Our services

You Matter supports women and children who have experienced family violence by setting up and furnishing safe, welcoming homes, whether they are transitioning to long-term or temporary accommodation.

Our Havens of hope program provides fully equipped, comfortable, and personalised homes for women and their children moving into long-term housing. These homes support women to re-establish stability, regain independence, and reconnect with their communities.

In response to Victoria’s growing housing crisis, and the increasing number of women and children remaining in transitional accommodation for extended periods, we have expanded our services to include a Transitional Accommodation Program. Through this program, we set up multiple units of transitional housing in partnership with family violence agencies, enabling them to provide ready-to-use, supportive accommodation for women and children in urgent need.

Our services are delivered across metropolitan Melbourne.

We work in close collaboration with family violence support agencies to respond to the diverse housing needs of women and children leaving family violence.

For our Havens of hope program, once a woman has secured long-term accommodation, You Matter receives a referral from the agency and works with the woman’s preferences, needs, and circumstances in mind to create a personalised and empowering home environment.

For our Transitional Accommodation program, we work directly with agencies to fully furnish and prepare a number of transitional housing units ahead of use. These units are then ready to support women and children in urgent need of safe, interim accommodation.

In both programs, our team and volunteers ensure every space is thoughtfully prepared to offer dignity, safety, and hope in a welcoming environment.

Our Haven set-up includes beds and bedding; bathroom goods and toiletries; washing machines and other laundry essentials; fridges, cutlery, crockery, pots, pans, pantry staples; dining and living room furniture including a television, plus items to cater for the specific needs and tastes of the woman and her children, such as desks, books, toys and pet accessories.

Havens are decorated and styled by our volunteers, including cushions, throw rugs and other decor items – finished off with a beautiful bunch of flowers and card.

By delivering our Havens of hope and transitional accommodation programs, we hope to help prevent women falling back into the cycle of family violence and abuse. When You Matter sets up a Haven for women and their children, all they need to do is arrive and begin living in a home filled by the love and support of their community.

Chatting with Marshall White about what we do at You Matter

In this video recording, our CEO Deborah de Rossi speaks with James Connell, founder of the Marshall White Foundation regarding the work of You Matter and the profound impact our work has on the lives of the women and children as they recover and heal from family violence.

Watch the video here*

*CONTENT WARNING* This video contains discussions relating to family violence