Sistah Space has announced the creation of the UK's first refuge to provide specialist support for women of African and Caribbean descent.
Founded in 2016, in response to the tragic murder of Valerie Forde and her daughter, as the result of intimate partner violence, the charity has become a leading voice in the fight to bridge the gap in domestic abuse services for Black women and girls. Their vital work has also resulted in the creation of Valerie's Law, a campaign that advocates for mandatory cultural competency training for police officers and government agencies in the hope to better protect and support Black women facing abuse.
The purpose build space, according to operations manager Djanomi Headley, 'will allow us to deliver a more effective service, a temporary safe space that we can a service users in times where previously we would have had to utilise personal funds for hotels in order to never leave anyone at risk'. The new sanctuary is a turning point for the charity, adds Headley, who says that receiving confirmation that of the charity's building 'brought a sense of excitements and relief. I even got goosebumps just reflecting on the scale of what had just happened'.
Public response to the news also felt like a 'real once in a lifetime moment', she says. Having received such a positive response from attendees at Unfiltered - a live panel discussion hosted by the charity, and on social media, Headley notes: 'It was nice change to see the level of engagement that that sadly usually comes as a result of us amplifying yet another tragic case of injustice, instead be for a space that will help to address those issue - it felt restorative.'
However, she stresses that the launch is 'new territory' for the small team of 10 core workers at Sistah Space. As the aim of the new venture is to facilitate service users in a sustainable and dignified way, the charity worker explains that, at its core, it's about 'cutting out the middleman and reducing the energy and resources normally spent advocating for service users when they are dealing with other agencies that aren't culturally sufficient'.
In keeping with the charity's commitment to providing specialist support for women of African and Caribbean descent, Headley says: 'The sanctuary will endeavour to address key issues service users face when accessing other support systems, like being displaced into areas where there isn't anybody that looks like them or they struggle to access food or hair products that are culturally compatible', along with the harsh reality of 'experiencing racism within the refuge from other service users'.
Restoring agency and dignity to service users is key to Sistah Space's mission and a factor that the charity worker says 'can be a simple as skin products like shea butter, which to wider society can seem like a small thing, but because these item are tied so closely to identity and self worth, as a service provider we know that when someone is at their lowest. These are often the factors that drive women back into danger'.
Although the space will still place the onus on authorities to deliver on the permanent solutions Sistah Space's service users desperately need, on reflection of the future Headley says that while 'ideally, domestic violence wouldn't exist, Sistah Space is committed to providing the training need to adequately support Black service users for other agencies and is here to to provide an extra level of comfort and security, in order to save lives.'
You can support Sistah Space and their new sanctuary via donation or by volunteering.
If you, or someone you know, are experiencing abuse, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247, which is open 24/7 365 days per year, or via their website.
If you are in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
