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We’re delighted to announce that we’ve been successful in securing ongoing funding for the Community Outreach element of our Horizon Sexual Exploitation Support Services. The National Lottery Community Fund are funding this project for three years from 2024-2026, enabling us to continue delivering vital outreach and drop-in support to women who are experiencing, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation.
Over the last 4 years, we’ve supported more than 120 women through this community outreach support service, providing emotional and practical support, offering a safe drop-in space (pictured), encouraging health clinic attendance, and linking in with other agencies to provide truly person-centred support. Safety is at the heart of this support and meeting basic needs – including food, clothing and health – is a vital part of this. Our team members prioritise building trusting relationships, however long this may take, and we’ve witnessed women feeling safer and better informed the more they engage with us.
Going forward, our focus will continue to be on risk and harm reduction, building on our knowledge and the relationships we’ve developed over the past 4 years. We will also continue to work collaboratively, sharing learning and best practice, and highlighting the specific needs, risks and challenges faced by women being exploited through the sex industry.
We are hugely grateful to our colleagues from partner and referral agencies, as well as our own teams, who supported our funding application, helping us to convey the value and impact of our Horizon Sexual Exploitation Support Services and, ultimately, securing the future of Community Outreach for another three years!