Question reference: S6W-24905
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 29 January 2024
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Current status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 9 February 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to SAY Women since 2019.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided funding to SAY Women through the Equally Safe (2019-21) and Delivering Equally Safe Fund (2021-25). The objectives of funding are to improve mental and physical health amongst young women survivors of sexual abuse; to support them to cope with trauma-anxiety in order to reduce self-harming, substance abuse, and poverty; and to reduce challenging behaviours that can lead to homelessness amongst young women.
In 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 the Scottish Government provided funding to SAY Women through the Housing Voluntary Grant Scheme with the objective of delivering safe, supported accommodation and related services for young women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, rape or sexual assault and who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
In 2020-21 the Scottish Government provided funding through the COVID Immediate Priorities Fund for SAY Women to deliver enhanced independent living support to vulnerable individuals and those in need as a result of COVID-19. The objective was to help communities respond to the needs and challenges they were experiencing, and to protect the wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
The Scottish Government has also provided funding through the Third Sector Homelessness Fund (2021-22, 2022-23) and the Homelessness Sector Prevention Fund (2023-24) with the objective of preventing and responding to homelessness among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This supported the delivery of training to frontline staff, and work to support young women survivors of childhood sexual abuse under threat of eviction due to challenging behaviours.