Orchards

PARTNER

GP Bed Spaces

RESIDENTS 2020

Volunteering

Moved on into
independent living

100

'Hugely well done in providing such a holistic wraparound support, it really is a dream come true.'

Elly, Referrer

Overview‍

We provide accommodation for 6-9 months, counselling and case work in partnership with the local church, for women who have experienced sexual exploitation and are ready for a degree of independent living. We come alongside women as they tackle barriers to sustained exit such as debt, unemployment and mental health issues. Each woman receives a minimum of 24 individual support work sessions, linking with specialist partners where necessary and a minimum of 20 counselling sessions. This is followed by on-going counselling and coaching support, focused on empowering women to move towards independent living, with strong onward referral routes into housing, training and employment.‍

Achieved to date

We registered as a charity in August 2018 and have just opened our first one bedroom flat through our partnership with Green Pastures. We are really grateful for the support of Green Pastures in getting us to this stage and helping us navigate the world of supportive housing and the benefits system!‍

Why we do this ‍

Lack of housing can act both as a reason for entry into prostitution and as a barrier to exit, trapping many women in a cycle of poverty and homelessness. There are very few specialist safe houses supporting this client group after the initial emergency phase and current provision does not meet the high demand, so the risk of women re-entering exploitative situations or experiencing homelessness is high; Orchards wants to fill this gap with the provision of move-on accommodation.

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Future plans‍

Whilst we are really thankful to be at the stage of opening our first property, our work is by no means over; the need for more specialist housing for women seeking to exit sexual exploitation is high. We hope to grow to a cluster of four flats over the next few years with a community hub at our current church partner. We then hope to open a second cluster with another church partner.

green pastures review

It’s been fantastic to start this new partnership to house women in their journey towards a life free from sexual exploitation. Rory Paget-Wilkes has really enjoyed building relationship with Jenny Walker and Emma Goulds as this new partnership came to fruition in 2019. We know this is just the start of continued development of relationship. We are so impressed by the nature of Orchards’ work and particularly their thoroughness and attention to detail in making sure they provide the best possible support and supervision to each resident. They have at the outset decided to go for a one bed flat model, where one person is housed and cared for at a time in each property. This is a testament to their ethos of going after the one. We are looking forward how this partnership is going to develop over the years to come.

contact

Emma Goulds

E:

emma@orchardsuk.org

T:

N/A

W:

orchardsuk.org

A:

N/A

location

GP BEDS

other beds

partnership est.

Sep 2018