The issues that the Women in Safe Homes fund is responding to are extreme within the UK: the government has just declared extreme misogyny to be treated as act of extremism [1], and 1.4m women, one in four, experienced domestic abuse in 2023.[2] The fund is proud to be working with expert housing providers and women’s sector organisations to support women escaping these situations with a safe home, as well as wraparound, trauma-informed flexible support. The fund is proud to share the positive outcomes being created for women who are facing housing crisis. 

There are two main cohorts of women being housed by the fund: domestic abuse survivors, and women leaving prison. Both groups often experience housing crisis: 

• 70% of domestic abuse survivors have a housing need [3]  
• 50% of women prison leavers are left without a settled home to go to [4]  
• Many women housed by the fund are experiencing multiple and complex needs: 68% have experienced domestic abuse, 37% are dealing with drug and alcohol misuse, and 68% are experiencing poor mental health

Creating positive outcomes for the 350 women and children that have been housed by the fund so far, is crucial to helping them on their journey through recovery.   

We’ve seen many positive outcomes for the fund, not only for the women housed, but also through better learning surrounding the running of the fund. More women are being housed year on year: 13 in 2022, 71 in 2023, and now 183 women in 2024. Handing over properties has seen an increase too: this year, 54 properties were handed over to housing partners, an increase of 46% since April 2023.  

Through its housing provision, the fund aims to help women begin to process and recover from trauma, and to become empowered to make decisions about their future. The evidence provided by tenants shows that this happening - within the cohort of women who had experienced domestic abuse: 

• 82% of women showed progress in access to supportive social networks 
• 77% of women showed progress in self confidence 
• 71% of women showed improved mental health 

One of those women is Amara*, who escaped honour-based violence from her family and domestic violence by her husband: “I have had weekly support sessions and have worked on my mental health with their support. We have also looked at college courses and volunteering options. My plans for the future are looking for full-time work and to expand my friends. I am completely safe now and have made friends with others through the groups who understand what it is like having to leave everything behind.” Amara’s newfound safety and support is found in women’s experiences across the fund:  

• 97% of all the housed women agree they felt safe in their home, compared to 87% of tenants last year.  
• 75% of women report that the home has significantly or somewhat improved their ability to exercise choice. This is the same as last year, a good indicator of consistency.  
• 70% of the responses like the location of the home. This has significantly increased from 50% last year, after being reported by the fund as a potential area for improvement.  

Elsa, another woman being housed by the fund and supported by housing partner, Daizybell, sums up her experiences of moving into her new home after escaping domestic abuse: “My emotional and mental health has greatly improved, and I feel safe and protected. 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.” 

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 nine housing partners. So far, over 350 women and children have been housed by the fund.

*Name changed 

NOTES

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[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15gn0lq7p5o

[2] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/who-is-missing-in-the-data-what-the-available-data-on-domestic-abuse-does-and-doesnt-tell-us-about-womens-experiences/

[3] https://www.womensaid.org.uk/who-is-missing-in-the-data-what-the-available-data-on-domestic-abuse-does-and-doesnt-tell-us-about-womens-experiences/ 

[4] https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/project/women-the-criminal-justice-system/#:~:text=Only%20half%20of%20women%20left,the%20year%20to%20March%202023