Trevi, the leading Plymouth-based women’s charity has secured £900,000 in funding to deliver a large partnership project that aims to prevent women with multiple disadvantages being affected by domestic violence and abuse.
Awarded as a share of the Government’s £11.25 million Tampon Tax Fund, the unique partnership of seven organisations will be instrumental in the delivery of the project across Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.
The South West organisations partnering in the project include; the Women’s Centre Cornwall, Exeter CoLab, the NSPCC, The Zone, Plymouth City Council, BCHA and the Eddystone Trust.
The South West Women’s Spark Project, as it will be known, aims to prevent women with multiple disadvantages, being affected by violence and abuse; ultimately achieving a better-quality of life.
This will be accomplished through 24/7 support by delivering a wrap-around, outreach programme incorporating trauma-informed Assertive Outreach Practitioners, fast-track access to women-only supported accommodation, practical and therapeutic support, and a violence prevention programme in schools.
The project is responding to a significant need in local communities as a result of a rise in domestic abuse, attributed in part to the pandemic and home-working which has denied many victims access to safe spaces. Sexual violence has increased; recorded rapes have doubled.
Women’s homelessness, street work and ‘survival sex’ has escalated: some women reporting it as a method of ‘self-harm’.
Collective research by the partners demonstrates that the biggest needs to be addressed across the South West are out of hours support; lack of women-only accommodation and a consistent trauma-informed response.
Areas of high deprivation, social isolation and high numbers of fragmented and dysfunctional families can be found in all three counties. Cornwall is the poorest region in Northern Europe while Plymouth has 29,000 residents in the most 10% deprived areas in England.
The Spark project is vital in the South West to connect and illuminate the pathways to increasing women’s safety and quality of life.
Addressing the entire cycle from prevention at school age to working with Experts by Experience, Spark will result in a transformational blueprint for meeting women’s unmet complex needs with long-term sustainability in mind.
Hannah Shead, Trevi chief executive said:
“We are thrilled to be awarded this funding. There have been some high-profile tragedies over the last 12 months that have shone a light on the reality of violence against women and girls. Those of us working in the sector recognise that this is not a new phenomenon. There are no quick fixes or easy answers, but I am delighted to know that this funding will make a difference for women and girls in the South West.
“I believe that the impact of this funding will be significantly enhanced by the strength of our partnerships. During the application process, we were able to harness our shared passion and determination to improve outcomes for women and girls. I am so pleased that we can now make our vision a reality.”
The Spark project will also gift grants to other South West organisations who are working with women and delivering projects aligned to its aims.
In the 28 years that Trevi has been operating, the organisation has helped transform the lives of thousands of women and their children.
From rehab and health to housing and employment, Trevi helps any woman in recovery move from ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’. The experience of the women the charity supports informs everything Trevi does; from the services it provides to its influencing and campaigning work.
For more information on the partnership project, please contact communications@trevi.org.uk
