Anawim Birmingham’s Centre for Women is a Birmingham based registered charity providing support and a safe space for vulnerable women who have multiple and complex needs.
The women that Anawim supports often have chaotic lifestyles and/or are at risk of exploitation or entering the criminal justice system. Anawim aim to offer a holistic service from crisis intervention to longer term functional support to help women make permanent changes to their lives.
In March this year, the gbpartnerships foundation provided £2,000 of funding to support Anawim’s Drop-in service, which is needed more than ever as financial pressures and family challenges continue to significantly impact women. The Drop-in service is run by two part time workers who provide advice and guidance, organise food donations and storage, as well as coordinate support from Anawim’s volunteers and students.
Anawim’s Drop-in service is a safe space where no appointments or referrals are necessary. Women in crisis can receive food, clothing and a hot shower, as well as support with information, advice and guidance. Women receive support to sustain tenancies, budget and manage debts, avoid evictions or repossessions, financial advice, help to complete benefits and housing applications and access safer accommodation. The expert team help to report perpetrators of abuse or violence to the police, address deeply embedded trauma, support with substance abuse and accessing employment opportunities. In addition to advice and guidance, they offer food parcels, toiletries, sanitary products or clothes for women in crisis. They help to reduce loneliness, isolation and the likelihood of self-harm and suicide, increasing safety and physical and emotional wellbeing for women and their families, whilst developing skills to sustain initial progress made into the future.
Megan Heath, Drop-in and Outreach Coordinator commented:
“Our Drop-in allows for women to walk through our doors, some for the first time, and engage with the support they need and deserve. For some, the drop in provides a safe space to return to over and over when they find themselves in a crisis situation, for others it is the first step into engaging with longer term support. The nature of the Drop-in service allows for women to feel involved in the support on offer to them. It empowers our clients to determine the level of care they would like to receive; whether that be through a one-off session with our Drop-in staff or where the Drop-in service acts as a window into Anawim’s wider services for more intense and prolonged support.”
To find out more about their work and donate, visit: https://anawim.co.uk/
The Anawim's Drop-in space.