NAB gives Ask Izzy a helping hand to tackle family violence
Infoxchange receives $500 000 in funding from the NAB Foundation to help tackle family and domestic violence.
Ask Izzy is a mobile site that connects people with housing, a meal, health and wellbeing services, support and counselling and much more.
The new two-year project, Ask Izzy Help at Hand, aims to enhance and raise awareness of Ask Izzy for people fleeing domestic violence.
Since the site was launched in January 2016, people escaping family violence have been some of the most frequent users of Ask Izzy and make up the largest group of people searching for housing.
The Help at Hand project will include a co-design process to enhance the site with women who have experienced family violence and service providers. It will also be used to raise awareness of Ask Izzy to connect to essential services including housing, money help, support and counselling.
“We’re proud to be working with the NAB Foundation on this important project,” says Infoxchange CEO David Spriggs.
“With NAB’s support, we will be able to connect and empower more people who are experiencing family violence with Ask Izzy and help them find the support they need.
“We are committed to tackling family violence, and believe that technology can be an effective solution to providing better support for individuals affected by needless violence.”
Vicky Vacondios, a consumer advocate with the Council to Homeless Persons, was once homeless herself. She said Ask Izzy was “a saviour” for the people she helped.
“The fact it is a one-stop destination for people to be able to find the appropriate services … I think that’s one of the brightest ideas someone has come up with,” says Ms Vacondios.
The funding for Ask Izzy Help at Hand is part of over $1.4 million announced by the NAB Foundation today to assist in family and domestic violence and financial resilience initiatives.
About Ask Izzy
Ask Izzy is free and anonymous, with over 350 000 services listed including housing, meals, healthcare, counselling, legal advice, addiction treatment and a whole lot more.
Ask Izzy is also free to use on the Telstra mobile network. This means people don't need to rely on having credit or access to free wifi in order to use the site.
Developed by Infoxchange in partnership with Google, realestate.com.au and News Corp Australia, Ask Izzy was co-designed with people who have experienced homelessness and leaders in the homelessness sector.
With over 20 major and contributing partners, strong collaboration between the community, corporate, government and academic sectors has been key to its success.
Since its launch by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in January 2016, the site has had more than 400 000 searches.
