We are fundraising to launch a women rights project for women who are homeless. We need £5k to start a project to provide legal services to women in Glasgow. Govan Law Centre will challenge gender inequality in our homelessness system.
FACT: 2500 families spend over a year in temporary accommodation in Scotland. (Shelter Scotland)
We will take our services to vulnerable women, working in partnership with women organisations to provide welfare rights, housing advice, legal services and court representation. We will challenge gender discrimination at the heart of our homeless system.
FACT: 38 children are made homeless everyday in Scotland. (Shelter Scotland)
Women can be left in temporary accommodation for years. We need £5k to launch outreach sessions, so our solicitors and advisers can run cases, represent women in courts, start Judicial Reviews, negotiate with landlords, defend repossessions and evictions, and use strategic litigation to campaign for better services and stronger laws to protect vulnerable women. Women with children spend longer in temporary accommodation than men.
Many women spend years in expensive temporary accommodation. Women are left in limbo, their lives are kept on hold and the rent in temporary accommodation is often unaffordable (more than £185) and regularly leaves women in financial hardship.
FACT: 7040 women lone parents made a homeless application last year, in Scotland. (Scottish Govt)
We are seeking to bring forward strategic legal cases to address this inequality which keeps women in poverty and poor housing, denying them the opportunity of improving their, and their children’s lives, and from being equal members of society
FACT: Last year Glasgow had 5200 homeless applications, 1800 with children. (Scottish Govt)
Women experience of homelessness is different. They tend to sofa surf, stay in violent or abusive relationships, temporary accommodation or with people who exploit them, because rough sleeping is particularly dangerous for women. They end up with mental health problems, losing contact with their children which can be traumatic, being exploited and the most vulnerable women can be pushed into sex work and prostitution.
FACT: Women with children spend an average of 204 days in expensive temporary accommodation (Scottish Govt)
We want to take our services out to women. To go to them. To provide services which can help them to get control of their lives and to live in a decent safe home.
We run rights hubs in homelessness day centres to support rough sleepers. These are successful services. We help thousands of clients every year. However we note that these particular rough sleeper's services tend to be male dominated. We know women face as much homelessness as men. We need to take our services to them.
We will take forward strategic legal cases to address gender inequality which keeps women in poverty and poor housing, denying them opportunities to improve their, and their children’s, lives and from being equal members of society.
Please, if you can, donate anything you can afford. We need to get out there, to help thousands of women who are in very vulnerable situations.
Thank you!