Berry Street's Central Highlands Mother Infant Village (MI Village) has had a stylish refurbishment, as demand for the family violence relief service continues to grow.
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The organisation's MI Village provides women and their young children with 12 months of accommodation to help their recovery from family violence, as well as offering several programs to recovering mothers with children aged zero to four.
Berry Street's senior family violence manager Mandy Gambino said there was significant demand for their services, as family violence rates remained concerningly high.
"Statewide, we struggle to keep up with the demand for family violence services for victims of abuse, and also people who use violence," she said.
"We saw a significant spike [in family violence] during COVID, and that really hasn't settled."
![Haymes Paint's Paul Sostheim and Berry Street's Mandy Gambino at Berry Street's refreshed Mother Infant Village. Picture by Kate Healy Haymes Paint's Paul Sostheim and Berry Street's Mandy Gambino at Berry Street's refreshed Mother Infant Village. Picture by Kate Healy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200884286/4ba423d0-c0f0-4224-be94-d225ba65cfcb.JPG/r0_0_6192_4128_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ms Gambino said one of the most important ways to help people recover from dangerous situations was to provide them with stable accommodation.
"It really does provide a base in which people can settle and work out where they want their future to be," she said.
"Safe accommodation is the basis of good family violence intervention for many people, and it's always a struggle to find it, and to find that it lasts for long enough as well."
But, while the organisation is providing a vital service, Ms Gambino said they were reliant on generous donors to stay afloat.
She said for every person that they can offer a well-resourced service, there are several others whose needs they struggle to meet.
"This is philanthropically funded, so we still rely on donors ... we don't have government funding for this part of our program," she said.
![Haymes Paint's Paul Sostheim and Berry Street's Mandy Gambino painting a bright yellow feature wall at one of Berry Street's units. Picture by Kate Healy Haymes Paint's Paul Sostheim and Berry Street's Mandy Gambino painting a bright yellow feature wall at one of Berry Street's units. Picture by Kate Healy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200884286/a65d1983-35b6-4083-8028-887b21cf1e65.JPG/r0_0_6192_4128_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Thanks to generous donations, Berry Street is refreshing their four Central Highlands units, which they plan to fill in the coming months.
Haymes Paint donated a total of 200 litres of products to Berry Street, which had provided each unit with a bright feature wall.
While flooring was also been updated thanks to a donation from Carpet Court.
Haymes Paint Ballarat store manager Paul Sostheim said it was important for the company to help a family initiative.
"As a Ballarat-based and family-owned business, Haymes Paint didn't hesitate to support Berry Street and local Ballarat families on this project," he said.
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Berry Street's Central Highlands MI Village coordinator Jess, who preferred not to give her surname, said it was a busy time for the organisation.
"We're finding that we're getting a lot more referrals for family violence support and counseling, which is amazing that we can offer that to them," she said.
Jess said when people's time in the MI Village approaches its end, Berry Street will help them find secure accommodation by linking them with real estate agents and social services.
"They really get to feel supported from this program for that whole 12 months, while also having stable housing, which we know is quite challenging [to find]," she said.
"Once you've been here for so long, and you get really really comfortable and supported, it's scary to take that next step out."
"But, that's why we like to work with them [family violence survivors] up until their infant turns four, and then that way they can still come and do all that other activity stuff that we have."
Affected by this story? There is help available. Berry Street's western region office can be contacted on 03 5330 5000
You can also phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732. The Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.
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