Brighton and Hove council withdraw funding from women's domestic violence serivice

[Janie143]

Despite offering domestic abuse services to LGBTQ+ and men, in addition to prevision for women and children, and having 26 years experience RISE looses £5 million council contact to Stonewater. Reason given was that RISE wasn't inclusive enough. Judge for yourself which is more inclusive of all protected characteristics.

[Janie143]

www.stonewater.org/find-a-home/supported-housing/south/lgbtqplus-safe-space/

www.riseuk.org.uk/news/2021/rises-statement-on-the-future-of-the-organisation-and-local-domestic-abuse-service-provision

[EdgeOfACoin]

So if you are a heterosexual woman suffering domestic violence at the hands of a man, where do you now turn to for support?

[UppityPuppity]

So if you are a heterosexual woman suffering domestic violence at the hands of a man, where do you now turn to for support?

They clearly don’t need to turn anywhere - I assume B and H Council think heterosexual women need to check their privilege and stop politicising using their experiences to exclude others ask for evidenced based care and single sex services to support their well-being and recovery

[NeedToKnow101]

Wow! They should consider a crowdfunder for legal action maybe?

[PurpleHoodie]

Evil. Pure evil in action.

[Significantown]

Another county

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

This isn't quite correct. RISE have lost the service but it hasn't all gone to Stonewall.

[Wildswim]

@PurpleHoodie

Evil. Pure evil in action.

This.

[Toohardtofindaproperusername]

@HunterHearstHelmsley

This isn't quite correct. RISE have lost the service but it hasn't all gone to Stonewall.

Who has it gone to? Do you know?

[ScaredOfDinosaurs]

Fuck sake. Women don't matter to them at all, do we?

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

Yes! But I'm not sure of the confidentiality of it at the moment so can't really say until I've double checked.

[Janie143]

One of their services users has started a petition and RISE is asking for direct donations to continue to run their helpine. www.brightonandhovenews.org/2021/02/15/thousands-sign-petition-after-brighton-domestic-violence-charity-rise-loses-key-contract/ It's too late to prevent the refuge contract going to Stonewater (I wonder why they picked that name)

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

It’s gone to victim support and storehouse housing

Seen this type of thing happen a lot in the voluntary sector. Local provider losing out to a larger national player. From what I’ve read there was a procurement process which people was a rubber stamping exercise for RISE but it looks like stonehouse and victim support came in, I would suspect with a lower price and undercut them. Much easier for large nationals to be cheaper and with councils under a huge economic cosh, I’d expect to see a lot more of it

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Stonehouse housing! Bloody autocorrect

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Stonewater arghhh

www.stonewater.org/

They’re a huge provider and were founded in 2014

[Janie143]

Many councillors say they are shocked this has happened. So how did it if it was a council led process with the police putting their 2 penneth in. Dame Jenni Murray has tweeted about the issue.

[Wandawomble]

Petition here chng.it/SD6cbNbyLy

[UppityPuppity]

Signed

Should we have a FWR designated charity?

I nominate RISE.

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Having worked in this area a fair bit Janie I’d say it’s because the councillors don’t understand their own procurement processes. Generally councils have a standard procurement process which they use to buy everything from bin collection to new desks for the council offices to social care

It will generally be done using the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) process and will be weighted with so much % going to price and so much % to quality . Councils can choose which % they give most weight to including giving 100% to price ie cheapest if they choose. I suspect the weighting here will have been heavily in favour of price hence the loss for the local service. Housing associations are pretty notorious in the voluntary sector for going after local services run by local charities as a way of getting a foot in the door for other plans

[PPNC]

Scanning the StoneWater website they offer housing to all different groups, just depending on what contract they have with what council, they aren’t trans dominated.

What they are is just a huge commercial money making property agency. This isn’t an anti female move, it’s a “capitalism and cash wins over local service with soul” move.

Though looking through their website the photos are white white white, and more white. Mainly male, all happy clappy. It’s a soulless business.

[Thewithesarehere]

Please bring this out in AIBU.

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Exactly PPNC - councillors hand wringing should have read their own processes more clearly!

It’s also been my experience that councils generally assume that the local charity will somehow carry on by replacing the list council money with grants from charitable trusts or other fundraising. It doesn’t occur to them they might actually just close

[EdgeOfACoin]

I looked at the Stonewater site. It was confusing.

If I were a woman looking to escape from a DV situation and get emergency shelter somewhere, I don't think I would identify Stonewater as a place that could help me.

And obviously an LGBTQ charity wouldn't be equipped to support me either.

RISE was clearly a provider of support for victims of DV, particularly females. I just don't know what B&H expect women to do. Perhaps Stonewater can help, but it really isn't obvious and DV doesn't appear to be Stonewater's focus.

[SapphosRock]

I live in Brighton and yes it's true RISE have lost the funding. Absolutely disgraceful.

However, as Hunter points out, this is nothing to do with Stonewall and there is no funding for alternative mixed sex refuges that I'm aware of.

[EdgeOfACoin]

That said, I do think charities need to be aware of the risks of becoming dependent on council grants.

This applies to all charities - I've seen charities close before because they have become used to council support and not engaged in fundraising. It's a risk.

(Not getting into a discussion as to whether a DV support service should be a charity, just making an observation based on previous experience).