Crisis aid in Weiz: Advice center is fighting for funding cuts!

Crisis aid in Weiz: Advice center is fighting for funding cuts!

The women's and girls' advice center Innova in Weiz is an important point of contact for women and girls from the age of 13 who are in difficult situations. With a dedicated team, the advice center offers professional, free and confidential support. The offers include versatile topics such as mental and physical health, separation, divorce as well as experiences of violence and abuse. Legal and financial concerns are also taken up here. The team is under pressure, because from 2025 there is a risk of reductions in grants that could strongly endanger the advisory and prevention work, as meinzirk.at

The increase in mental problems among young people is particularly remarkable. According to a study by the MedUni Vienna, a quarter of all young people are already suffering from mental illnesses. The advice center therefore plans to offer regular consultation hours at higher schools from 2024 in order to be able to provide help at an early stage. Examples from practice show how important this support is: a woman found the courage to divorce after years of psychological violence, while another was able to get a transitional apartment through the help of the advice center and thus dared to start a new start.

diverse advisory services

The women's advice centers in Austria, as in Weiz, offer not only help for individual women, but also for their social environment. These facilities are trying to actively promote social equality between women. The offers are diverse and range from crisis intervention to general life counseling to specific topics such as separation or divorce, such as frei-gegalgalt.de.

A central point of work is psychosocial advice in crisis situations. Many women who are affected by violence will find the necessary support here. These places are not only in Weiz, but can also be found in every federal state of Austria, which increases the accessibility to support considerably. The advisory services are anonymous and free of charge, and the employees are subject to strict confidentiality in order to give women and girls security.

online and telephone support

In today's world, in which digital communication is strong, the advice center also uses modern communication channels. Many girls prefer to request help via WhatsApp or Instagram, while women are more in contact by phone or email. This flexibility is also shown in the broad support that the advice centers offered, as re-temowerment.de emphasizes.

If you need immediate support in Austria, the Frauenhelpline can call violence at 0800 222 555. This hotline is a central point of contact for everyone who is affected by violence and need quick help. The need for such offers can also be seen in the affected reality of life of many women who urgently need support to get out of their situation.

The future of these advice centers depends largely on the financial means. The managing director of Innova, Ulrike Gärtner, emphasizes that the team will continue to be there for women and girls despite the challenges. It is hoped that public support and funding can continue to be secured in the future in order to meet the constantly growing demand.