SAY Women

SAY Women offers safe semi-supported accommodation and emotional support for young women aged 16 to 25 who are survivors of sexual abuse, rape or sexual assault and who are homeless, or threatened with homelessness. SAY Women was established in 1991 in response to CHAR research that found 4 in 10 young women who were homeless had become so due to sexual abuse. The research recognised the complex needs of young women in this position and the high risk of ongoing targeting from perpetrators due to their vulnerable circumstances. We are a charity of women supporting women who are survivors of men’s sexual violence. Using the framework of the Judith Herman model: Establishing Safety, Mourning & Remembering, Reconnection and Move On, we operate the Social Model of support. This concentrates on the experience of abuse as the issue, and recognises that the behaviours that survivors have had to use, such as self-harm and anger, are coping strategies. Collage.jpg Support for the young women is offered in the form of semi-independent living in our Accommodation Project, alongside support to prepare for a more independent lifestyle, as well as looking at the difficulties surrounding their childhood sexual abuse. They work towards moving into their own tenancy, while we offer ongoing support at our Resource Service with emotional and mental health difficulties, plus groupwork, events, activities and help with practical issues. The support we provide is flexible and varies according to what each young woman needs, so she is always in control and can access the service at a pace that suits her.