In the first of a series of interviews with the Women in Safe Homes fund’s Senior Board of Advisors – and coinciding with 25 November’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – Colette Cronshaw is interviewed by Louise Swinden, Resonance’s Property Fund Development Manager, on her background, lived experience of women’s homelessness and why she is supporting the fund.

Would you mind telling us a little about your background, Colette?

I'm a Manchester girl born and bred. I was born in slum housing, known locally as The Colony. My childhood wasn't the best. Both my parents had undiagnosed mental health issues and domestic violence was commonplace. My first taste of homelessness came when I was seven years old, during my parents’ divorce. Emotional neglect and a long list of sexual abuse came next. I was abused both in the family home and groomed on the street. I was put into local authority care at around 12 years old and was placed at numerous secure units until I was 16. By the age of 21, I'd given birth to three daughters, all of whom were removed from my care. This was the final straw, and my solution was to bow out of society completely. What followed, was two decades of addiction, abuse and homelessness.

How did past housing situations have an impact on you?

Let's start at the beginning. Having homelessness normalised at such a young age, made what came next for me a foregone conclusion. I was quite at home in chaos! As an adult, with no place to live, I was wide open to exploitation, especially from predatory males. It was a matter of course, that I funded their drug habits and secured myself a bed to sleep in by providing sexual services. Accessing any meaningful support was pretty much impossible as no one knew where to find me. Both my physical and mental health deteriorated massively. Additionally, the lack of secure accommodation, meant that maintaining family bonds was really hard. Even to this day, I have problems with that.

How did your circumstances change?

This is where it gets interesting! When I decided I had had enough of my life as it was, and reached out for support, Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH), were there for me. MASH is a small feminist organisation working with women sex workers. Over the previous two decades I'd engaged with MASH on a superficial level, but once I decided I wanted recovery, they delivered that for me. In my early days in recovery, I was housed in Manchester's largest mixed gender hostel. It wasn't the best place to recover from years of trauma, but it was my own space, and I could lock the door. That alone, was massive at that time!

What impact did this have on you?

From the small amount of stability I gained from living in temporary accommodation, I found the headspace to think about what I actually wanted. It gave me a safe space to be myself and build my living skills. After 18 months in temporary accommodation, I moved into my own housing association property, and have been there for over ten years now. I can't imagine uprooting myself anytime soon. I now work for a housing association full-time and enjoy volunteering as a MASH trustee in my spare time.

A safe and stable home made a significant difference to you?

A safe stable home for anybody is essential, and for a woman, it’s an even bigger priority and need. We know homelessness for women is a very different experience than that of men.

Mixed gendered hostels are a minefield for traumatised women, so a safe place to call her own is vital step on the way to a strong and sustainable outcome for a woman. And as women on the sharpest end of multiple disadvantage are often deemed as hard to reach by statutory services, having a stable base means that all woman in need can access the services they are entitled to.

So, how did you hear about the Women in Safe Homes homelessness property fund?

Our CEO at MASH, Annie Emery, told me about the Women in Safes Homes fund and invited me to get involved. For the longest time, a ‘MASH house’ has been on the team’s wish list, so throwing my hat in the ring was a no brainer really!

Acknowledging the specific challenges associated with gender should be part of any solution to women’s homelessness?

Yes! I know that isn't very professional sounding, but I am seriously stoked by the Women in Safe Homes fund having a real gendered lens (not just a tokenistic, tick box exercise). For the last ten years or so, there has been evidence that women have strong outcomes from the Housing First concept. The Women in Safe Homes fund compliments that concept, empowering women to take control of their lives

Empowering women is key to helping them rebuild their lives?

I think my main hope for the fund is that women – including those living in the North West - will finally have the space to feel comfortable in their own skin and get their lives back on track. The fund will impact women's lives in a practical way, and will also empower women's sector organisations to do what they do best: that is understanding and empowering women to be healthier, happier and finally in control

Supporting women is clearly important to you?

Over the last decade, I have done my best to influence change within women's homelessness services in Greater Manchester. It became glaringly obvious there just wasn’t enough suitable temporary accommodation in the city, never mind permanent homes for women. This fund is what the women of the North West of England have been waiting for. I wanted to be a part of that.

How can the Board ensure the fund’s success in creating positive social impact for women?

The senior board of advisors is exactly what it says on the tin! We are here to share experience and insights from our personal and working lives, to influence how the fund will look. It's great that the board was formed at the fund’s start, so that it could be a part of its co-production and involved in the early decision-making process around how the fund might look, it’s aims and ambitions. I also think the board will bring the fund to smaller women's sector organisations that already deliver trauma informed, person centred, and holistic support for women. We understand that getting a roof over your head is only part of the solution and continued support is vital if we are to keep women safe.

The Board brings a wide range of perspectives?

When I first read the bios for the other board members, I had an awful attack of imposter syndrome. However, once I met the other members those feeling quickly passed.

I bring lived experience of multiple disadvantage to the board. It's one thing creating a fund and procuring suitable housing, but it's another completely different thing to really, really understand the issues and barriers many women face. Hopefully, I can support on that.

Any final thoughts about women’s homelessness?

When we talk about women's homelessness, it's not just necessarily about focusing on an individual woman - it's about her wider family too, who will benefit from the fund’s social impact.

I often think how my life may have been different if my housing situation had been more secure as a child. Having good, strong foundations can never be underestimated, and I'd love to see women having the opportunity to regain their place in the family unit.

Colette Cronshaw, member of the Women in Safe Homes fund's Senior Board of Advisors

She is a Project Assistant at Riverside Housing Group – a mixed-gender complex needs homeless hostel in Manchester. She is also a trustee at Manchester Action of Street Health, and volunteers for other charities in the sector.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE WOMEN IN SAFE HOMES FUND HERE

READ THE WOMEN IN SAFE HOMES FUND FIRST SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT HERE

READ MORE ABOUT THE WOMEN IN SAFES HOMES FUND'S SENIOR BOARD OF ADVISORS HERE