The Finding Freedom Project

What is The Finding Freedom Project? 

Family violence is a significant issue in the City of Whittlesea. It has impacted
me personally, along with some of my closest friends.

At 26 years old, I left an abusive partner, with our then two-and-a-half year old
son, with the support of a Centrelink social worker and Legal Aid lawyer. Almost
18 months later, I had set up our new home, my son had started 4-year old
Kinder, and I was enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Counselling. Life had settled
into a safe “new normal”. This was when I felt the overwhelming exhaustion of
everything my young son and I had been through – the abuse, the trauma of my
ex taking off with our son, the court battle to bring him home, the ongoing
attempts to control me as I co-parented with my ex, and then setting up a new
home, beginning study (me), and starting kinder (my son).

We needed a holiday. Thankfully, I was fortunate to be able to scrape together
funds for my son and I to have a five day holiday in the Grampians. It was such
a healing time for us – the dust had settled, we knew we would be returning to
our stable new life, and we could just enjoy the fresh air, wildlife, walking trails,
and everything the area had to offer. It is this experience that I want to share
with other women and children who have experienced the trauma of family
violence, and the upheaval escaping those situations brings.

I want to offer women a way to celebrate their new beginning with their children.
To show them that good things are in their future, the past has been left behind.

The goal of Consent Cleaning is to fund The Finding Freedom project which aims to provide tertiary support to women and children who have escaped family violence, and are living with trauma and its affects.

The Finding Freedom Project is unique in its design. The aim is for each arm of the project to build from the others, helping to increase opportunities for outreach and growth in all three service areas. The Finding Freedom Project will providing a wholistic service for women who have escaped family violence, catering to their tertiary needs for employment (Consent Cleaning), a safe place to rest (Selah House), and the ability to safely share their story to empower others (The Freedom Found Anthology).

Vision

We long to see women and children who have experienced family violence not just survive, but truly thrive. Our hope is for them to move beyond survival into a new, fulfilling life - a life full of freedom, hope, and joy. We want every survivor to know they are seen, valued, and deserving of a life filled with beauty and possibility.

Mission

Our mission is rooted in love and compassion. We aim to offer our fellow survivors more than just practical support - we strive to create experiences that uplift, affirm, and remind survivors of their inherent worth. We want survivors to experience a sense of freedom and new beginnings from the safety and serenity of a holiday destination. We want them to return from their holiday with a renewed sense of hope that life can be joyful after family violence, knowing that they are valued and worthy of a beautiful life. 

Values

The Finding Freedom Project is founded on the core values of safety, serenity, freedom, hope, and love.