Sheltering
Overview
Overview
As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelters for clients and their children who have been victims of GBV. We have two emergency shelters on Johannesburg’s West Rand and East Rand. While the West Rand shelter accommodates 10 women and their children, the one on the East Rand houses 20 women and their kids. Survivors are accommodated for up to a year.
The main objective of the shelter is to provide a safe, calm, therapeutic environment, where abused women can begin to deal with their situations and receive the necessary support. Within the shelters, women receive counselling, legal advice and skills development programmes. Not only are these skills therapeutic, but they also enable women to generate an income so they are less likely to return to their abusers.
Shelters also provide survivors with referrals for jobs, transport and escorting to courts, clinics, hospitals, police stations, home affairs, South African Social Security Agency offices and numerous offices to drop off their CVs. Additionally, housemothers place children in schools and creches near the shelter and transport them to child counselling services.
As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelters for clients and their children who have been victims of GBV. We have two emergency shelters on Johannesburg’s West Rand and East Rand. While the West Rand shelter accommodates 10 women and their children, the one on the East Rand houses 20 women and their kids. Survivors are accommodated for up to a year.
The main objective of the shelter is to provide a safe, calm, therapeutic environment, where abused women can begin to deal with their situations and receive the necessary support. Within the shelters, women receive counselling, legal advice and skills development programmes. Not only are these skills therapeutic, but they also enable women to generate an income so they are less likely to return to their abusers.
Shelters also provide survivors with referrals for jobs, transport and escorting to courts, clinics, hospitals, police stations, home affairs, South African Social Security Agency offices and numerous offices to drop off their CVs. Additionally, housemothers place children in schools and creches near the shelter and transport them to child counselling services.
When the shelters first started operating, the kind of women who were accommodated were older and married, therefore they could begin to access legal support to deal with their marital problems. The trend has since changed, and the majority of women being accommodated are young single women who were cohabitating and have more than one child. Although their main problem is domestic abuse, their situation is made worse by the fact that they are unemployed, semi-skilled or unskilled, so are dependent on their partners financially.
The skills development programmes ran in shelters are therefore crucial to enabling them to earn an income to support themselves and break out of the cycle of abuse. The other challenge is that they are far away from the support of family, friends and community, so their vulnerability is increased.
As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelters for clients and their children who have been victims of GBV. We have two emergency shelters on Johannesburg’s West Rand and East Rand. While the West Rand shelter accommodates 10 women and their children, the one on the East Rand houses 20 women and their kids. Survivors are accommodated for up to a year.
The main objective of the shelter is to provide a safe, calm, therapeutic environment, where abused women can begin to deal with their situations and receive the necessary support. Within the shelters, women receive counselling, legal advice and skills development programmes. Not only are these skills therapeutic, but they also enable women to generate an income so they are less likely to return to their abusers.
Shelters also provide survivors with referrals for jobs, transport and escorting to courts, clinics, hospitals, police stations, home affairs, South African Social Security Agency offices and numerous offices to drop off their CVs. Additionally, housemothers place children in schools and creches near the shelter and transport them to child counselling services.
As one of our core frontline services, POWA provides shelters for clients and their children who have been victims of GBV. We have two emergency shelters on Johannesburg’s West Rand and East Rand. While the West Rand shelter accommodates 10 women and their children, the one on the East Rand houses 20 women and their kids. Survivors are accommodated for up to a year.
The main objective of the shelter is to provide a safe, calm, therapeutic environment, where abused women can begin to deal with their situations and receive the necessary support. Within the shelters, women receive counselling, legal advice and skills development programmes. Not only are these skills therapeutic, but they also enable women to generate an income so they are less likely to return to their abusers.
Shelters also provide survivors with referrals for jobs, transport and escorting to courts, clinics, hospitals, police stations, home affairs, South African Social Security Agency offices and numerous offices to drop off their CVs. Additionally, housemothers place children in schools and creches near the shelter and transport them to child counselling services.
When the shelters first started operating, the kind of women who were accommodated were older and married, therefore they could begin to access legal support to deal with their marital problems. The trend has since changed, and the majority of women being accommodated are young single women who were cohabitating and have more than one child. Although their main problem is domestic abuse, their situation is made worse by the fact that they are unemployed, semi-skilled or unskilled, so are dependent on their partners financially.
The skills development programmes ran in shelters are therefore crucial to enabling them to earn an income to support themselves and break out of the cycle of abuse. The other challenge is that they are far away from the support of family, friends and community, so their vulnerability is increased.
2nd Stage Housing
As part of our sheltering services is the POWA 1st for Women 2nd Stage House, which was opened in 2009. Bought by 1st for Women Insurance Company, the 2nd Stage House consists of five apartments.
The main objective of the house is to provide affordable accommodation in the form of flats to survivors of domestic violence ready to break away from the cycle of abuse. Staying in these flats builds their self-esteem and independence and is a stepping stone towards them achieving more stable and peaceful living free from abuse.
The survivors together with their children can stay for 12 months in these fully furnished flats, thanks to Avon Justine providing funding for the furniture. All they need to bring is their personal belongings to add a personal touch and have a comfortable stay. Survivors pay minimum, monthly rent which goes towards maintenance of the flats, rates and taxes and the caretaker’s salary.
As part of our sheltering services is the POWA 1st for Women 2nd Stage House, which was opened in 2009. Bought by 1st for Women Insurance Company, the 2nd Stage House consists of five apartments.
The main objective of the house is to provide affordable accommodation in the form of flats to survivors of domestic violence ready to break away from the cycle of abuse. Staying in these flats builds their self-esteem and independence and is a stepping stone towards them achieving more stable and peaceful living free from abuse.
The survivors together with their children can stay for 12 months in these fully furnished flats, thanks to Avon Justine providing funding for the furniture. All they need to bring is their personal belongings to add a personal touch and have a comfortable stay. Survivors pay minimum, monthly rent which goes towards maintenance of the flats, rates and taxes and the caretaker’s salary.