History of The Haven Wolverhampton

Geoff Webster supports The Haven in development and has continued to support to the present day.

MAY: The Haven Project, Wolverhampton is established with all party support which has continued to this day.

15 OCTOBER: The Haven accommodates its first resident at a council house on the Scotland estate. There is room for 6 residents who must be older than 17 and not have children. The rent is £8 per week for board and lodging.

The Charity Commissioners are told that The Haven Project exists.
"For the care and treatment of persons in need who are homeless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity, adverse circumstances, ill health or being in need of help in finding a settled way of life through hostels or residential accommodation, and that their conditions of life may be improved."

The Haven is staffed by two Community Service Volunteers - the first of many whose contributions have become a permanent, essential and valued part of The Haven Project.

The Haven closes 31 Tennyson Road and opens 2 new hostels

The Haven takes its first student placements from Hatfield, Birmingham and Swansea Universities.

JANUARY: Formation of Wolverhampton Homeless and Exceptional Needs Group (WHEN).
Local Authority Homeless Families Unit formed.

AUGUST: Appointment of Sandra Horley as Director.

SEPTEMBER: Community Service introduced in Wolverhampton probation.

Report of Wolfenden Committee - The Future of Voluntary Organisations.

Committee agree to name one of the Hostels after the late Rev Chown, "Chown House". A donation to help furnish the hostel was given to The Haven in memory of his late wife.

The Haven begins its partnership with Copec Housing Trust (later named Focus Housing Association) and first purpose built refuge in Britain is designed.

The Haven is asked by Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council to extend its services to Asian women, after a local Asian women's refuge closes.

The Oak House hostel opens.

DECEMBER: New purpose built hostel opened, with funds from the Housing Corporation.

Inner Areas funding Grant allows the purchase of Amstrad computers. Christopher Heywood, a volunteer, writes a programme specific to The Haven's needs.

The Metropolitan Police open the first domestic violence units in the country.

Inner Areas Programme funds a "Care Link" telephone system to link two hostels.

APRIL: Wholesale change to benefit system includes introduction of "Social Fund" loans replacing grants. The Haven establishes stores of essential household items for ex-residents setting up new homes.

Supplementary Benefit replaced by Income Support placing single women under 25 at great financial disadvantage and jeopardising the fundamental Haven aim of resettling homeless young people in the community. The Haven policy shifts to finding employment for the young homeless. 16-18 year olds become ineligible for Income Support making it difficult for them to pay for their stay in The Haven.

SEPTEMBER: Community Programme funding ends with the inadvertent loss of most black project workers.

The Haven's Oak House becomes "single women only" and records increasing numbers of young, single homeless women - usually teenagers.

The Haven helps develop a training and action programme to combat domestic violence for West Midlands Police Force.

9 OCTOBER: Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Initiative (WDVI) set up with £15,000 from the Home Office Safer Cities initiative. It is managed by and based at The Haven and employs a consultant, Karen Holden, who:

• develops drama and discussion workshops with Leisure Services and Education Dept to raise issues of awareness in schools and youth clubs;
• helps Wolverhampton MBC develop a Corporate Policy on Domestic Violence helps develop the West Midlands Police Force Policy on domestic violence;
• contributes towards the Community Care Plan for Children;
• supports the establishment of PAX, a voluntary organisation for male, abusive partners who refer themselves for help.

Crisis as central government funding withdrawn. Wolverhampton MBC Social Services Committee picks up the shortfall.

Haven workers begin National Vocational Qualification in Care courses to become 'properly' qualified.

Appointment of a Play Development Worker.

Women and Violence: Perspectives for Change, a national conference organised by Wolverhampton MBC and Wolverhampton DV initiative with funds form the Home Office Safer Cities project.

Over 30 agencies participate in the Wolverhampton Domestic Violence Forum.

The Haven Equal Opportunities Statement adopted.

Review of all voluntary organisations in Wolverhampton by Borough Council forces The Haven to reassess its operations.

Two new staff appointed: Volunteer Organiser and Mental Health Worker.

Counselling services established at The Haven.

Sue Coleman leaves to become Director of the Home Office Drug Prevention Initiative in Wolverhampton.

Kath Rees becomes Chief Executive of The Haven.

The Haven struggles with the introduction of the contract culture, new charity laws, single regeneration budget bids and changes in the Housing Corporation system of funding.

The Haven employs an Asian Project Worker .

The Haven together with Wulfrun College and the Wolverhampton Training and Enterprise Council, with funding from the European Social Fund launches its first Women's Training Programme with nine modules to enable women to learn more skills such as computing and office administration, money management and confidence building.

September: The Haven and The Body Shop (through the 'One in Five' Campaign) combine to launch a petition demanding more backing for women's refuges nationwide.

The BBC Children in Need appeal funds the Haven's Play Development Worker for 3 years.

The Haven counsellor, Barbara Downs, begins a programme of support for partners of men ordered to attend the 15 week Domestic Violence Perpetrators' Programmes run by the Wolverhampton Probation Service as part of their probation orders.

Forging links with international partners.

May: LifePlans began providing a unique one to one service to reach and establish positive working relationships with extremely alienated, emotionally fragile and suspicious young women (16-25 year olds). Project funding came from The National Lottery Charities Board.

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Wolverhampton and Nottingham police begin national pilot schemes to decriminalise prostitution in the under 18s and to treat young teenage prostitutes as victims of child abuse. The pilot involves staff and volunteers from The Haven.

BMA (British Medical Association) published "DV: A Health Care Issue" guidelines, which put Domestic Violence on the public agenda, raising awareness amongst all health professionals.

The Haven participates in the making of the Channel 4 Despatches documentary, "Men Behaving Badly". .

The Haven celebrates 25 years of helping Homeless Women and Victims of Domestic Violence.

The Haven goes on-line: www.havenrefuge.org.uk

On the 5th July The Haven realised a long term plan when it opened a charity shop, The Clothesline.

On 26 July 1999 The Haven opened its fifth hostel providing an additional 18 beds for five or six families. Within days it was full and has stayed full. The provision is sensitive to cultural issues.

The Haven receives the Investors in People Award.

A member of staff is appointed to deal with referrals and provide continuity to referring agency.

The Show Me Support Project was established in November 2000 and it aims to continue the existing LifePlans Programme, whilst developing new areas of work (for example, Peer Support).

Recruitment of a Counselling Co-ordinator, Play Worker and Administrator/Counsellor have been fulfilled as have the successful appointment of a team of 8 specialist sessional workers to provide support for children and ethnic minority groups within The Haven. Refurbishment of the Counselling premises has been carried out.

Economic Development Officer, IT Support Officer and a new Play Worker are appointed.

November: Expansion of the Criminal Justice Support Services.

Individual Support Plans are now developed for every resident.

Supporting women and children in this country and abroad (projects in Russia, Uzbekistan and Tanzania).

April: Under the new Supporting People programme the current complex funding arrangements for housing-related support services is combined to form a single budget. The Haven welcome supporting people and set up a number of Floating Support schemes.

The Haven receives a number of awards: NIACE Award for LifePlans project; Lifetime Excellence Award won by Mrs Honor Pringle for the first Black Country Inspirational Women Award.

The Women 4 Women group was recognised for its work in empowering women survivors of domestic violence.

Research programme for Counselling for Children is launched.

Criminal Justice Support Services Coordinator is appointed.

The Haven Wolverhampton has been nominated by The Guardian Appeal as one of seven Charities who are involved in working with domestic violence around the country.

The Haven celebrates 30 years (1973-2003) of supporting women and children escaping domestic violence; a conference is held to mark the anniversary.

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The Haven was re-accredited for the Investors in People Award.

The Haven Mission Statement and the definition of Domestic Violence were reviewed.

The External Training Department was developed to deliver a wide range of training to volunteers, sessional workers and external agencies to include subjects related to domestic violence. The Haven became OCN accredited training provider.

Welfare and Benefits Advice Worker Appointed.

The Haven Wolverhampton opens a new building in the centre of the city to provide Advice, Counselling, Training, Information, Volunteering and Education for women and children who are homeless and/or escaping domestic violence, known as the A.C.T.I.V.E. Centre.

Appointment of a part-time Independent Advocacy Worker.

The Haven successfully passed Supporting People Review.

‘The Clothesline’ ceased trading in September 2005 due to the relocation of the Business Office to Herian House, Fold Street, Wolverhampton.

The Haven opens Pearl House increasing the accommodation capacity to 46 units.

The Haven in partnership with The Crisis Centre “Ekaterina” , (Ekaterinburg, Russia) has been successful in its application to the Big Lottery Fund to support women of the Sverdlovsk Area in taking their cases through the criminal justice system.The three year international project, funded entirely by the Big Lottery Fund, started in April 2006.

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The first Stakeholders' Day is held to inform local partners of The Haven's activities.

Penn Hostel is closed for refurbishment

New Hostel Shirlin House is opened, providing 10 units of accommodation.

The ACTIVE centre closes as an office and the Floating Support, Advocacy, Resettlement and External Training services move to the same city centre premises as the administrative office. Counselling Services also move to join the other services, providing a central base for the Haven's non-residential services.

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