Last week the Inner Wheel Club of Orange donated several items to Housing Plus- The Orchard.

The Orchard, set to open prior to Christmas, will be the first of its kind in NSW regarding crisis accommodation for women and children who are forced to leave to find safe refuge.

The Inner Wheel Club of Orange donated a quilt, several boxes of books and a handed over a monetary donation to go towards new toys for the children.

Housing Plus Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator, Rochelle Monaghan addressed the Inner Wheel Club, thanking their efforts and spoke in regard to domestic violence figures and the new crisis accommodation.

Rochelle said, “We do still need a lot of support because we are doing it all from scratch. A donation like this is amazing. It means we can provide some home-like touches to the units and the crèche and it means it will feel a little bit more like home to them.

We are really excited to open, everything is coming along nicely, we are really proud of the project we are delivering, and pleased to be in a position to help women and children.”

Inner Wheel member, Maria Bargwanna said, “When I read about the accommodation, I thought right.. this is something we could help with because one of our goals is to look after women and children. It’s something new that’s opening and it’s very exciting.”

How can you help? The Orchard are still accepting monetary or new donations, please contact Rochelle at Housing Plus for more information on rochelle@housingplus.com.au or 1800 603 300.

The Orchard will provide a safe and culturally appropriate space for around 72 families from Orange each year. It will keep women and children in their community, near schools, employment and supportive family, contributing to a faster recovery from trauma.