Domestic Violence Resources

Local Food Services

• IFYS Community Kitchen – Urban Angels can provide nutritious frozen meals that can be easily heated in a microwave or oven and they can provide delivery. Contact by phone on: 5452 7774 or click here for more information.
• Suncoast Christian Care in Nambour has a low-cost food outlet, an emergency relief program, and a soup kitchen. Contact by phone on 5441 4877 or click here for more information.
• Nambour Community Centre has regular community lunches and some frozen meals. Contact by phone on 5441 4724 or click here for more information.
• The Shak in Nambour offers community breakfasts and some lunches. Contact by phone on 5441 5928 or click here for more information.
• Maroochydore Neighbourhood Centre has community dinners that provide hot nutritious food to people experiencing homelessness and families that are struggling financially. Contact by phone on: 5443 6696 or click here for more information.
• Maleny Neighbourhood Centre has shared community lunches for a small charge. Contact by phone on: 5499 9345 or click here for more information.
• Landsborough Morris House Neighbourhood Centre is open for various supports. Contact by phone on: 5494 1255.
• Glass House Mountains Neighbourhood Centre is open for various supports. Contact by phone on: 5438 7000.
• Caloundra Gateway Care has low-cost groceries and emergency relief for food items. Contact by phone on: 5458 6888 for more information.
• Caloundra Salvation Army has a takeaway community lunch and details can be found here.

Financial Assistance

• For information on emergency relief services on the Sunshine Coast for food, fuel, medication, utilities, clothes and transport, please click here to access the Sunshine Coast housing and homelessness directory online.
• For information about how to access a crisis payment from Centrelink for people impacted by domestic and family violence, please click here.
• For information on victim’s assist, brokerage, and crisis payment arrangements for people who have been impacted by domestic and family violence, please click here.
• A number of Australian banks and financial institutions offer a range of financial support services and support mechanisms to help customers to gain independence and escape domestic and family violence. Please contact your specific bank to discuss what is available.
• For information about the Uniting Care escaping violence payment, please go to the Uniting Care website here or contact Uniting Care on: 1800 875 559.
• Australia Post offers a free 12-month mail redirection for people impacted by domestic violence. Please click here for further information and to check your eligibility.

Visa and Immigration Information

• For information about domestic and family violence and your visa, please click here.
• For information about domestic and family violence in different languages, please click here.
• To download a family safety pack that has been developed by the Australian Government in your language, please click here.
• The immigrant women’s support service is a specialist service for immigrant and refugee women from non-English speaking backgrounds and their children who have experienced domestic, family and/or sexual violence. Please click here to access their site.
• The Australian Red Cross has a family and domestic violence financial assistance program for people on temporary visas who are experiencing family and domestic violence. Please click here for further information.
• The refugee and immigration legal service (RAILS) offers free immigration legal assistance for those in need and can be found here.

Legal and Tenancy Information

• For information about applying for a domestic violence protection order (DVO) please click here to go to the Legal Aid website.
• For free legal advice, referral and education, please see the Sunshine Coast Community Legal Service here.
• For free legal assistance for women in Queensland, please see the Women’s legal service website here.
• For information about how to report domestic violence to the police, please click here.
• For information on what to do if domestic and family violence affects your tenancy, please see the following websites for Tenants Queensland and the RTA:

Tenants Queensland

RTA

Other Services

• Nambour Community Centre offers a migrant settlement program providing free, confidential information and help for permanent residents who have arrived in Australia in the past five years. Please click here for more information and contact details.
• DVConnect Women’s Line is Queensland’s 24-hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year crisis response telephone helpline for Queenslanders who want to escape domestic violence. Contact by phone on: 1800 811 811 or click here for more information.
• DVConnect Men’s Line is a free, confidential telephone counselling, referral, information and support, service for Queenslanders identifying as male, and who may be experiencing or using domestic and family violence. This service is available 9am until midnight, 7 days a week. Contact by phone on: 1800 600 636 or click here for more information. 
• For more information on domestic, family and sexual violence in LGBTIQ relationships, please click here.
• Sexual assault can happen to anyone, and it is never your fault. You are not alone. Reaching out for support is an extremely brave thing to do. The Sexual Assault Helpline team are specialist counsellors who will always listen and believe you. You can choose to be anonymous. Contact by phone on: 1800 010 120 or click here for more information. 
• The Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free (even from a mobile), confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. Contact by phone on: 1800 551 800 or click here to go to the website.
• Lifeline is a 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention service for all Australians experiencing emotional distress. Contact by phone on: 13 11 44 or click here to go to the website.

Safety Upgrades for your Home

• Centacare is funded to provide the Sunshine Coast Regional DFV service (Domestic and family violence support for women) and runs the following programs: PRADO program – co-located with the Queensland police service supporting high-risk clients; Court Support – providing support for women (aggrieved) at all three local domestic and family violence (DFV) courts (Caloundra, Maroochydore and Noosa); Support with DVO applications; DFV intake, risk assessment and counselling; and Psycho-educational groups for Women. They also offer ‘The Safety Upgrades Program’, which provides certain resources needed to enable women and children who are experiencing domestic and family violence to remain in and stay safe in their home. They can be contacted on: (07) 5430 9300 or click here for more information.  
• The Safer in the Home program provided by the Salvation Army can provide safety upgrades to your home including, Installation or replacement of locks to entry doors and windows, security guards on doors and screens, and external sensor lights etc. For more information about this service, please click here.