Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse

🚨 Last Chance to Register – Over 300 People Already Signed Up! 🚨 ✨ Special Video Message from Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali MP 📅 Tuesday, 25th March | ⏰ 10:00-11:30 AM | 📍 Virtual Event Join Us TOMORROW for the LIVE launch of the Westminster VAWG Housing First Podcast: From Harm to Home! Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ewrDaHrB - Speakers include Cherryl Henry-Leach and Emma Storey (STADA), Joanne Rollings (Solace Women's Aid), & Cllr Sara Hassan (Westminster City Council) - Hear directly from survivors, experts, and frontline workers 🏠 Housing is more than just shelter—it’s safety, dignity, and a future. Be part of this critical conversation on how a gender-responsive Housing First approach is transforming lives. #FromHarmToHome #HousingFirst #VAWG #EndHomelessness #DomesticAbuse #HousingJustice

The Women at the Heart of Housing First: It’s Time for National Action Today, we marked five years of the Westminster VAWG Housing First Project—a model that has transformed lives, provided lasting safety, and proven that gender-responsive housing works. This work would not be possible without Westminster City Council, Solace Women's Aid, our dedicated housing providers, and Standing Together’s Housing First team. A special thank you to Minister Rushanara A. MP for her powerful message of support, recognising the impact of this programme and the need for wider action. 🔗 Read the full CEO statement & access the Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/enpCuAzR 🏡 95% of women housed through this project over five years have remained in their homes. 🏡 90% tenancy sustainment for women impacted by abuse and long-term homelessness. 🏡 Real change happens when housing and specialist support come together. At the centre of this work are the survivors whose resilience pushes us to do more. But we cannot stop here. Women’s homelessness has been invisible in data, policy, and services for too long. Read more: Multiple Disadvantage & Homelessness Programme ✨ We were also proud to launch our new podcast series, From Harm to Home 🎙️—featuring survivors' voices and expert insights - https://lnkd.in/enpCuAzR #FromHarmToHome #HousingFirst #VAWG #SafeHousing #EndHomelessness

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬? Join us on 25th March, 10:00-11:30 AM, as we explore how this approach is breaking cycles of harm and providing women with the stability they need to thrive. 🎟️ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰: https://lnkd.in/e_uqpnHW

🎙️🏡 From Harm to Home: LIVE Podcast & 5th Year Evaluation Launch For 5 years, the Westminster VAWG Housing First project has transformed lives—providing women facing homelessness & violence with safety, stability & support. Now, we’re bringing this impact LIVE to you—with nearly 400 people already signed up! Don’t miss it! 📅 25th March | ⏰ 10:00-11:30 AM 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/eGeQTX5e #FromHarmToHome #VAWG #HousingFirst

Earlier this week, Cherryl Henry-Leach, CEO of Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, attended a powerful presentation by Cats Protection Centre, with support from Dogs Trust, highlighting the devastating impact of domestic abuse—not just on survivors, but on their beloved pets. (https://lnkd.in/eFeyFHVS)   For many experiencing coercive control, the fear of what might happen to their pets is a major barrier to leaving an abusive relationship. 42% of survivors delay leaving their abuser due to concerns for their pet’s safety, with 37% saying this fear directly contributed to staying. Abusers manipulate this bond, using threats, neglect, and harm to pets to further entrap survivors in cycles of fear and control. Research also shows that in 88% of households where domestic abuse occurs, pets are also harmed, and in 12% of cases, pets are killed. "The emotional bond between humans and their pets is undeniable. In abusive situations, this bond is manipulated as a tool of control that often prolongs the suffering of victims and survivors. No one should have to choose between their safety and the safety of their pet." — Cherryl Henry-Leach, CEO, Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse   This presentation reinforced the need for specialist pet fostering services and greater awareness within domestic abuse support systems to ensure that survivors and their pets can escape harm together. Collaboration between animal welfare charities and domestic abuse organisations is essential to removing this barrier and providing the safety net that survivors so desperately need.   No one should have to stay in danger because they fear for their pet’s life. Let’s ensure safe pathways exist for survivors and their pets. (Sources: https://lnkd.in/eAjShEKj https://lnkd.in/ehMa5biA https://lnkd.in/d8x2QuPT)

Safe and secure housing is a fundamental right—not a privilege. Continuing on from this years International Women’s Day, we are #AcceleratingAction to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse, the majority of whom are women and young girls, have access to the housing and support they need to rebuild their lives.   At Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, within our Housing Team is the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) team who are driving life-saving change through accreditation, best practice, and cross-sector collaboration. DAHA’s pioneering accreditation sets the standard for housing providers and homelessness & supported accommodation organisations ensuring they respond effectively to domestic abuse and prioritise survivors’ safety.   The voices in our campaign— the choice of our quotes and stats—come directly from Housing Team members who are committed to making a difference.   More on DAHA accreditation for Local Authorities and Homelessness & Supported Accommodation Organisations ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e_rgk494 Together, we are breaking barriers and ensuring that housing is not a hurdle but a lifeline. Because everyone, especially survivors, deserves a place to call home. 💜🏡   #IWD2024 #StandingTogether #AccelerateAction #SafeHousingForAll #DAHAAccreditation #EndDomesticAbuse

Supporting Remote Employees: The Hidden Challenge of Domestic Abuse Remote work offers flexibility—but for some, it also means isolation with an abuser. Without the workplace as a safe space, how can employers step up? Jaz Bangerh, Director of People & Culture at Standing Together, shares how organisations can support survivors: 🔹 1 in 3 UK workers has experienced domestic abuse 🔹 Economic abuse traps many in unsafe situations 🔹 Workplaces play a critical role in survivor support How employers can help: ✅ Create a culture of trust & openness ✅ Train leaders to recognise warning signs ✅ Offer confidential support & flexible policies Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/dmk-HxzN Domestic abuse is a workplace issue. Let’s ensure every employee feels safe, supported, and heard. 💜 #DomesticAbuse #RemoteWork #WorkplaceSafety #Leadership #PeopleFirst

🗞️ Introducing MD&H In Focus: A Newsletter Amplifying Women’s Voices We’re proud to launch Multiple Disadvantage & Homelessness Programme In Focus, a newsletter dedicated to highlighting the experiences of women facing multiple disadvantages and homelessness. Through powerful stories and insights, we aim to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and drive real change. 📢 In our first issue, Programme Manager Louisa Steele discusses our From Harm to Home event. 🔗 Subscribe today and be part of the movement! Sign up for the event here: https://lnkd.in/eGeQTX5e

🔎 How do courts respond to violence against women and girls? Our colleague Karen Senogles, Criminal Justice Programme Manager at Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, will be speaking at next week's Expert Voices event, exploring how specialist court models can improve responses to domestic abuse. Karen will be joined by Andrea Campos-Vigouroux, Policy and Strategy Lead to the Angiolini Inquiry, bringing insights from Australia, Canada, and the USA on how specialist courts can drive justice for survivors. 📅 26th March | 14:00 – 15:00 🔗 Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dfMicPQJ A crucial conversation for anyone working in criminal justice, policy, or frontline services—don’t miss it! #VAWG #DomesticAbuse #ExpertVoices #SpecialistCourts #JusticeForSurvivors

‘The Monster Who Came to Tea’ – A Powerful Film on Domestic Abuse On 4th March, Cherryl Henry-Leach, CEO of Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, joined a Women's Aid Federation of England parliamentary event where this ground-breaking film was first screened. Inspired by a beloved children’s book, the campaign delivers a devastating message: for many children who live with domestic abuse, the "monster" is real—domestic abuse shapes their lives in ways we simply cannot ignore. This film is essential viewing for anyone working in the VAWG and domestic abuse sector, also for colleagues who work or provide support to children. We thank Women’s Aid in their highlighting, and support their call for, the urgent need for sustainable funding, specialist support, and education in schools to break the cycle of abuse. Cherryl Henry-Leach said: "With thanks to Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid, and her incredible leadership of relentless advocacy is inspiring real action in the fight to end domestic abuse. Watching this film at Women’s Aid’s inspiring parliamentary event was incredibly powerful. Domestic abuse doesn’t just affect adults—it profoundly impacts children. We must take action to protect young people, educate them about healthy relationships, and ensure life-saving services are properly funded. Campaigns like this keep domestic abuse in the national conversation and drive real change.”   What Needs to Happen Next? 🔹 Sustainable funding for specialist domestic abuse services, ensuring no survivor is left without support. 🔹 Better safeguarding for children and young people exposed to domestic abuse, ensuring trauma-informed responses in schools, health, and social care. 🔹 Mandatory education on healthy relationships in all schools to help young people recognise abuse and seek help early. 🔹 Training for frontline professionals in healthcare, social services, and the justice system to better respond to children affected by domestic abuse. 🎥 Watch the film here: https://lnkd.in/e3Qg2mZd ✍️ Sign the open letter urging government action: https://lnkd.in/eFniuNch