A service fee of $60 per week, plus an additional $10 per child per week, is requested from clients who can meet this cost. This payment may be taken directly from Centrelink payments. If you do not have an income, as may be the case for asylum seekers and new migrants, the service fee is waivered.

We welcome pets in our properties and have separate enclosed courtyards to accommodate them.

Each child at Refuge Victoria is a client in their own right. We will talk with you and your child about their education and what safety measures can be put in place for them to attend school or access school via remote learning. We can assist with school enrollment and accessing funds to purchase educational needs such as books, uniforms and devices.

Your worker will complete an exit plan with you once you have established next steps. Prior to leaving they will discuss options for ongoing support for you with our outreach team and other agencies. This support may include on-going counselling, housing services or legal support.

During your first few days your worker will complete a risk and needs assessment with you, and put together a plan outlining your goals. This might focus on housing, support around your experience of family violence, safety planning, information and advice about other services available such as legal support and counselling. Your worker will regularly review this plan with you.

A Specialist Children’s and Young Person’s Worker will also work with your children to develop their individual assessments and plans. Plans for children may consider their health needs, their education or training options, childcare for younger children, helping children to understand their experience of family violence and supporting your relationship with them.

We work alongside other organisations like legal and housing services, Centrelink, and Maternal and Child Health that we support you to access, and in some cases, this can happen onsite at the refuge.

Your worker will discuss with you your options for returning home, or alternative options. This could include private rentals, share houses or staying with family/friends or public housing. Your worker will talk about options considering safety, appropriateness, and budget, and how you can be supported including possible funding assistance.

Your worker can discuss your options regarding any current housing arrangements. This could involve assistance to organise the packing up and collection of your belongings and relocating them to a storage facility, alongside support to end leases, while exploring other housing options. 

If there is a possibility that you could return to your home, we can organise a property risk assessment, and explore seeking funding for security upgrades such as security cameras, sensor lights and security doors.

We have self-contained units at our refuge sites, each with their own living area, bathroom, kitchen, laundry facilities and an enclosed backyard. We have 15 crisis properties, located throughout Melbourne. They are two or three bedroom homes with their own gardens and off-street parking.

Refuge Victoria offers a 6 to 8 week stay at refuge and crisis properties.