Starting a new life after leaving DV

Dearest friends,

Firstly, let me say thank you to you all for your tremendous ongoing support through one of the most difficult times in my life.

As many of you know, on the 19th of December my husband of 13 years tried to file a family violence order against me in both his and our son's names. This FVO was NOT granted, but that didn't stop him from attempting to force me out of our shared home.

On advice from local police, I filed my own FVO and it was immediately granted due to the severity of my husband's abusive behaviour. Unfortunately, by this point he had absconded with our son and, as it was almost Christmas, I felt I had no choice but to leave our home so my son could return with his father.

Because I elected to remove the exclusion order from my FVO, I was immediately made homeless. This despite the fact that I had done nothing wrong. I felt that our son needed to be in his own home on Christmas day, even if I could not be with him.

After spending Christmas in a hotel, I was offered a temporary place to live through friends of a friend. This kindness quite literally saved my life. Had it not been offered, I would be in a women's shelter and I am deeply grateful every day to have been spared that fate.

But, now the real work begins. I have had to go to court to defend myself against my ex's malicious lies and I haven't seen my son since the 19th of December. To have been my disabled child's primary carer and have had him torn away from me is one of the worst experiences of my life. My ex husband continues to control and abuse me through forcing the cessation financial supports, withholding visitation and refusing to allow me to move my things from the family home.

He is determined that I will never see my son again, let alone care for him.

And so, though you have all been unceasingly generous, I find myself in need of more funds. To fight this man's cruelty and regain access to our child, to keep myself from the trauma of homelessness and to support myself until some sort of Centrelink payment is reinstated. I have plans too, that involve a short trip to see my closest friends in the UK. Not a holiday, but an attempt at healing myself before the next phase of trying to get justice begins.

No donation is too small. Anything that can be spared during a time when so many are struggling is to be treasured.

Thank you for reading xx