When we launched the Women in Safe Homes Fund in 2020 – a joint venture with Patron Capital - our ambition was to demonstrate that impact investment could play a meaningful role in tackling women's homelessness by providing safe, high-quality homes alongside specialist support.

Six years on, we're proud to publish the fund’s 2025/26 Social Impact Report. With 122 homes now acquired and the portfolio substantially deployed, the fund is entering a new chapter - one focused not on growing the number of homes, but on maximising the long-term impact those homes can create for women, children and the housing partners supporting them.

More women and children provided with safe housing and support

• 231 women and 208 children housed in 2025-26
• 726 women and children housed since launch

​​​​​​​Behind every number is a woman rebuilding her life after domestic abuse, leaving prison, trafficking or other forms of violence against women and girls. This year’s findings reinforce something we have learned since the fund began: safe, secure housing provides a vital foundation for recovery, but it is only the beginning. It is the combination of a stable home and trauma-informed, specialist support that enables women to improve their health and wellbeing, rebuild confidence and independence, and take positive steps towards employment, education and longer-term stability—with renewed hope for the future.

“Having a home that made us feel safe and secure whilst rebuilding our lives has allowed me to think about the future positively.” Mahira, tenant.

This year, women housed by the fund consistently reported that their home had helped them*:

• Build independence (92%)
• Access the support they needed (95%)
• Recover from past trauma (87%)

Meanwhile, 83% said their self-confidence had improved, 78% reported improvements in their mental health, and 50 women made progress towards employment-related outcomes. These are significant achievements for women who often arrive with multiple, overlapping experiences of trauma and disadvantage.

Increasing complexity of need

While outcomes remain consistently strong, our housing partners are seeing increasing levels of complexity among the women they support.

Mental ill-health, homelessness, criminal justice involvement and multiple forms of trauma continue to intersect, while statutory services remain under increasing pressure. These findings reinforce why long-term, specialist housing provision is more important than ever.

Children's experiences matter too

One of the most significant developments in this year's report is a deeper exploration of children's experiences.

Too often the hidden victims of homelessness and domestic abuse, children benefit enormously from stable housing. This year, 94% of women said their home had helped their child access the support they needed, while 88% reported their school-aged children were settled at school. As our evidence base grows, so too does our understanding of the wider, intergenerational and positive impact that secure housing can have.

Looking beyond individual outcomes

As the fund has reached full deployment, we're increasingly focused not only on outcomes for women and children, but on how we influence the wider systems that shape their housing journeys.

This year's report explores the structural barriers that continue to limit move-on opportunities, including the shortage of social housing and the affordability challenges within the private rented sector. It also highlights the importance of collaboration between housing partners, investors, local authorities and policymakers if we are to create lasting change.

Looking ahead

The Women in Safe Homes Fund’s ambition remains unchanged; we're committed to deepening our understanding of the long-term outcomes experienced by women and children, strengthening the evidence base for gender-lens impact investing, and demonstrating that institutional capital can be a powerful force in addressing some of society's most pressing housing challenges.

Read this year's report to learn more about the women and children - and housing partners - whose experiences continue to shape the fund's own journey.

Women In Safe Homes Fund Social Impact Report 2025/26

Download Report

* The outcomes data in this year’s Social Impact Report was collected through a survey, completed by 128 women. This accounts for 55% of the fund’s total tenant base for the year.