About Us

Our impact

GenWest's work is guided by the goals and vision in our Strategic Plan.

Marching

Our Strategic Plan

GenWest’s work is guided by the goals and vision in our Strategic Plan 2020-2025.

Our strategic plan helps to align the work we do with our vision of gender equity in the west.

Our Annual Report

Read more about our impact and who we are in our 2024-2025 Annual Report.

Data & research

Do you need data about our family violence service? Would you like to involve us in your research?

We can provide data reports for councils and community organisations and we can partner with universities to supply information and data.

Find out more
Women Chatting

Here’s a snapshot of our work from the 2024-25 financial year:

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At The Orange Door, we delivered 79,044 hours of support—a 31% increase on the previous year.

“My dedicated support worker demonstrated exceptional dedication in ensuring my wellbeing and that of my four-year-old child. As a non-native English speaker, I deeply appreciated [her] ability to communicate with me in Arabic, fostering a strong bond and enabling me to express my emotions and concerns more effectively. The support and assistance I received from GenWest and [my case manager] have had a profound impact on my life, and I am eternally grateful for their intervention.”

GenWest client and survivor
525 people attended health education sessions delivered by the Multilingual Health Education team.

The program supports migrant and refugee communities to feel more confident navigating the Australian healthcare system and improves understanding of essential health checks and chronic illness, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, healthy relationships, family violence and available support and referral pathways.

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“We need a more Sitara’s, because [victim survivors] need someone who can take them through the process, because they are already going through a lot. Sometimes they need one person to hold their hand and say ‘everything will be fine, have faith in this system’ - I think [Project Sitara] has changed things a lot.”

Community Champion from Project Sitara
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Our After-Hours Program provided 607 episodes of emergency assistance for people in crisis.

This service is provided out of business hours, at times when victim survivors needed them most.

Read more about our impact and who we are in our 2024-2025 Annual Report.
In 2024, the Sunrise program implemented a new model, Theory of Change and evaluation framework.

In June 2025, the team launched a pilot partnership co-designed with Western Health’s HOPE (Hospital Outreach Post-Suicidal Engagement) Program and Mind Australia (lead agency for the Melton Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub). This collaboration has provided more integrated, trauma-informed, and accessible mental health pathways for women in Melbourne’s west. Sunrise participants reported that engagement in the program had significantly and positively impacted their lives, improved their overall mental health and wellbeing, reduced social isolation and increased engagement with services and the community.

Read more in our 2024-25 Annual Report.
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“In regard to my health, being a participant in Sunrise has helped to improve my mental strength. It has helped me to develop resilience in dealing with my health ups and downs... [It has] helped me to not focus on my symptoms so much, and realise I was still capable of things”

Sunrise participant
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This year, GenWest opened our new Child and Youth Counselling Hub in Maribyrnong.


This purpose-built hub enables the program to support more families and reduce wait times. The Hub is a special space for children and young people to feel safe and focus on their healing. Expanding this service ensures we can continue to support kids and families to break the cycle of violence.

Read more in our 2024-25 Annual Report.

“Drawing helped me say things I couldn’t talk about.”

Child, aged 7 on their experience in GenWest's Children's Counselling Program
Lived experience continues to guide our work.

Our Survivor Advisory Group and LGBTQIA+ Advisory Group continue to play a central role in ensuring lived experience informs our planning, service design, and advocacy. Their insights strengthen GenWest’s commitment to safety, inclusion, and responsiveness to the needs of the communities and clients we serve. We are deeply grateful to the members for generously sharing their experiences and expertise.

Illustration of three women with their arms around each other. One has light brown skin, is wearing pink clothes and a blue head scarf. One is has white skin, grey hair and is wearing a blue dress. One has dark brown skin and is wearing pink and green.

“Being part of the Survivor Advisory Group has been one of the most grounding experiences of my life. It’s not just a space to share—it’s a space where lived experience is respected, valued, and used to drive real change. GenWest didn’t just invite us to the table—they made sure our voices shaped the agenda.”

GenWest Survivor Advisory Group member

Contact us


Call us

1800 436 937

Email us

info@genwest.org.au

Visit us

317-319 Barkly Street

Footscray

Naarm/Melbourne VIC 3011

More info
Hand with GenWest local government areas