Shekinah, a charity helping vulnerable people across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, has been awarded a grant of £40,000. This grant will help fund the role of a Specialist Women’s Homelessness Project Worker at their Plymouth Drop-In Centre.

Shekinah supports people experiencing a wide range of problems such as homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, offending and mental ill health. As well as providing food, clothing and showers; the charity helps people overcome their issues through advice, counselling, education and helping them get back into training or employment.

Skekinah are working to improve support for homeless women

Through their work, Shekinah have discovered a lack of services in Plymouth which are taylored to supporting homeless women; yet women in this vulnerable position often face even greater challenges than their male counterparts. Many of the women supported by Shekinah are fleeing abuse, or have disabilities, mental health problems or substance abuse issues. Other women are “hidden homeless” who remain in abusive relationships rather than face living on the streets. An estimated 30% of female rough sleepers have been sexually assaulted in the past year and 60% threatened with violence.

The project worker will directly support  homeless women and help them access Shekinah’s services. The worker will also help Shekinah and its partner organisations better understand how we can make services easier to access for some of the Plymouth’s most vulnerable women.

Laura Fraser-Crewes Head of Ops & Client Support of Shekinah said:

“We are very grateful to Devonshire Freemasons for their generous grant which will help us in our work with women who historically have not received the services they deserve”

Devonshire Freemason, Ian Kingsbury, visited the charity to find out more about their work:

“We are delighted to be able to help Shekinah who provide vital support for homeless & endangered women, an especially neglected group in our community.”

Watch this video to find out how this grant will impact homeless women in the Plymouth area