At Bonnie’s we are always thinking about ways to keep women safe and get them the help they need.

We want to be accessible to all women, so we’ve partnered with the Liverpool Women’s Health Centre (LWHC) to create our new Safety Hub. It’s a drop-in centre inside the LWHC, where any woman can safely access expert domestic violence support and see a Bonnie’s worker face-to-face.

When I started there, I could immediately see that this service was desperately needed. I knew it would be really helpful to women who couldn’t safely get to a domestic violence service, didn’t even know that they needed one, or know about the service options they have.

On my second day I met a woman named Debra*. Debra originally dropped in to see a counsellor, but after a brief consultation it was clear that she needed to get some expert advice about how to deal with the violence she was living with. Debra’s partner is incredibly controlling, and both physically and emotionally abusive.

As we sat together in the counselling room, her partner called her three times to ‘See what she was doing.’ Debra told me that she just wanted to leave her partner, but she didn’t know where to go or who to see.

It felt great to be able to tell her about her very real and accessible options: a possible rental subsidy called Start Safely with Housing NSW; financial support with removal costs through Victims Services, and; legal advice through Women’s Legal Service.

That was last week. While it may not be safe for me to contact Debra right at the moment, now she knows where to come to find help whenever she needs it.

If you or someone you know are in an unsafe or unhealthy relationship, and you want to know the options and many supports available to you, you can always drop by and see one of us at the Safety Hub.

Liverpool Women’s Health Centre

Address:        26 Bathurst St Liverpool NSW (across from Westfield)

Phone:            02 9601 3555

Days:              Monday, Thursday and Friday

Written by Lucy

*Not her real name.