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About Us

What We Do

Launce­s­ton Wom­en’s Shel­ter Inc. Trad­ing as Mag­no­lia Place LWS is a Spe­cial­ist Home­less­ness Ser­vice work­ing with­in the Tas­man­ian Gov­ern­ments Hous­ing Con­nect Sys­tem. We pro­vide Sup­port­ed Cri­sis Accom­mo­da­tion to women and their chil­dren and/​or women alone who are expe­ri­enc­ing home­less­ness and/​or fam­i­ly violence.

We aim to pro­vide a safe, sup­port­ive, and wel­com­ing envi­ron­ment for women and children.

We are com­mit­ted to improv­ing the lives of our clients. The Mag­no­lia Place LWS Wom­en’s Sup­port work­ers pro­vide prac­ti­cal and emo­tion­al sup­port, advo­ca­cy and infor­ma­tion and refer­rals for clients dur­ing their stay.

Our team offer sup­port to enable women and chil­dren to devel­op skills, and strate­gies for sur­vival that they can use when they re-enter the wider com­mu­ni­ty. Wom­en’s Sup­port work­ers aim to assist women to address the stress and trau­ma behind their cur­rent sit­u­a­tions, as well as to enhance their resilience in cop­ing with dai­ly phys­i­cal, men­tal and emo­tion­al stres­sors, and oth­er life-lim­it­ing conditions. 

Fam­i­ly Sup­port Work­ers sup­port, advo­cate for, and enhance the lives of chil­dren and youth. They sup­port the mums to deal with par­ent­ing and behav­iour­al issues, organ­ise week­ly play­group, pro­vide hol­i­day activ­i­ties, expres­sive arts ther­a­py, and work to over­come the effects of trau­ma on children’s lives through ther­a­peu­tic emo­tion­al support.

Our Vision

To be lead­ing advo­cate for a com­mu­ni­ty free of home­less­ness and fam­i­ly violence.

Our His­to­ry

The first for­mal pub­lic meet­ing to dis­cuss the for­ma­tion of a wom­en’s refuge in the City of Launce­s­ton was held at the Town Hall on 6th June 1975. It was note­wor­thy that 40 years lat­er a civic recep­tion was held also at the Town Hall to mark the mile­stone of the 40 years that the Shel­ter had been oper­a­tional. The Launce­s­ton Wom­en’s Shel­ter began in Bris­bane Street on 3rd Sep­tem­ber 1975 although the prop­er­ty was deemed to be too small. The shel­ter remained at this premis­es for three years, mov­ing to much larg­er house at 69 High Street on 16th August 1978. The shel­ter remained at High Street for twen­ty-one years before relo­cat­ing to the present site in Sep­tem­ber 1999. At the present shel­ter site all accom­mo­da­tion con­sists of sep­a­rate self-con­tained units, unlike the shared rooms of the past. Short­ly after the move in 1999 the Launce­s­ton Wom­en’s Shel­ter Incor­po­rat­ed, reg­is­tered a trad­ing name of Mag­no­lia Place LWS, with the loca­tion to be kept confidential.

The 40th anniver­sary held Octo­ber 2015 was to recog­nise the com­mit­ment and com­pas­sion of the many staff and Board mem­bers, who have been involved with the shel­ter since it’s hum­ble begin­nings. We paid trib­ute to the Launce­s­ton Com­mu­ni­ty who first worked to ensure a shel­ter became avail­able, and who con­tin­ue with their sup­port to this day, as well as con­tin­ued sup­port from Gov­ern­ment at all lev­els. It was also to recog­nise the brave women and chil­dren in our com­mu­ni­ty who have for so many years need­ed the safe haven of the Shel­ter, where they know they will be respect­ed and supported.

Useful Links

Launceston Women's Shelter

PO Box 1464 Launceston TAS 7250

Phone: (03) 6344 5322
Fax: (03) 6344 3969

ABN: 73 074 199 727

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