Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership (360G-LondonCouncils-49)

Ashiana Network is leading the Ascent Specialist Refuge Partnership, which is being delivered in partnership with Iranian and Kurdish Women s Rights Organisation (IKWRO), Nia, Solace and Women's Aid. The project aims to continue our established work relieving homelessness and reducing and addressing the harms of domestic abuse on Londoners by providing routes to safe and appropriate accommodation for women we identify as the most marginalised, most frequently excluded by other services, and therefore at great risk of revictimization, sustained harm and homelessness. We want to continue our successful collaborative impact as part of London’s cross-sector collaborative service infrastructure supporting victims of domestic and sexual abuse. The project is an established, proven partnership of four of London’s most experienced, networked and innovative specialist refuge providers. Our project provides three services, of which refuge is the core. It will provide 39 specialist refuge and second-stage accommodation bedspaces to the most marginalised women across London’s 33 boroughs: women with no recourse to public funds (NRPF); Black and minoritised (B&M) women fleeing harmful practice; women who have been sexually exploited, trafficked, or are exiting prostitution and women with mental health, dual diagnosis and/or problematic drug and alcohol usage. A Group Worker (PT) will offer workshops/activities in Solace refuges. The second service is an OISC level 2 Immigration Solicitor who will assist in regularising the immigration status of survivors, so they are able to access safe and appropriate accommodation they’re currently excluded from. The solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The third service is a Partnerships Officer who will work alongside all partners in collaboration with the wider Ascent Consortium (and its £35m of services across London) to promote and ensure equitable, effective referral pathways into our service from all 33 boroughs, all borough IDVA/ISVA teams, and commissioned and safe accommodation services. The impact over the grant period will be to support 137 women from any London borough with complex and multiple needs and otherwise/unlikely to be accepted into any other form of safe accommodation, access to safe, sustained and highly-specialist refuge beds. Over the grant period we will also support 72 survivors of VAWG to regularise their immigration status. For both sets of women, additional positive impacts will follow including improved sense of safety and improved access to specialist support. Amongst these women, 111 will be supported to move on from refuge in a planned way during the grant period. Throughout the grant, all 33 London boroughs will be able to refer into the services through clear and accessible pathways.