In August 2013 we opened what was then known as the Cooktown Women’s Shelter in far North Queensland. In the 11 months since we have assisted more than 70 women and their families escape domestic and family violence.
We have employed four local women to manage and work in the shelter. To date, Life Without Barriers has responded to every request from community, police and hospitals working collaboratively with all service providers in the community and also all government departments; and attended all inter-agency meetings in Hopevale, Cooktown and Wujal Wujal to actively engage in numerous safety committees for in community.
Through consultation with the local traditional owners of Cooktown the shelter was renamed Ngaanthu-ngay-wi Bayan, which translates into women’s house in the Aboriginal language, Gugu Yimithirr.
In March 2014 Life Without Barriers began working in consortia with Aftercare and the Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland to provide transitional housing support for people exiting Mackay Base Hospital. Under the initiative, which gets underway later in 2014, LWB will provide supported accommodation for people leaving hospital who are at risk of relapse. It’s expected that after six months of around-the-clock support, residents will be able to transition to semi-supported care in a unit complex managed by Aftercare.
In December 2013, we secured funding for a transitional accommodation service for people with a disability on the Gold Coast. Opening in July 2014, it is an eight-unit complex where people can live for up to 12 months at a time. During that period tenants will be supported to secure long-term living arrangements and to more fully participate in their local community. This new service is in line with Queensland’s Your Life Your Choice policy and the National Disability Insurance Scheme aspirations for people with a disability to live more independently in their communities.
In June, Life Without Barriers was confirmed as a partner in the Queensland Government’s $1M Elderly Parent Innovation Trial in Townsville to deliver sustainable housing for people with a disability who are currently cared for in their home by elderly parents. We purchased an eight-unit two-storey property that will be modified to accommodate four adults with disability, two support staff (carer and a caretaker), and two for rent on the general property market.
Our Coming Home project supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients with disability to make the journey home to reconnect with family in Kowanyama. We started this in June 2014 and plan to make this journey with all clients by 2016. In this first trip we supported six people (two young people and four clients from our disability program). One client had been removed from Kowanyama at 17 years of age and placed in institutional care in Brisbane. This client is now 44 and it was their first time back to Kowanyama in 27 years. Our staff volunteered their time to provide this trip for our clients.
| LWB Queensland has established partnerships with local football clubs including the Gold Coast Titans. With the generous support of the Titans LWB clients attend games for free, supported by LWB staff and some family members. This supports community inclusion, staff morale and contributes to maintaining a positive, enthusiastic workforce. |