CONSTRUCTION is underway for a family violence safety hub in Horsham, with an expected completion date of June 2022.
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The new building on Madden Street will be the home of the Orange Door family violence support service in the Wimmera.
The site is expected to create 55 full-time equivalent jobs for the Wimmera-south west Victorian region.
Victorian Government agency Family Safety Victoria will administer the service alongside partnerships with other providers in the region, such as Grampians Community Health, Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-Operative and Uniting Wimmera.
This follows an earlier state government commitment to open more Orange Door services across Victoria, with sites in Bendigo and Warrnambool to open in 2021.
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A spokesperson for Family Safety Victoria said The Orange Door service looked to address key findings from the Royal Commission into Family Violence.
"A key recommendation of Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence, The Orange Door network is a $448 million Australian-first initiative that will service all 17 regions across the state by the end of 2022, including Wimmera South West," the spokesperson said.
"The Orange Door will work with all relevant services and providers in the Wimmera South West area to ensure women, children and families experiencing family violence, or needing additional support with child wellbeing, can get the help they need.
"We've invested millions in ensuring women, children and families across the Wimmera - including Horsham - have access to the case management, counselling, crisis accommodation and recovery services they need, closer to home."
Grampians Community Health chair Greg Little said the Orange Door facility would act as a central point for family violence support across the Wimmera.
"It really is focussed on supporting people who have been impacted by family or intimate partner violence. In many ways it is an intake service, a central point where people come to and people will be referred to existing services outside where they are needed to," he said.
"Their immediate needs will be addressed inside but then the longer term support will be managed by the existing services.
"We do have a strong existing services in the Wimmera between Grampians Community Health, Uniting Wimmera, goolum Goolum and Family Safety Victoria, and we work pretty closely now to provide people with what is needed.
"But what the Orange Door will do will be the central intake, initial management of the crisis for the person and then refer them where it is needed back to our agencies."
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Horsham-based Plazzer Builders have been awarded the construction of the new Madden Street facility.
Mr Little said Grampians Community Health would employ 15 on-site staff, with the facility to be manned with staff auspiced from the three different organisations.
"Three agencies, Goolum Goolum, Uniting Wimmera and Grampians Community Health will have staff that we auspice that will belong to the Orange Door," he said.
"Then there will be practitioners and social workers based on site to deliver the work that stems from people seeking assistance from family domestic violence."
Mr Little said he had long advocated for an Orange Door service to be based in the Wimmera.
"The Orange Door is a response to the Royal Commission into family violence that was conducted probably four years ago now," he said.
"One of the things that we advocated for in the Wimmera was for there to be an Orange Door in Horsham and satellites around it.
"It was really good recognition that the government saw fit for two Orange Door services provided out of the same departmental region. One will be in Warrnambool which will open in September and the other will be in Horsham which will open in June next year."
Data from Crime Statistics Agency Victoria has shown 531 family incidents in the Horsham LGA in the 12 months to March, up from 508 in the same period ending in 2020.
Hindmarsh and Ararat Shire both saw increases in family incidents over the same period.
- If you, or anyone you know, needs help phone Lifeline on 13 11 14; in an emergency phone 000.
- Women's Domestic Violence Helplines: 1800 007 339, 1800 737 732 (1800 RESPECT)
- Mensline: 1300 789 978
- Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491
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