A message from our Executive Director, Marie-Louise Corkhill

I write to ask you to please share and support our 2021 Karinya House May Day Appeal – Celebrating Women and Celebrating Mother’s Day.

It is important, I think, also to share with you the concerns of our care team – the Karinya Caseworkers, Health Professionals and Support Workers. Even as the Executive Director, I am firstly a Caseworker myself. Working directly with women remains so valued by me personally, and I share the concerns of my colleagues, for the women we support. 2021 is proving to be so much more challenging for the women we walk alongside.  Affordable, and more importantly, safe, housing is a critical issue in our Canberra Region. Safe and affordable housing is often a key component of supporting the women we walk alongside.  Indefinite housing at Karinya House is not a solution, and the inability to source affordable and safe housing is taking its toll on women and challenging their care team.

Your support and the support of our community does make a difference and daily reminders that you are standing alongside do make us smile and also give thanks.

Women supported by Karinya House are impacted by homelessness, histories of family violence and abuse, current circumstances of domestic violence and many other life pressures which arise from structural inequities. These impacts are compounded by increasingly punitive social policy frameworks.

The practice of care at Karinya House is intense and focused. Each woman we walk alongside co-designs her support framework and sets to seek her own aspirational goals.

At Karinya House, we are privileged to journey with women in a very profound way and personally share part of their lives for a while. Every woman who is pregnant or has a new baby should be surrounded with the support she needs. However, there are women who are at risk of violence, experience homelessness or are completely isolated.

We do need your help, to ensure we can continue to be her support. To be here, to continue to be here, to be whatever and whoever each woman needs us to be, for however long she needs us. The hallmark of our care practice is our direct response to the needs of each individual woman we walk alongside.

We know the events of COVID19 continue to impact our community, including those who generously support our service.  With that in mind, we do ask for financial support today – during May 2021, with consideration. It is only with your support that we can continue to walk alongside women, providing the essential care that they need.

We thank you if you are already a financial friend. Your recurring support is critical to us and we do not expect any additional donation. If you are not a financial donor, please do consider making a small donation to our Appeal today.

We ask each and everyone of you to please share this newsletter, share our links, and cross promote our appeal across all social media channels that may apply to you or your organisation.

Any and every donation we receive this year in response to our Karinya House 2021 May Day Appeal  – Celebrating Women and Celebrating Mother’s Day – will help.

As we often say, and always mean, please continue to walk alongside with us, celebrate and recognise the women we support.

With our continued thanks and best wishes

Marie-Louise Corkhill

Executive Director