Simone Allan creates a safe space at the Mona Vale Resilience Circle
If you’re driving through Mona Vale on Pittwater Road, chances are you’ve passed a bright yellow shop just off the main road, with window signage welcoming you to the ‘Resilience Circle.’ Although the shop only recently celebrated its first birthday, the Women’s Resilience Centre has been running since 2020, when founder Simone Allan noticed a lack of resources for women after they’d already left a domestic violence situation.
“I could see this terrible gap where people would leave rehab or leave shelters and then they wouldn’t know what to do next,” Simone told PL. “I would write to the CEO of the hospital and other mental health advocates and say, ‘we need this service, this service needs to exist.’
“So, I rallied (members for) a voluntary board and set it up. This was through the COVID-19 pandemic. I had the space and the time to do it myself – the pandemic lit the match to the light (so to speak) to make it happen.”
Since its inception, the Resilience Centre has expanded greatly. It now runs numerous programs across the Northern Beaches and the rest of the country, having assisted 507 women across 183 Australian postcodes.
The organisation has more than 150 volunteers involved, alongside staff, including a human resources team, a social worker, a therapist, and numerous mentors with different specialisations.
“Our mission is resetting and rebuilding lives. We want a future where women and families impacted by domestic abuse and trauma are supported to recover, build resilience, and thrive,” Simone says.
Programs range from one-on-one counselling services within the Mona Vale shop and offices, to community partnerships such as yoga classes at local surf clubs. There are certified community mentorship programs sponsored by Zonta through the Northern Beaches Community College, and referrals to other organisations are provided to people where necessary.
The annual Golf Day, an event held by the Women’s Resilience Centre
The Resilience Circle shop not only raises money and awareness, but it serves as a ‘front pathway to connect to anybody – men, women, anyone who needs support,’ Simone explains.
“In the first 12 months, the shop referred 31 women upstairs into client care support. But we also link to other services on the Northern Beaches – not just our services,” she says. “We had a fellow come in and sit down for a cup of tea a couple of times. (Our trauma informed staff) could tell he didn’t want to shop; he needed more than that. So, we referred him to men’s group programs.”
While Simone works in many areas of the organisation, she always finds herself coming back to mentoring. “I work with (women) in the mentoring program. I love helping people find jobs – I get close to their stories, and I enjoy working that way.
“I also work in the employment readiness program because I’m a facilitator. I really enjoy it because that’s (been) my vocation for 30 years. I often participate in the mentor training.”
Most importantly for Simone, though, is to remind everyone that they are not alone, and that the Resilience Centre is here to help. “If you’re struggling, there is hope. Every day is a brand-new day. That’s why we’re in yellow – it’s a hopeful colour, because the sun will come back up again. There is hope, you can rebuild a different pathway.”
