Reach out, get help: Alice from LCN is here for Hay

“I was, for all intents and purposes, homeless, with the entirety of my possessions the full ute load of belongings.”

By Kimberly Grabham

So, it was 2020 and I was in a place I had been before, but a place nobody ever wants to be. A place I well and truly never expected to be again.

I was, for all intents and purposes, homeless, with the entirety of my possessions the full ute load of belongings my sister Rebecca came to collect, along with me and two of my children.

Living with my sister and her family for a month, rebuilding physically and mentally from not only the trauma of having to flee but the trauma of inadvertently pulling our lives apart once again, I was pretty broken.

It all stung. The shame of being in the situation, the fear of the unknown and the confusion and not knowing where to start.

I met Alice at the Intereach agency, when I waddled in there one day uncertainly, encouraged by Bec, hoping they would know where to start.

Not only were the ladies at the Intereach warm, welcoming and helpful, but Alice was something else altogether.

Practical, non-judgemental, friendly and matter of fact, she was exactly what I needed.

She put it all into perspective for me. She was a lighthouse of sorts in the time of great darkness and strife.

There was no, ‘why did you let this happen,’ nothing but ‘I know where to start and what we can do and let’s get this ball rolling’.

She pointed me in the direction of many different services and checked in regularly.

Alice felt like the no-nonsense Aunt, getting the job done and making me understand I wasn’t alone.

It was all going to be OK, it was just a back on track.

You are no doubt thinking; who the hell is Alice?

Alice Watts works for an organisation called Linking Communities Network (LCN).

Linking Communities Network Ltd is the lead agency for homelessness and domestic violence services.

They service a wide region; Griffith, Leeton Narrandera, Hay, West Wyalong, Hillston, Lake Cargelligo and all areas in between.

Links for Women offers both community-based case management, support and advocacy and crisis accommodation for women, with or without dependent children experiencing domestic and family violence.

They specialise in domestic and family violence education and support, case management and planning, safety planning, housing issues, budgeting and financial referrals, legal issues including Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders, family law and separation.

Alice has been working in the industry for over 25 years.

Having always liked helping people, she brings live experience to her role.

Growing up in an Indigenous community, domestic violence was an everyday thing for her.

She liked the idea of helping people in those situations from the very get go, and still loves it.

“I absolutely love my job,” Alice said.

“I will inevitably see my clients out and about in different settings, like at the supermarket or at the doctors, and will happily chat to them and give advice.

“I will always be open for people in the community to come up to me and ask for advice, which I give and then guide them in the direction they need to go.”

Alice’s colleagues sing her praises, and rightly so.

They describe her as brilliant in her job and adept at community engagement.

“I love to engage with clients, to keep them safe and give them the information they need to keep safe, and to explain it to them and connect in language they understand,” she said.

As sad as Alice was to see the refuge move and change, this change meant the professionals were forced out into the community, were able to come to Hay and provide support to the region on a larger scale.

Alice comes to Hay once a week, and is available at the Intereach office.

If anyone would like to have contact with Alice, a referral via the website www.lcn.org.au is strongly suggested, or a call on 02 6964 3381.

I can most certainly recommend the services of Alice and LCN.

Having been in similar situations in the past, in earlier years, I never had the benefit of the great help which is out there these days.

There is so much help out there, reach out and grab it.

Alice is waiting and at the ready.

Image: Kimberly Grabham (above) credits Alice Watts and the Linking Communities Network for her recovery from a relationship that left her homeless and broken.