THE SEVERN TRENT COMMUNITY FUND AWARDS THE HAVEN WOLVERHAMPTON ALMOST £35K TO IMPROVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN ABUSE VICTIMS’ SAFE ACCOMMODATION
The Haven Wolverhampton, the charitable organisation that supports women and children domestic abuse victims, is delighted after being awarded almost £35,000 in funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund to improve its safe accommodation.
The Haven will use the funds to fit new flooring and fire doors, ensuring its accommodation is safe, homely, and welcoming to women and children who need support.
It was more than 50 years ago that The Haven first opened its doors in 1973 with provisions for only a small number of women. It now provides safe accommodation for up to 77 women and 100 children at any one time (with accommodation often at full capacity), as well as supports women and children in the community, and offers a range of holistic services including counselling, therapy and women’s programmes, life skills, children and young people services, substance use support, court advocacy, and resettlement.
The Haven’s support keeps women and children safe, improves wellbeing, grows confidence, supports skills development, and helps to break the cycle of abuse and homelessness.
Thanks to funding from the Severn Trent Community Fund, The Haven can replace flooring and fire doors at one of its accommodation sites, creating a safe, homely, and welcoming environment for women and children fleeing abuse. This is crucial in helping them recover from trauma and rebuild their lives.
As ‘Simran,’ a woman who was supported in one of the refuges, said: “I was scared to accept the space in refuge at first but I needed to flee and didn’t have a choice. My room was comfortable and the place looked so much better than I imagined. The support workers in refuge helped me and my daughter to feel happy again, and they showed me that there are good people in the world whom I can rely on and create new relationships with.” Her name has been changed to protect her identity. By providing a supportive and comfortable space, The Haven Wolverhampton is making a real difference in the lives of domestic abuse survivors like ‘Simran’.
Sarah Abbiss, The Haven Wolverhampton’s Grants Manager, said: “We’re delighted that the Severn Trent Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. We’re thankful to the Severn Trent Customer Panel for selecting us for funding so that we’ll be able to improve our accommodation for women and children fleeing abuse. Once a woman and her child(ren) have made the decision to leave and separated from their abuser, there is a huge rise in the likelihood of violence. However, we know the adjustment to communal accommodation is incredibly difficult. Not only have they left their perpetrator, but they have left their home and comforts behind. At such a stressful time in their lives, it is critical women’s first impressions of our accommodation are wholly positive, so they stay with us, where they are safe from harm and access our wraparound support to rebuild their lives.”
The installation of new flooring has already been completed, creating a warm and welcoming environment that helps survivors feel comfortable and supported during their stay. Work is currently underway to install new fire doors, which will ensure the safety and security of all residents.
The Haven Wolverhampton is an independent charitable organisation and one of the UK’s largest refuge providers providing holistic support to women and children subjected to domestic abuse and homelessness – from safe accommodation to counselling. These upgrades are a crucial part of that mission. By creating a safe and comfortable space, The Haven is helping survivors to rebuild their lives and regain their independence.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For more information contact The Haven Wolverhampton’s communications team:
Pamilerin Beckley: pamilerin.beckley@havenrefuge.org.uk / 07936 945 200
Jade Beddington: jade.beddington@havenrefuge.org.uk / 07593 448393
About The Haven
Set up 50 years ago in 1973, The Haven Wolverhampton (The Haven) is a charitable organisation that provides practical and emotional support services to women and children, living in and outside of its safe accommodation, who are affected by domestic abuse and homelessness.
The Haven helps survivors to live free from abuse, build resilience, improve their health, and create skills and experience needed to live independently.
As a charitable organisation and one of the largest refuge providers in the UK, each year The Haven helps around 2,000 people through its accommodation and community provision, and 11,000 through its helpline.
Helpline (freephone from a landline and 24 hours): 08000 194 400
About the Severn Trent Community Fund
From 2020, Severn Trent is giving away £10 million over five years through its Community Fund to support local projects, charities and community groups in the Severn Trent region – helping to make a real and tangible difference to the wellbeing in our communities. The Community Fund is overseen by an independent panel, made up of Severn Trent customers, who review applications and make the final decisions on where the money will go.
The Severn Trent Community Fund looks to support projects that aim to improve community wellbeing, focusing on three elements:
- People: projects that help people to lead a healthier life and gain new skills
- Places: projects that help to create better places to live in and use
- Environment: projects that will help look after our natural environment, give people greater access to that environment or help look after water.
More can be found out on their website stwater.co.uk/communityfund
