What We Do
“SAHWR saved my life. Before entering I didn’t have a safe place. I was stuck in a constant cycle of abuse, and mentally, I don’t think I could have coped much more.”
SAHWR is a registered charity, established in 1982, that provides specialist domestic abuse services across Hertfordshire.
Anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexuality or background.
We provide support to vulnerable individuals (including single women and men, families and pregnant women and young girls) who are survivors of domestic abuse, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, financial abuse, harassment, and stalking, psychological abuse, online and digital abuse.
Our services include:
Our ethos is to offer person-centred, individualised support and our services have developed and evolved over the years to meet the changing needs and demands of those we support, by ensuring the voice of the individual is heard and shape our support services accordingly.
SAHWR are committed to providing a safe space for individuals who have children, where they can remain together, maintain a strong family unit, whilst removing themselves from significant threat or risk. Over 60% of those staying within our accommodation, have a child with them.
We provide “in house” support and deliver engagement activities for children and their parents, along with group sessions, to increase wellbeing, improve confidence, build resilience, encourage peer engagement, and create friendships to enable them to cope, adapt and move forward with their lives.
We create a lasting positive impact on children/young people and their parent, providing a safe place and helping them to adjust to a new future. We support the families through a resettlement process, whilst they adapt to new circumstances, find new accommodation, and integrate with a new community.
Our staff and services are designed to empower families to discover and explore their own strengths and provide support to enable access to resources within their local community (e.g., access to Welfare Benefits, securing a new GP surgery, etc).
We deliver unique, tailored and flexible services, utilising person-centred approaches that bring survivors on a journey towards self-empowerment.
We achieve life-changing practical, psychological and social outcomes for families who have been survivors of domestic violence.
