Below: Kelly Bryant has volunteered her hairdressing salon as a safety shop in Pakenham.
By Sarah Schwager
PAKENHAM Safety House has seen a boost in its numbers, helping the program stay alive.
Last month, the News reported the long-standing program was in danger of shutting down if the community did not get involved.
Since then, local residents have rallied around the program, which has helped provide a safe haven for people across the community for more than 20 years.
Pakenham Safety House committee secretary Val Woods said at its annual general meeting on 27 March they signed up four new monitors, eight houses, five shops, five committee members and two people to do letterbox drops.
One of the people who decided to help out was Kelly Bryant, owner of Color Me Happy in Main Street, who decided to register her hairdressing salon as a safety shop.
“We chose to become a safety salon to offer the local community a safe and welcoming environment to approach when in need,” Ms Bryant said.
“I also have two children, which has helped me make the decision to become a safety salon.
“I would like to think if they were ever in trouble that they would have somewhere that they would feel comfortable to go to.”
She said it also offered them the chance to get involved with the local community.
Mrs Woods and committee president Barbara O’Connor were overjoyed at the number of people in the community who had volunteered to help out, including the number of businesses and shops.
“It’s good to have the shops involved as kids are often down the street,” Mrs O’Connor said.
But Mrs Woods said more help was still needed.
She said people of all ages could get involved, and there were many ways of helping, from monitoring registered safety houses to doing letterbox drops.
At one stage Pakenham Safety House had 200 safety houses in operation but that number dwindled to 65 before the latest additions.
Mrs Woods said even if people worked they could still help out in their spare time.
For more information call Val Woods on 5941 3180 or Barbara O’Connor on 5941 2312.
