By Laura Woodhouse | 15 September 2009, 10:07

Behind Closed Doors, a Leeds-based service for women who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence is facing closure due to lack of funding. Laura Conrad posted this call for support on our facebook group:

Unfortunately despite the team’s very best efforts to secure funding to sustain service delivery, Behind Closed Doors is now sadly preparing to enter its Exit Strategy on 1st December 2009, with a view to cease operating on 28th February 2010. This will leave West and North West Leeds without a comprehensive outreach service and recovery programme for women.

The work of Behind Closed Doors fills some extremely important and valuable gaps in service provision for the Leeds area including:

• Being based in the heart of the community it serves, so offering local access
• Providing a 1:1 outreach service, tailored to meet specific individual needs
• Visits either at home or in appropriate and safe venues within the community
• Long term support that is not time limited.
• A specific and comprehensive recovery programme for women
• No waitlist which means that every referral is provided with an immediate level of support
• Flexible approach and support given in relation to a wide range of issues

Behind Closed Doors is also the only domestic abuse support service in Leeds that offers a volunteer programme.

Last year Behind Closed Doors supported 500 women. If Behind Closed Doors closes, a vital service will be lost, leaving women more vulnerable then ever. Statistics show that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives and that 2 to 3 women will be murdered a week by a partner or former partner in England and Wales.

Please take a moment to show your support for the organisation by signing this petition to Leeds City Council.

Behind Closed Doors is Doors is in the process of establishing a social enterprise, recycling and distributing furniture for the benefit of the wider community. The profit from this would be gift aided into the Behind Closed Doors Charity to support service delivery. This would support the charity to become more independent, so that it would be less reliant on trust and public sector funding. A commitment of even short term funding would support continuation of the service until the trading arm has been successfully established.

If you would like to donate to Behind Closed Doors please click here.

If you have any innovative ways in which to fundraise (preferably) large sums of money then please do not hesitate to get in touch. If you would like to do something to help Behind Closed Doors such as a marathon, a sponsored swim, anything you can think of then please get in touch.

You can contact Behind Closed Doors on info[at]behind-closed-doors[dot]org[dot]uk.