Domestic abuse is an issue rife within our society: one in four women experienced domestic abuse in 2023. This is one of the key reasons behind many women becoming homeless – 70% of domestic abuse survivors have a housing need, and yet, 62% of women were turned away at first referrals to refuges due to services being unable to meet their needs. The Women in Safes Homes fund, believed to be the world’s first gender-lens property fund, is working hard to try and tackle these issues. The fund works with expert housing partners and women’s sector organisations to provide safe, stable housing for women and children who need it. So far, the fund is proud to have housed 183 women and 80 children, all of whom had been facing housing crisis because of their circumstances, one of these women is Elsa*. 

Born and raised in Gambia, West Africa, Elsa shares her story, detailing her journey out of domestic violence and into a secure home. “I met my now ex-husband in Gambia and we had our son and got married,” says Elsa. “He brought me to the UK on a spousal visa. I started seeing a change in him as soon as I arrived in the UK and he began distancing from me. He began controlling me by emotionally and psychologically abusing me. I felt on edge to how he may react if I tried to speak to him. He had full financial control over me and I was dependent on him for food, clothes and other essentials to survive. He would taunt me and belittle me and keep things from me if I asked for money for food for me and our son.”   

This abusive and unsafe environment for Elsa and her son was drastically affecting her mental health, leaving her isolated without a support network. “I became low, depressed and trapped in the marriage. I had no family or friends who could support me. I finally built up the courage to report the abuse to the police and fled to a refuge.” 

Elsa took a step that takes enormous bravery in the face of real and threatening danger. Yet when she fled to a refuge, she did not find the support she needed. “I moved to a refuge and found it very challenging to live there with my son. The living arrangements were unbearable and we had a very small room to reside in and very little space. My son had nowhere to play and wouldn't settle. It was shared accommodation and I struggled with other residents who were not very friendly.” This is where Bradford-based women’s charity Daizybell, as one of the fund’s housing partners, were able to provide a home and support services for Elsa and her son.  

Elsa speaks highly of her new home, with its safety creating an environment where her and her son can thrive. “When I moved into my new home me and my son felt a sense of relief and safety. I feel very happy and pleased to have a place I can call home. We have so much space now and my son has his own bedroom where he can enjoy playing with his toys. I have lots of help and support from my Domestic Abuse Worker and Housing Support Worker who are supporting me and got me in touch with other services including counselling. [My worker] advocates on my behalf and offers me one-to-one emotional support. I have a safety and support plan in place in which I have identified my support needs and my support worker Is helping me to reach my goals.” 

Like 97% of the women housed through the Women in Safe Homes fund, Elsa now feels safe living in her home. 83% of the fund’s tenants also reported improved mental health, and 91.5% of women report positively on at least one wellbeing / life outcome once settled in their home. “My emotional and mental health has greatly improved and I feel safe and protected,” says Elsa. “It makes me happy and I feel at peace knowing I am safe. I feel I have stability and reassurance that I won’t be evicted and made homeless. I am able to enjoy and have the space and confidence to raise my child in the best way possible in a safe environment. He will have the chance to grow and thrive to the best of his ability.” 

This new home plays a crucial role in building confidence and planning a future. For Elsa, this means she is empowered to begin planning steps towards a career and financial independence: “I have become more confident in meeting new people and am able to independently look for work and I have completed a hairdressing course and a customer services course. I am now able to live a life free of abuse and harm. My future plans are to get a good job and gain financial independence, to become independent and tenancy ready so I am able to manage my own tenancy and to enjoy a life free of abuse and maintain my safety. I want my son to have the best start in life and thrive in his education.” 

Elsa’s story of domestic abuse is unfortunately far too common, with 68% of the fund’s tenants having experienced domestic abuse. These are women facing multiple disadvantages, intersectioning levels of discrimination and often have complex needs. The Women in Safe Homes fund is aiming to meet those tenants needs, providing wraparound support with the help of expert housing providers.  

About the Women in Safe Homes fund

The Women in Safe Homes fund is a gender-lens impact investment property fund helping address the housing crisis for women escaping domestic abuse, leaving the criminal justice system without a home to go to and at risk of or experiencing homelessness. It was launched in December 2020 as a joint venture of Resonance and Patron Capital because there is a chronic shortage of safe, decent and affordable housing for women at risk of and experiencing homelessness.

In 2023, 1.4 million women in the UK experienced domestic abuse, one of the leading causes of women’s homelessness, with 70% of survivors having a housing need.

The fund raised £29m from over twenty impact investors and has now closed, focusing on deployment, and has so far purchased 78 properties for its eight housing partners. To date, over 260 women and children have been provided with a safe home to live in.

Read the latest social impact report here 

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