A local organisation is encouraging the community to paint the town purple to mark its new name.
HAVEN Mid-South refuge (formerly known as Mid-South Island Women’s Refuge and Family Safety Services) marked the introduction of its new name with an art installation outside Timaru’s library last week.
But within days, the installation had been vandalised.
HAVEN employee Louise Hansen said she had created the installation which she had called ‘‘Airing Our Dirty Laundry’’ in response to the number of referrals the organisation had received in the last 12 months, 2275.
‘‘When you look at the clothes you see that there is a nightie which looks like something your nana would wear, a baby’s romper, a business shirt,’’ Mrs Hansen said.
‘‘This is because family violence does not discriminate.
‘‘It does not matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, what your skin colour is.
‘‘Over the weekend my work was vandalised.’’
This was not unexpected and she was glad that it was, as it only added to the work and the meaning behind it, she said.
‘‘For someone to have such a visceral response to the work by physically ripping the garments off the line speaks volumes to what the work is trying to say.
‘‘Like what we do at HAVEN on a daily basis, we will dust ourselves off and the art work will be reinstalled.’’
General manager Maria Parish said while the organisation’s name had changed, their commitment to providing safety, support and advocacy remained the same.
‘‘We provide support to all people — women, children and men — affected by family violence and sexual violence, ensuring that everyone has a safe place to seek help and access the support they need.
‘‘At HAVEN, we uphold our values by creating an environment where every person feels safe, respected, heard, and supported.’’
While males did not stay in their safe house, staff could make other arrangements to support them to be safe, she said.
Safety and risk were at the front of their decisions.
The organisation’s main office is in Timaru, with satellite offices in Oamaru and Ashburton.
The team of 24 worked to ensure every person received the support that best meets their individual needs.
‘‘Paint the Town Purple’’ called for community members and organisations to host a purple-themed morning tea, to decorate their shop-front or workplace with a purple window display, to wear purple for the day, or create their own fundraising event.
Over the past 12 months, the organisation has supported the community through 2,275 referrals, 886 safe house bed nights, 151 crisis calls and more than $27,400 spent on emergency motel accommodation.
‘‘Behind every statistic is a person or whānau seeking safety and the opportunity to rebuild.’’
To find out how you or your organisation could help, or to donate, go to havenrefuge.org.nz
