MIK MAKS AMONG ARTS CENTRE DRAWCARDS
A RANGE of family friendly shows — including from much-loved local children’s artists the Mik Maks — are set to hit the region next month as part of a Geelong Arts Centre program.
For the very first time, the annual
Love Central Geelong Family Magic program will also include an immersive performance specially designed for young children with disabilities.
Consisting of seven shows, the program is designed to “captivate, inspire and entertain” children under 12, as well as their parents, siblings, grandparents and carers. For many children across the G21 region, the program provides their first theatrical experience through a variety of musical workshops, physical theatre and circus shows.
GAC chief executive officer Joel McGuinness said the centre takes “great pride” in helping families spark a love for the arts within their children.
The program — which is set to run until September — kicks off next month with a show from local family favourites the Mik Maks.
For full program details visit www.geelongartscentre.org.au/ family-magic-2021
Family violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children in Australia. In Geelong, homelessness services are seeing an increasing number of people requesting assistance due to family violence, while police are also recording a rise in family violence crimes. HARRISON TIPPET reports.
FOR the seven months Karen’s* abuser sat in jail for his most violent and prolonged assault on her, she lived in the unit where he had physically and emotionally abused her for almost two years.
It was his unit and she didn’t want to stay there, but the 44-year-old felt she had no other housing to turn to – and she’d already experienced homelessness once after escaping her first abusive relationship 22 years earlier.
“I stayed in the unit because I didn’t have anywhere to go,” Karen says.
“It was a deadset nightmare, because I never really knew if he was or wasn’t getting out.
“Because he didn’t plead guilty, it turned into an ongoing process of court dates. So every day there was court on, I would pack up my stuff and my animals and go and sit at my mum’s place for the day, waiting to be told if he was getting out.
“I stayed there until he ended up getting out after about seven months. I left the day before.”
After leaving the unit Karen was “very lucky” to live in a caravan park for a few months, before eventually being referred to registered affordable housing association Haven; Home, Safe (HHS).
Now, three years on, Karen is rebuilding a greater sense of certainty in her life, with her cosy and affordable Geelong unit providing a strong foundation.
“It’s hard to believe this is actually mine,” she says, sitting on her brown lounge with one of her beloved rescue cats slinking about her elbow and another laying atop the headrest.
“Because for so long that risk of homelessness would keep me up at night.”
Karen’s experiences with homelessness and housing crisis as a result of domestic violence are by no means unique.
Domestic and family violence is widely considered as the leading cause of homelessness for women and children, with a 2008 federal government white paper concluding “escaping violence is the most common reason provided by people who seek help from specialist homelessness services”.
In Geelong, demand for homelessness services and family violence crime are both on the rise.
Victoria Police recorded a 20 per cent increase in family violence incidents in the year to September, with family violence assaults more than doubling over the past decade.
Homelessness as a result of family violence is also on an upward trajectory, said the Salvation Army’s manager of homelessness services in the Barwon region, Kerrie Crtalic.
“Over the last four years the adult entry point has provided housing assistance
to over 10,000 people; of those 5512 were female,” Ms Crtalic said. “Over that time, too, we have seen a steady increase in family violence presentations.
“In 2017, family and domestic violence was the main reason for seeking assistance for 5 per cent of people to our adult entry point. By 2021 that had increased to 8 per cent.”
Ms Crtalic said people accessing homelessness services typically cited
“loss of housing” as their primary cause for seeking assistance, while fleeing family violence was often the contributing factor.
An “increase in safe, secure crisis as well as long-term accommodation options” was needed in the region to combat homelessness caused by family violence, Ms Crtalic said.
“There are very limited crisis options in the Barwon region for people escaping family and domestic violence. There are even less options for people needing long-term housing.
“We know that people too often return to dangerous living situations due to lack of long-term, secure and affordable housing.”
Haven; Home, Safe deputy chief executive Trudi Ray said about 40,200 women and girls needed homelessness help in Victoria as a result
BECAUSE HE DIDN’T PLEAD GUILTY, IT TURNED INTO AN ONGOING PROCESS OF COURT DATES. SO EVERY DAY THERE WAS COURT ON, I WOULD PACK UP MY STUFF AND MY ANIMALS AND GO AND SIT AT MY MUM’S PLACE
FOR THE DAY, WAITING TO BE TOLD IF HE WAS GETTING OUT. KAREN*
of domestic and family violence last financial year.
Ms Ray said homelessness caused by family violence was closely linked to the financial circumstances and dependence of victims.
“Women are usually economically worse off than men and they are often more likely to take time out from their careers to stay home with the children or to work part-time,” Ms Ray said. “When a woman decides to leave a violent relationship, it more often than not means leaving the family home.”
Ms Ray said a combination of housing, refuges, increased support for women and their children and awareness and education was needed to address the issue of women experiencing homelessness as a result of family violence.
“Housing alone won’t address the issue of women becoming homeless due to family violence,” she said.