New charity to help victims of domestic abuse launched due to communities fund

The Canterbury Advice Service, which is part of the national charity Family Action, is one of 14 projects across Yorkshire and Humber to receive a share of £4.1 million from the fund.

Organisers behind the scheme, which is called the Domestic Abuse Project, said its aim is to address the issue of domestic abuse within the district’s black and minority ethnic (BME) community.

Sarah Lala, project manager at the Canterbury Advice Service, in Ringwood Road, Little Horton, Bradford, said the scheme had been devised to help a particular group that appeared to be slightly “neglected” at a time when demand for the service was growing rapidly in the district.

She said: “The aim of the project is to change the lives of the women who need our service. The demand is very high in Bradford, we have people queuing outside from 7am to access our services and we have spoken to the other agencies in Bradford who are over-subscribed to deal with the demand.

“For women who become single because of suffering abuse it can be a huge upheaval on their life financially in particular, we will offer support and guidance to deal with these aspects.

“We were really pleased and excited to get the funding to deliver the much needed support to women who need it.”

The charity will work with three existing domestic violence hubs which already operate in the Bradford district to deliver domestic violence services.

It will offer a range of services surrounding domestic abuse to deal with the issues which come from a woman becoming single and managing with the bills and running of the home.

The Lottery funding comes from the Reaching Communities programme which aims to help communities and people most in need.

Caroline James, of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “All projects receiving Lottery good cause funding today are very much about enabling people in need to feel more empowered and in control of their situation so they can lead more fulfilled lives.”