Sadly, domestic and family violence is something that continues to affect many parts of the whole country, but thankfully there are people behind the scenes working to make a difference.
One of these is not-for-profit charity Hearts of Purple that helps women and men in high-risk domestic violence situations who are at risk.
The HOP team is made up of experts in their respective fields who are committed to maintaining all aspects of survivor’s safety, security, and wellbeing regardless of their gender by primarily providing monitored safety devices.
As a specialised unit, they supply watches that once activated stream live footage in real time to a monitoring team and to HOP phones so they can monitor what is happening in real time.
They also have an ex-military team that goes through and scans for tracking and listening devices in homes and vehicles.
The HOP team is not funded and was set up through donations and a little elbow grease, however they knew early along that this was not sustainable and wanted to think of ways they could support both the environment and raise much needed funding at the same time.
In March 2020, the team lead by Michelle Beattie and Georgia Stripp came up with the Purple Bin Program where they find organisations to take on our impressive purple bin to place all their 10 cent recyclables.
Their team of volunteers pick the contents up weekly or fortnightly and take them to their recyclables partner where they turn cans into cash.
Michelle said at the end of September 2022, Hearts of Purple purchased a block of land from collecting 10 cent cans and bottles.
“In three years, we raised $500,000 so we could build crisis accommodation for women and children,” she said.
“We have started the build and hope to have them finished by end of February 2026.
“Once we finish this build, we hope to build one for men.”
One person who is using their building skills to help Hearts of Purple realise their Heart of Purple Housing Project reality is project manager Burnett MP Stephen Bennett.
Mr Bennett said it was incredibly rewarding to put his construction experience to use for a project that will change lives.
“I’ve managed this build because I genuinely believe in what it will deliver and being able to contribute to something so meaningful is a real privilege,” he said.
“We know domestic and family violence doesn’t just happen somewhere else, it happens in our communities, to women, men and children who often have nowhere safe to go.
“Knowing that there will be a secure, purpose-built place where they can seek refuge, away from danger and with their privacy protected, is incredibly powerful.
“Even though we can’t reveal the location, what matters is that when a someone makes that brave decision to leave, there is a door they can walk through that leads to safety, dignity, and a chance to rebuild.
“Knowing this crisis accommodation will be there when it’s needed most is exactly why this project means so much to me.”
Mr Bennett said Hearts of Purple was powered by extraordinary volunteers and a chief executive officer who give their time, skills and hearts to protect women and children.
“I’ve supported their work for years, from awareness projects like the purple bins in Parliament to initiatives like this build, emergency accommodation, clothing, food and special security devices, their commitment is inspiring.”
For more information visit the website: heartsofpurple.org.
