Domestic violence non-profit service Pop In celebrates one year of opening

It’s been one year since domestic violence support service Pop In opened its doors and its helped some 170 women and children get back on their feet. See what it has planned for the next 12 months.

A local non profit domestic violence organisation recently celebrated a year of operating, with manager Michele Lanigan reflecting on the important work they’ve achieved, what makes their service unique and the issues the community continues to face.

Established by men and women in the Wingecarribee Shire, Pop In opened in May 2021 and has since worked alongside other services to help more than 170 women and their children.

As the name suggests, women are able to simply pop in and have a chat, a bite to eat, use shower and laundry facilities, receive clothing and benefit from programs, advice and support around domestic violence.

Manager Michele Lanigan of Pop In, a non-profit domestic violence support service in the Southern Highlands.

Ms Lanigan, who has been working in the sector for years, spoke to The Bowral News about how the philanthropically funded service fills a gap in the community.

“Our role is to be here to support these women as they move through their outcomes to the next phase of their lives,” she said.

“There’s a lot of services that are really great but the need was around how do we connect these women into those services in a way that’s meaningful.”

Unlike some organisations, Ms Lanigan said Pop In works with people of any age and background, with a large percentage of their clients being older women who are experiencing elder abuse.

Since starting over a year ago,it has built up a team of 25 volunteers, three case workers and an early childhood educator.

The programs run by the early childhood educator and volunteers are aimed at giving survivors the opportunity to “breathe and think”.

“It’s really about mums and their kids coming into a safe space,” Ms Lanigan said.

“When you’re in the process of extricating yourself from a domestic violence situation, there’s not the energy or the time to focus on those sorts of things – it’s a full time job managing all the things that need to be managed.

“They can come along, meet with other mothers, have a conversation, spend some lovely quality time with their children, and also have the opportunity to sneak off and have a coffee on their own, while the volunteers look after the kids for a while.”

The programs also aim to encourage “ reconnection with community”.

“Social interaction and communication is important because many women become ostracised or completely cut off by their previous community in these situations,” Ms Lanigan said.

As for the case workers at Pop In, their job is to support women to develop safety plans, apply for public or private housing, create a budget, talk to police, get legal advice, and access mental health support.

“It’s very much driven by the individual and what their specific needs are,” Ms Lanigan said.

“What we are very, very cognisant of is that when you’ve been impacted by domestic violence and domestic and family violence and abuse, it’s not necessarily a linear process, to work through.

“So we often work with women as they move in and out of that journey.”

Pop In is located at 2 Mona Road, Bowral.

While Ms Lanigan said Pop In was very busy with calls and online work during Covid restrictions, she also highlighted the difficulty of having to be physically closed at that time.

“Most services shut down in that time from a physical presence and what that of course meant was for anyone who was in the family home wishing to leave, it became that much more difficult,” Ms Lanigan said.

It was also during this period that the need for domestic violence accommodation became even more apparent.

“In the Southern Highlands, we have no domestic violence accommodation. There are no refuges, there are no shelters,” Ms Lanigan said.

More information about Pop In can be found on their website.

They also run regular education workshops for volunteers and the general public about understanding domestic violence and family abuse.