Women’s refuge receives £100,000 of support
26/03/2015
Stroud District Council, in partnership with the Stroud Beresford Group, has successfully bid for £100,000 of Government funding to help boost provision for vulnerable victims of domestic abuse and their families.
The Stroud Beresford Group, a local independent charity, offers accommodation, advice and support to women and their children affected by domestic abuse.
The Stroud Beresford Group, a local independent charity, offers accommodation, advice and support to women and their children affected by domestic abuse.
Councillor Geoff Wheeler, leader of Stroud District Council, said: “This is great news. The funding will enable the group to continue its excellent work at the two refuges it manages in the district and allow it to help a greater number of women and vulnerable families, enabling them to be settled into alternative accommodation more quickly.”
Jill Cooper, manager at Stroud Beresford Group, said: “Domestic abuse affects one in four women throughout their lifetimes and between six and 10 per cent of women suffer from it in any given year, so it is a very real and significant issue.
"Refuges are a vital source of safety and help for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, hence we are extremely grateful to the council for its support and the Government for providing £100,000 to help us continue our work alongside the other agencies in the county to help those in desperate need.”
Anna [not her real name] who was recently helped at one of the group’s refuges in the district said: “I feel that my decision to come to the refuge was extremely difficult and I was unsure what to expect.
"If I had known about the level of support and care we would receive I would have left my situation a lot earlier. I feel constantly supported and the home that I stay in has been more than a refuge to us. It has been a sanctuary.”
Anna and her young child were supported to quickly regain their confidence and self-esteem and are now living independently again in Stroud.
Stroud Beresford Group has provided women’s refuge accommodation in Stroud for nearly 40 years. In that time it has housed approximately 1,400 people. It provides two refuges which offer support, outreach and children’s services, support groups and workshops.
It is able to support up to eight families at a time and families stay at the refuge for an average of 12 to 16 weeks.
Jill Cooper, manager at Stroud Beresford Group, said: “Domestic abuse affects one in four women throughout their lifetimes and between six and 10 per cent of women suffer from it in any given year, so it is a very real and significant issue.
"Refuges are a vital source of safety and help for women and children experiencing domestic abuse, hence we are extremely grateful to the council for its support and the Government for providing £100,000 to help us continue our work alongside the other agencies in the county to help those in desperate need.”
Anna [not her real name] who was recently helped at one of the group’s refuges in the district said: “I feel that my decision to come to the refuge was extremely difficult and I was unsure what to expect.
"If I had known about the level of support and care we would receive I would have left my situation a lot earlier. I feel constantly supported and the home that I stay in has been more than a refuge to us. It has been a sanctuary.”
Anna and her young child were supported to quickly regain their confidence and self-esteem and are now living independently again in Stroud.
Stroud Beresford Group has provided women’s refuge accommodation in Stroud for nearly 40 years. In that time it has housed approximately 1,400 people. It provides two refuges which offer support, outreach and children’s services, support groups and workshops.
It is able to support up to eight families at a time and families stay at the refuge for an average of 12 to 16 weeks.