Kara House is a specialist family violence service providing safe and secure accomodation and support services to women and children impacted by family violence. We encourage and empower women to take control of their lives and work towards making strategies to create a better future.

• We believe in the rights of women and children to live free of violence and provide highly secure accommodation which prioritises their safety.
• We offer a range of services and programs including risk assessment, case management, emotional support and specialist children's programs.
• We have a specialist understanding of family violence which helps our clients make informed choices to improve their long term outcomes.

Last year Kara House has provided safety, advice and emotional support to 439 women and 232 children who have experienced family violence from over 46 different linguisitc and cultural backgrounds.

We work with clients, no matter their background including:

Younger women, older women, women with children, women with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders and the LGBTIQ community

What do we do?

For over 43 years Kara House has provided secure refuge, risk assessment, safety planning, emotional support, referral and liaison with other services for Victorian women and their children who experience family violence. They are need of relocation and support services to ensure their safety. We offer the same outreach services to clients impacted by family violence and living in their own accomodation in the wider community.

In addition to providing temporary refuge accommodation, Kara House provides transitional housing and rehabilitation support, client advocacy services such as assisting with court orders or visa applications, specialist children's services.

To reduce the propensity of women returning to an abusive relationship, we run Community Education Programs in the wider community for anyone impacted by family violence. These Programs provide important support and strategies for participants enabling the to move forward with their lives.

How you can help?

Kara House is partly funded for our core services by the DFFH but we rely of donations from the wider community and organisations to provide basic necessities like clothes, toys, linen and toiletries for our clients as well as initiatives like our Community Education Programs. By making a donation to support Kara House you are demonstrating to the women accessing our services, that the community does care and they are not a forgotten statistic. Your donation directly contributes to the services that enable women and their children to rebuild their lives.

How your gift will be used: 

$30 will provide a TOILETRY PACK filled with kids toothbrush, wipes, comb, brush, soap and more
$35 will provide a CLEANING PACK includes sponges, dustpan & brush and cleaning products for clients when they move on to stable accommodation
$50 will purchase a SCHOOL PACK including backpack, lunch box and drink bottle for a child starting at a new school
$80 will purchase a LINEN PACK to provide fresh sheets, doona, pillow and towel when they first arrive at the refuge
$245 will purchase a HOME PACK that includes cutlery, saucepans, plates, kettle, toaster, vacummn cleaner and microwave when our clients need to set up a home from scratch
$450 will enable us to continue our COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS like our new Financial Wellbeing Group
$4,000 will allow us to create the best possible environment at the NEW REFUGE that will improve the long term outcomes of our clients

Sara - Client story

For years Sara had lived in silence with the shame of family violence at the hands of her husband. She had stayed for the sake of her children but the day her husband beat her eight year old son for intervening, in front of her terrified younger children, she knew she had to escape. She left the family home in secret with little more than the most basic belongings and her three children. Her husband controlled the family finances so with no access to money her only option was crisis accommodation. With no close family she reached out to community services and was referred to and welcomed into Kara House. Without the support of Kara House, Sara may well have ended up as just another statistic reported in the news.    

Sadly Sara's story is not unique.

What you can do? 

Help us provide a secure future for our clients and make a donation today. 

Are donations tax deductible? 
Yes. Every gift made in Australia over $2 is tax deductible

Will I receive a receipt for my donation?
Yes, immediately sent to you by email when approved.