Beyond pink paint and pot plants

What does it mean to develop and deliver effective supported accommodation for women?

Someone once joked with me that too many people think women’s housing is just about painting the walls pink and bunging in a few pot plants!

To be fair, I don’t think I even know any women who live in pink houses with pot plants, but I get the point…it is not enough to just take a male centric model, attempt to feminise it with some delicate finishing touches and then assume it will be a good fit.

Over the years, I have heard about many examples of women only supported accommodation that has opened but subsequently closed – in part I believe because they were not designed specifically around the distinct needs of women. It was a male model, clumsily adapted.

When we are considering women with support needs, the sad reality is that we are talking about women who are all too often survivors of male violence. Much of that harm will have been perpetuated within the context of intimate partner relationships, the person who has hurt the woman is the same person that said he loves her. For many women, the line between love and hurt has been blurred, which is both bewildering and traumatic. 

Therefore, at the heart of supported accommodation for women must be safety; both in terms of the physical environment and a sense of psychological safety.

We also know the value of empowerment and help for women to regulate emotions.

A women only accommodation offer that is designed and delivered along these principles has the potential to be both life changing and lifesaving.

I am delighted to start working alongside the wonderful folk at Hope and Vision Communities as they embark upon their journey to develop women’s accommodation.

We intend to get started by listening to women…after all, they are the ones who are best placed to share what they need and want.

We look forward to developing something centred around their needs…and preferably without too many pot plants to water at the end of it!

About Hannah Shead

Hannah has worked in the charity / women’s sector for over 25 years. Her most recent role before moving into freelance was CEO of Trevi Women, an award-winning women’s charity, which included in its services a range of women’s residential provision.

She is the Treasurer for UK Feminsta – an organisation that is trying to combat sexual exploitation and tackle sexism in schools and a Director for Choices Rehabs - a consortium of independent addiction treatment providers in the United Kingdom.

We welcome Hannah to our team, offering consultancy. We are looking forward to working with Hannah as she is tasked with developing a service to house and support women leaving treatment. An exciting prospect we are looking to deliver in the future that is so needed.