Supporting vulnerable women to get Beyond the Streets
11 July 2022
The Symondson Foundation is proud to give multi-year funding to Beyond the Streets, an ambitious charity determined to put an end to the sexual exploitation of women in the UK.
Beyond the Streets has been working alongside and on behalf of women who sell sex, for over 20 years. They offer direct support to women, offering a safe space and practically-minded expertise for women selling sex or experiencing sexual exploitation. Opposed to the idea of “fixing” or “rescuing” women, the charity operates on a person-centred basis, helping women identify their own needs and reshape their own futures. They firmly believe in the importance of a trauma-informed approach, and have recently expanded their training offer to tackle systemic issues of inadequate and ill-informed approaches towards the women they support, and beyond.
‘We are all about empowerment. It’s not a case of pitying someone who doesn’t have something. It’s about seeing our common humanity, seeing our common desire to live a happy and fulfilling life and working together – alongside each other – to raise everyone up.’ Beyond the Streets
As the spiralling cost of living continues to affect society’s vulnerable more than any other, we believe the work that Beyond the Streets does is vital, and their services, advocacy, and holistic support, more needed than ever. During these difficult times, they have expanded and consolidated their operations, shoring up their position as experts in their field whilst continuing to offer “on the ground” support in the day-to-day. The research they undertake and publish offers critical insight into the lived-experience and needs of women who sell sex or are sexually exploited, and will help achieve the charity’s vision for the total elimination of “survival sex” and the end of violence against women and girls.
The Symondson Foundation is inspired by the passion, determination, and vision of Beyond the Streets. We celebrate their emphasis on placing an understanding of the experiences and the needs of the women they work with at the centre of everything they do. We look forward to continuing to learn from them, and seeing the remarkable ways in which they continue to reflect and develop.
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