- Project focus: Move-on accommodation for women fleeing abuse
- Who it supports: Women survivors of abuse with NRPF
- Housing created: 5 bedspaces within a shared property
Established in 2009, Zinthiya Trust works to alleviate poverty and abuse in Leicester and Leicestershire with a particular focus on women from marginalised communities. They provide information, advice and practical support through mentoring, one-to-one sessions and support groups. Their organisation is rooted in lived experience, with the majority of staff and volunteers having previously used their services.
A key part of their work is providing emergency accommodation for women fleeing abuse. With support from the Access to Accommodation fund, Zinthiya Trust’s Move On Pilot will allow the charity to offer additional safe, move-on housing for 30 women survivors of abuse with no recourse to public funds.
Delivered over a three-year period, the project will support women who are no longer eligible for refuge spaces and are at high risk of homelessness. Working in partnership to bring a property into use, the project will offer both housing and structured support to help women rebuild and move towards independence. The five-bedroom property will feature a prayer room and study space. Part of the property will be a separate studio apartment designed to house a mother and child. Alongside housing, wraparound support will be provided, including access to employment, skills training and working towards deposit savings.
The Move On Pilot looks to fill a critical gap for a group who are often excluded from mainstream housing options. It will also build an evidence base for a model that could be replicated more widely to support women with no recourse to public funds.
