Specialist Refuge Network (360G-LondonCouncils-13)

Ashiana Network led the Specialist Refuge Network, which was delivered in partnership with Iranian and Kurdish Women s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Nia, Solace and Women's Aid. London Specialist Refuge Network seeks to continue to provide a unique and innovative Pan-London service through specialist refuge accommodation and targeted support to high-risk women/children affected by domestic and sexual violence (DSV) with complex needs. The Network will provide specialist refuge, targeted support and outreach and second stage accommodation. The project works intensively with women to assess/address needs, improve safety/health/wellbeing enabling women to exit violent/abusive relationships/situations. The services comprise: programme of group-work/workshops to enhance health/wellbeing/living-skills/resilience, resettlement programme to support independence/longer lasting outcomes, outreach service supporting/enabling women to access alternative refuge accommodation/be supported in independent living, training/awareness raising workshops for professionals to remove barriers/widen access, housing advocacy securing/maintaining referral pathways with housing providers to secure alternative accommodation for women at risk and unable to access refuge, 38 specialist 24-hour refuge and second-stage accommodation bed spaces and package of intensive targeted support to enhance safety and remove barriers: 6 (24-hour) bed spaces: problematic substance use, 5 (24-hour) bed spaces: sexually exploited women (including prostitution and trafficking), 8 (24-hour) bed spaces: women with mental health/problematic substance use, 7 second-stage bed spaces: trafficked women, 6 bed spaces: Middle Eastern and North African women fleeing harmful practices, 6 bed spaces: South Asian, Turkish and Iranian women with NRPF experiencing DV/SV and harmful practices. Within the existing 38 bed spaces, the project will allocate an additional 3 bed spaces for women with NRPF , particularly for trafficked women and 2 bed spaces for women with mobility related disabilities. This grant was an extension of 17-21 grant to give time to develop longer term arrangements with the boroughs and the GLA following the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.