Charity acquires Nottinghamshire homes for domestic abuse survivors

Nottingham charity Juno Women’s Aid has purchased eight properties to provide safe housing for survivors of domestic abuse.

The two- and three-bedroom homes across the city and county are currently being refurbished and will soon house women and their children, offering them a chance to rebuild their lives in new communities.

It is part of Juno’s broader plan to acquire 28 homes, supported by a recent £3m social investment aimed at transforming how families are housed after escaping abusive relationships.

The Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) provided the loan, which offers finance for ‘extraordinary’ charities and social enterprises.

Yasmin Rehman, Juno CEO, said: “Being able to move survivors and their families from refuges and into properties we own is so important in helping them to build new lives, develop safe social networks, find jobs or training courses and see their children flourish at school or college.

“This is a dream come true for us to move away from an emergency, sticking plaster approach. We will continue to support these families during their tenancies and look forward to helping many more in the future as part of our longer-term strategy.”

Of the first eight properties, four are within the city council area and four are in south Nottinghamshire.

The homes are being renovated with new carpets, kitchens, and bathrooms where needed.

Two of the homes will be used for Juno’s Serenity scheme, offering emergency refuge, while the others will provide two-year tenancies.

The project is expected to support around 110 women and 220 children over the loan period.

Reham said: “Our refuges are meant to be temporary crisis accommodation to look after women and children for six months to a year. But many often stay longer than that because of the cost of living crisis and the difficulty in finding homes that are safe, secure and affordable.

“When they are in a refuge, women can struggle to find or stay in work or access education because it is not safe to disclose where they live, or they might not want to explain their situation – they don’t want to be labelled. This is just a point in their life – it doesn’t define them.

“It’s so important that they can move on into living independently, make plans for the future, and perhaps save some money so they can eventually find their place in an area where they have built a connection on their terms.”