Bonnie Support Services

Bonnie Support Services

About Bonnie’s

We are Bonnie Support Services Ltd but most people call us Bonnie’s…

We’re an all-female not-for-profit support service, supporting women and children to lead the best lives they can. Established in 1975, we are committed to bringing our almost 50 years of experience, understanding and best practices to make a real impact. Read more about our incredible long history here. We are a registered Community Housing Provider and are funded mainly by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) under the Going Home Staying Home program.
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How we work –
the Bonnie’s Journey to Safety

How We Work

Hear about Bonnie’s in…

We are Bonnie’s – Meet the team

We are highly skilled women from diverse backgrounds. We share strong feminist principles and live by the belief that everyone has a right to safety.

Homelessness and domestic and family violence affect people from all different cultures. In order to best assist women from non-English speaking backgrounds, our bilingual staff are fluent in English, Vietnamese, Spanish, Serbian, Greek, Croatian, French, German, Fijian, Hindi, Urdu, Cambodian, Japanese and Nepalese. We can connect with interpreters at all times if you speak another language.

Sarah – Executive Officer

Sarah was born in Sydney and has lived most of her life on Gadigal and Wangal land. Sarah has a passion for social justice, devoting her career to working alongside others to improve outcomes for children, young people, women and communities. She trained as a social worker and has worked in both government and community sector services in a wide range of policy and program areas including children and families, young people, homelessness, disability and community development.

An – Program Manager

An was born in Vietnam and is fluent in Vietnamese as well as English. She has a background working in mental health, child protection, domestic violence and social work. An says she likes to cook and look for kitchen gadgets though ‘This is not to say I am a good cook!’

Heike – Finance Officer

Heike is passionate about the not-for-profit sector, she has worked for community organisations for the past 30 years in a variety of roles. Her expertise is in the areas of accounting, commerce and community services. Heike sees her role as ensuring that efficient financial systems are in place and that financial information is communicated timely, professional and easy to understand.

Marcela – Environmental Officer

Marcela was born in a South American country – Chile. Prior to Bonnie’s, she worked at an organisation which cared for and supported individuals with disabilities. Marcela was a Support Worker for 5 years. She loved working with and alongside her colleagues.

Vasita V – Administration Officer

Vasita is an Indigenous Fijian, born and lived in Fiji all her life. Vasita arrived in Sydney in August 2022 for further studies. She worked in the banking sector – Westpac Fiji for 14 years in the various departments – Customer Service, HR & AML Risk. She loves meeting people, travelling to learn about new places and culture, spending time with friends & family and is a crazy rugby fan – who loves watching rugby. Currently pursuing a Diploma in Leadership and Management Program.

Sandra – Administration Officer

Sandra was born in Sydney. She has an administration and finance background, spending many years in the Tax Office before a 20-year stint in community organisations in the Liverpool and Bankstown areas. Her hobbies include reading, dancing and spending time with family.

Fiona – Special Projects

Fiona was born in Sydney and has lived most of her life on Gadigal land. She has worked in a range of roles across direct service, organisational support, research, monitoring and evaluation mostly in the non-government sector, but also in government and the for-profit sector. Outside of work she enjoys reading, walking and gardening.

Our Intake/Community Network Officers

The Community Worker will be your first point of contact at Bonnie’s. She can provide information about our services or can refer you to other services that you need. If you require accommodation, she will get the information from you that we need to provide assistance. The Community Worker can talk to you about the services Bonnie’s provides and answer any questions you have when you are taking the first steps to get support.

Meet our Intake Workers: 

Our Tenancy Workers

Our Tenancy Workers can assist you with your housing needs. They have links to local Real Estate Agents and Housing NSW, and can help you to find the most appropriate housing for your needs and eligibility and advise you about social housing assistance that may be available to you.

Meet our Tenancy Workers: 

Our Family Workers

A Family Worker will work with you to develop a case plan to help you to achieve your goals. If you are living in domestic violence she can help you to work out a safety plan. She can assist you in dealing with the police and the legal system, developing living skills to maintain your tenancy, provide advice and support, link you up to a counsellor, health services, parenting and other groups. The Family Worker can advocate on your behalf and refer you to other services you require. She will work with you and our Child Support Worker to assist your children if that is needed.

Meet our Family Workers: 

Our Child and Youth Worker

A Child and Youth Worker can work with you and your child alongside a Family Worker to provide case management support that your child/ren may require. She can assist you with parenting issues you might have and can provide assistance to refer your children to other services that they need, such as schools, childcare or health services.

Meet our Child and Youth Worker: 

Our Rapid Response (DVRE) Team

Domestic violence doesn’t stop over the weekend and neither do we. From 1 pm on Friday to 9 am Monday, we make sure that women and children escaping domestic violence during these times can get immediate support. That’s where our team comes in.

Meet the DVRE team:

Community Workers Groups

Community Workers Groups work with particular cultural or ethnic groups to provide support and information and reduce isolation for those women.

Meet our Community Workers Groups: 

Our Board

Betty Green – Chairperson

Betty is a committed feminist advocate and her work in the women’s community services spans three decades. Violence against women, particularly domestic violence, has been her focus.

She has served on numerous management committees and boards in the community sector locally as well as a state-wide peak body, Women’s Health NSW and on government committees such as NSW Premier’s Council for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (2009-2013) and the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team (2010-2014) and nationally as a committee member of Australasian Council of Women and Policing. She co-founded NSW Domestic Violence Committee Coalition in 2006 and is the recipient of an Edna Ryan Award for Community Activism (2006). She is currently a PhD candidate undertaking research on domestic violence death reviews in Australia.

Wendy Morgan – Vice Chairperson

Wendy Morgan is an Aboriginal Woman from the Dyiringanj People of Wallaga Lake that forms part of the Yuin Nation on the Far South Coast of NSW. 

Wendy is an activist and Aboriginal rights advocate who has worked with government, NGO’s and local land councils for more than 30 years. She is currently the director of Gandangara Local Aboriginal Land Council and founder of Guntawang Aboriginal Resources Incorporated, an organisation that facilitates arts and crafts activities. Previously Wendy was employed by the Commonwealth government for 28 years and has since been an experienced board member, working on boards such as: The Gulaga and Biamanga National Parks Board of Management, Aboriginal Housing Office, Seniors Rights NSW, The Commissioner on Aged and Disabilities, Aboriginal Fairfield Advisory Group, Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing (MACA), The Fairfield Working Group with Govt and Non-Govt representatives. She is currently the chairperson of ‘Our People our Way’ with the South West Sydney Department of DCJ.

Frances Atkins – Treasurer

Frances is CEO of givvable.com, an automated supplier sustainability diligence platform for organisations to track and monitor the impacts of their spend.

Frances is an Honorary Senior Advisor to the Monash Centre of Financial Studies, a former banker at J.P. Morgan and former financial services lawyer at Ashurst. She holds an MBA (Exec.), LLM and BCom/LLB. She is a UNSW Founder of the Year and sits on the Board of Bonnie Support Services.

Arely Carrion – Secretary

Arely is an Executive Manager Community for Mounties Group. With nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Arely has held various operational roles across multiple venues, showcasing their versatility and expertise.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Arely is also a survivor of domestic violence and has dedicated the last few years to being an advocate for and promoting domestic and family violence education and awareness within the club industry. She has been instrumental in creating the first Domestic Violence Action Plan in the Club Industry and has been a leader in improving workplace responses.

In addition to her work with Mounties group, Arely also serves as an associate with Insight Exchange, an organisation that focuses on the expertise of individuals with lived experience. This role allows victim-survivors to contribute their valuable insights and knowledge; helping to create positive change.

Arely is actively involved in various boards and advisory panels. She serves as a director on the boards of Bayside Women’s Shelter and the Southwest Mounties Magic Premier Netball Team. Additionally, she is also a member of the advisory panel for the Centre for Women’s Economic Safety, where they provide guidance and expertise on women’s economic empowerment.

Amelia Scott

Amelia Scott is Bonnie’s longest serving Board member. Amelia has a wealth of experience in health and in particular women and children’s health.

She completed General Nursing and Midwifery and is currently employed by a Local Health District as a Child and Family Health Nurse. Amelia initially joined Bonnie’s Board to promote community liaison with the Area Health Service and has been inspired by Bonnie’s innovative support work with women and children, to stay involved.

Dr Lai Heng Foong

Dr Foong is a Senior Emergency Physician and Sexual Assault and Forensic Physician based in Sydney who has a passion for Public Health, including Domestic violence, Disaster preparedness, Climate Change and Health, Indigenous Health and the social determinants of health.

Before she studied medicine, she completed a Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.  She is currently the Chair of the Public Health and Disaster Committee of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and a member of the Indigenous Health Committee. She has travelled to Cuba, Vietnam, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to teach Emergency Medicine, and to discover new cultures and local food.  Dr Foong has conducted and presented research on Domestic violence, and been an invited speaker on health impacts and health system response on this area.  She is the Clinical lead of the NSW ED Community of Practice (CoP) in Covid-19 Pandemic Response.  She is a strong advocate for health equity and supporting the most vulnerable people in our community.  She has contributed to the Network of Women in Emergency Medicine (NoWEM) on domestic violence and anti racism and currently sits on the Antiracism and Discrimination Committee of the South West Sydney Local Health District.  Her other areas of interest include refugee health, multicultural health and improving cultural competency in healthcare providers.  She is the Chair of the Medical Staff Council and enjoys mentoring women in her workplace and community to rise to their fullest potential.