Lina is one of the Women in Safe Homes fund’s tenants, a mix of single women and women with children. She is being housed in a small family home with her daughter and is receiving specialist support from one of the fund’s expert housing partners, Essex-based domestic abuse charity, Safer Places.
This is Lina’s story – her experience of domestic abuse and seeking a safe place to live for her and her daughter.
“I grew up in Lithuania and moved to the UK some years ago with my husband. I worked as an area manager for TK Maxx. I had been putting up with abuse for a long time and couldn’t cope any longer. I did not feel safe and was very depressed.
My new home means I feel safe and can think for myself again. I love talking to you all. You have to put up with me crying a lot but at least I can talk and be myself.
I do not know where we would have ended up. A stable home means being able to raise my daughter, work and have a normal life again. It’s good for me and my daughter to feel safe and well.
I am proud that I found the courage to leave, and I know I will get back to work again. I stay in touch with my old manager so hopefully they will take me back.
After we leave this place, I am really looking forward to having a stable home for myself and my daughter. I really want to get back to work and have a normal life without fear or worry. I want my daughter to have the best of life.”
1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse in 2022. And 70% of survivors have a housing need. In fact, last year, there was a 38% increase in women’s homelessness where domestic abuse was cited as the main cause. So, the need for suitable housing for women and their children continues to increase.
50% of the women currently housed by the fund had been experiencing domestic abuse and are now living in their own homes. Other women accessing these homes include women leaving the criminal justice system without a safe place to go to after release – 57% of whom have also experienced domestic abuse – and women with complex needs.
The Women in Safe Homes fund – a joint venture between Resonance and Patron Capital – is proud that these homes are providing 120 women and children with secure and suitable accommodation, allowing them to access safety, gain independence and exercise their own choices in life through support services that focus on empowerment.
Read the Women in Safe Homes fund’s Social impact Report 2022/23 here and the positive impact it is already having on the women it is housing, and the partners it is working with, including:
- 120 women and children housed
- 43 homes handed over to housing partners
- 9 housing partners
- £29m raised
- 20 impact investors
- 91.5% of women reported positive impact on their wellbeing and life outcomes
- 87% of women agreed or strongly agreed that they felt safe in their home
- 83% of women reported improved mental health since living in their home
