It was a pleasure to host our first Women in Safe Homes fund's Housing Partner Forum in Leeds, earlier in May. Many of the fund’s housing partners were able to join us for a day of connecting, sharing, collaborating, planning, insight and so much more.
 

The Forum is an in-person ‘community space’ for the fund’s housing partners and provides an opportunity for learnings and best practice in delivering the right high-quality housing and specialist support to women, as well as facilitated workshops helping to make the fund’s work more effective and efficient for all stakeholders.

We were delighted to welcome online guest speakers:

• Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, who discussed with the group the challenges around enough safe accommodation for women experiencing domestic abuse, how the Women in Safe Homes fund is providing one solution to this issue, and what support for children could like like.
• Emma and Sarah from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), who presented an update on The Supported Housing Act and the upcoming public consultation, prompting many interesting discussions.

Following these online sessions, housing partners considered potential campaign issues they could look to support and also considered their differing experiences of and best practice with local authorities around housing for vulnerable women.

The day finished with a workshop session around systems change, facilitated by the Curiosity Society. It focused on uncovering the enablers and barriers to effecting system change with regards to housing for vulnerable women and it leveraged the perspective of each partner to build a common understanding.

Hollie Venn, Chief Executive at Sheffield Women's Aid (SWA), said: “Attending the forum was incredibly valuable for SWA. Meeting other organisations who have benefitted from the fund gave me the opportunity to hear how others have developed their offer for women and children and consider how joint working may be possible in the future. Equally the quality of speakers organised was excellent; especially hearing from DLUHC about upcoming changes for supported accommodation has enabled me to review how we can be proactive in working with our local authority on proposed changes.” 

A huge thanks to all the fund’s housing partners that were able to join us on the day – we’re already planning the next one!

And to Shine, in Leeds, for enabling us to host our Forum in their wonderful venue - a social enterprise that supports many people within their local community, including specifically, women and girls.
 

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.

The demand for safe and secure homes for women facing homelessness is extremely high. 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 has raised £29m from over twenty impact investors and has so far purchased 78 properties for its eight housing partners. To date, over 200 women and children have been provided with a safe home to live in.

READ THE WOMEN IN SAFE HOMES FUND'S SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT 2022/23

Please note this fund is now closed for investment and was intended for institutional investors only.