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Coventry Women's ParTnership #CovWP
Coventry Women's Partnership (CWP)
Working together to improve women's access to safe and secure housing
Coventry Women's Partnership (CWP) brings together five specialist women's organisations working collaboratively to tackle gender inequality, reduce poverty and improve outcomes for women across Coventry.
Established in 2018, the partnership has a strong history of providing coordinated, specialist support to women facing multiple barriers, including domestic abuse, sexual violence, homelessness, economic disadvantage and social exclusion.
Building on this experience, the partnership is now focusing on creating lasting change within housing systems, recognising that access to safe, secure and appropriate accommodation is fundamental to women's safety, independence and long-term wellbeing.
Our current focus: Creating change in housing
For many women, securing a safe and stable home is far from straightforward.
Women subjected to domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation or other forms of disadvantage can face significant barriers when seeking accommodation or trying to rebuild their lives.
These challenges may include financial insecurity, limited housing options, discrimination, complex housing processes and difficulties accessing appropriate accommodation and support.
For women escaping domestic abuse, the lack of suitable housing can create additional risks, delay their ability to leave an abusive relationship or prevent them from moving on safely from refuge accommodation.
Coventry Women's Partnership aims to address these challenges by working collectively to understand and influence the systems, policies and practices that affect women's access to housing.
The partnership's work focuses on:
Improving access to safe housing – Identifying and addressing barriers that prevent women from securing appropriate, affordable and secure accommodation.
Influencing housing policy and practice – Working with housing providers, local authorities and other stakeholders to encourage approaches that recognise women's specific needs and circumstances.
Tackling gendered poverty and inequality – Recognising the relationship between economic disadvantage, domestic abuse, housing insecurity and homelessness.
Amplifying women's voices – Ensuring women with lived experience are meaningfully involved in identifying problems, shaping solutions and influencing decisions.
Strengthening partnership working – Bringing together specialist knowledge and frontline experience to improve understanding of the challenges women face when accessing housing.
Creating sustainable change – Moving beyond individual interventions to identify and challenge the wider structural barriers that contribute to women's housing insecurity.
Our shared ambition is to help create a housing system that is more accessible, responsive and equitable for women, particularly those facing multiple forms of disadvantage.
Putting women's voices at the centre of change
A central part of the partnership's approach is ensuring that women's lived experiences inform the development of policies, services and systems.
Women who have encountered barriers to safe housing are uniquely placed to identify where existing arrangements are failing and what needs to change.
Through engagement, participation and opportunities to influence decision-making, the partnership aims to ensure their voices are heard and their experiences contribute directly to meaningful improvements.
This approach recognises that lasting systems change cannot be achieved without the involvement of the women most affected.
Our partnership
Coventry Women's Partnership brings together five established organisations, each contributing specialist expertise and knowledge of the barriers facing women in Coventry.
Foleshill Women's Training (FWT)
The lead organisation within the partnership, providing specialist women-centred services focused on education, employment, health, wellbeing and empowerment.
Coventry Haven Women's Aid
Providing specialist domestic abuse support, including refuge accommodation, community-based services, safeguarding and advocacy. Our contribution includes extensive experience of the housing and safety challenges faced by women and children subjected to domestic abuse.
Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC)
Providing specialist support and advocacy for individuals subjected to sexual violence and abuse.
Kairos WWT (Women Working Together)
Supporting women facing sexual exploitation and multiple disadvantage, including those affected by homelessness and housing insecurity.
Central England Law Centre
Providing specialist legal advice and advocacy, including support relating to housing, welfare rights and other issues affecting women's safety, financial security and access to justice.
Together, the five organisations bring different areas of expertise, a shared commitment to women's rights and an understanding of the importance of coordinated responses to complex needs.
Building on our achievements
Since its establishment in 2018, Coventry Women's Partnership has supported more than 1,500 women, helping them access specialist services and overcome barriers to safety, independence and financial stability.
The partnership has also contributed to research and evidence highlighting the causes and consequences of women's poverty, including work undertaken with the Women's Budget Group.
This evidence, together with the experiences of women accessing partner services, has helped strengthen the partnership's understanding of the systemic inequalities that affect women's lives.
The current housing-focused programme builds on this foundation, placing greater emphasis on influencing policy, improving systems and achieving lasting change.
Funding and future development
Coventry Women's Partnership has received a further two years of funding from the Smallwood Trust to support its work addressing the systemic barriers women face when trying to secure a safe home.
This investment supports a dedicated focus on women's engagement, participation, policy development and influencing change within local housing systems.
Through collaboration, research, partnership working and the voices of women themselves, CWP aims to contribute to long-term improvements in housing access, safety and security for women across Coventry.
Our shared vision is a Coventry where every woman has a fair opportunity to access a safe, secure and appropriate place to call home.
For more information, please contact onyeka@kairoswwt.org.uk