Power a safe path for those affected by family violence

Imagine you had to leave your house right now, without knowing if you were ever coming back. What would you take? Would you remember your phone charger?

Many women leaving an abusive relationship will flee their home with only minutes to spare, not knowing when or if they will ever return. Sadly, Christmas time is when instances of family violence are at their highest.

In a time of crisis, a mobile phone can offer a lifeline – but not when the battery goes dead.

This Christmas, you can help people escaping family violence navigate their first steps to safety by donating an Ask Izzy power card to donate $15.

One power card will give someone affected by family violence enough mobile charge to use the Ask Izzy website to find somewhere to stay, a meal, support and counselling and much more.

Simone’s story

After leaving a violent relationship, Simone (not her real name) not only had her own safety to protect but also the safety of her 6-month-old son.  

“Every moment that wasn’t dedicated towards looking after my son, was going towards fighting for his and my safety,” says Simone.

Simone says her partner left her while she was pregnant, but continued to stalk her. She was living in unsafe accommodation and couldn’t work because she was looking after her child.

She had no family support, no childcare, her residency was unstable and her ex-partner threatened to retaliate against her by initiating family court proceedings if she filed for an intervention order.

During this time of crisis, Simone relied heavily on her mobile phone to get the help she needed.

“I was searching for help and making continuous calls to legal centres and the police, telling them that my ex was breaching his IVO, and that he has supervised visitations but he’s still committing violence against my son — my son was coming back with multiple contusions to the head, so what do I do?”

 “My phone is something that I’ve relied on throughout. It’s been my lifeline really, to survive.”

“When you’re in a crisis situation, you might not feel comfortable going into a café and asking for a phone charger – especially if you’ve been so belittled and worn down by somebody, you’re not really in a place where you can ask for help from strangers. But if you have an Ask Izzy power card with you, at least you can find somewhere to chill, no matter if it’s day or night, and collect yourself, make some calls and find a place to stay.”

About Ask Izzy

Ask Izzy is a mobile website that provides help for people in need, right now and nearby. It is completely anonymous, with over 360,000 services listed including housing, meals, healthcare, counselling, legal advice, addiction treatment and a whole lot more.

Ask Izzy is also free to use on the Telstra mobile network. This means people don't need to rely on having credit or access to free wifi in order to use the site.

Developed by Infoxchange in partnership with Google, REA Group and News Corp Australia, Ask Izzy was co-designed with people who have experienced homelessness and leaders in the homelessness sector.

The success of Ask Izzy can be attributed to its 20 major and contributing partners, as well as strong collaborations between the community, corporate, government and academic sectors.

Since the site was launched in January 2016, people escaping family violence have been some of the most frequent users of Ask Izzy and make up the largest group of people searching for housing.