul and Youturn.
Community, too, has a part to play in our domestic and family violence response. The Mingle with the Mayor charity ball is on again this year after last year’s event saw over $250,000 raised to dramatically increase access to specialist DFV counselling services in Cooroy and Noosa.
Hosted by Womenkind Australia Inc. it is hoped this year’s gala evening will raise more funds for transitional housing solutions for locals who are experiencing domestic family violence.
Some of Council’s other key achievements in the DFV space include providing domestic and family violence leave provisions for all staff, a walk to eliminate gender violence DFVP month advocacy, significant investment in direct service delivery and being the first Council in Queensland to sign the Social Justice Charter, Not in our Backyard pledge.
