“It wasn’t until the police knocked on my door that I realised I was experiencing domestic and family violence and I needed a safe pathway to get out.” Those are the comments of a women who was experiencing violence in the home but had no idea that there was a way to leave the situation safely and with the support of the community.

The last thing women and children impacted by domestic and family violence (DFV) need is to find themselves homeless through no fault of their own. However, many women find homelessness is the reality when they decide to leave which is why it is so important for programs, like Integreat Queensland’s Safer Pathways Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Women’s program, acts as a conduit of information and resources about services available to them.

Integreat Queensland’s Safer Pathways for CALD Women program aims to help CALD women living in the Rockhampton and Gladstone region who are experiencing or are at risk of domestic and family violence, to access the support that they need. The program’s focus is on connecting with the CALD communities of Rockhampton and Gladstone to educate them about respectful relationships and domestic and family violence, to improve referral pathways, and to seek feedback on what barriers prevent CALD women from accessing support.

Under the Safer Pathway program, people who have experienced domestic violence are provided with coordinated support, reducing their need to re-tell their story and relive traumatic experiences and partners with women and families providing practical support, security, and advocacy to be, and feel, safer and secure in their homes.

For more information about Integreat Queensland’s Safer Pathways program, phone 07 4900 1617 or email contactus@integreatqld.org.au