We want to let survivors and our community know that RISE is still here for you and you can still call us. Our helpline will remain open – which we know was a lifeline to so many over the last year when we saw a huge increase in the number of people calling us. We will also continue to offer a specialist housing advocacy service, supporting woman and families to navigate the challenges of accessing secure, safe homes.
We have secured funding to build on our expert services working with mothers, their babies, children and young people and will continue to offer a child and adult therapy service. Through national government funding we are also able to continue to provide an LGBT+ dispersed refuge whilst also providing wrap-around services, funded by supporters and grants in the former RISE refuge to the families staying there.
We have been overwhelmed by the response from the local community, with more than 30,000 people signing a petition in support of RISE, started by a group of our service users, which showed just how valuable we are to people in Brighton and Hove.
From when we first received news about the contract to the day it came to an end, we have been reassuring our clients, our supporters, and anyone who needs us now or in the future, that RISE is still here and will be going from strength to strength, as a provider of independent, user-influenced support for survivors of domestic abuse.
Our vision remains of a world free from abuse and violence, and essential services such as our helpline, group work, peer support, LGBTQ+ refuge, work with children and families and our community engagement project, will continue to help us achieve this.
Last year, the average length of abuse experienced by our clients was over five years. We know that the journey to recovery can be long and complex, and RISE will continue to play a critical and healing role, providing services such as one-to-one adult and child therapy and therapeutic survivor groups.
We are excited to continue our plans to pioneer new and innovative approaches, such as an online training platform which will help equip survivors with the tools they need to manage their recovery from the impact of abuse, and therapy offered over a text-based platform.
We will work as closely as we can with the new providers now that the local domestic abuse services are no longer under one roof, as we are all committed to ensuring that survivors receive the comprehensive support that they need. For more information about the new providers, including how to access support such as casework and refuge accommodation in Brighton and Hove, visit the SafeSpaceSussex website.
Jo Gough, RISE CEO says, “We would like to thank each and every person, company and community group who has supported us in our 26-year history, and particularly over the last year, which has easily been the most challenging, and we hope that you will continue with us on our journey.”
