Women's support centre receives £1m funding boost

Shantona Women's and Family Services works with women and girls in the Harehills and Chapeltown areas of Leeds

The head of a charity which supports women from minority ethnic backgrounds said it was "so wonderful" to be awarded £1m in government funding.

Shantona Women's and Family Services, based in Harehills, Leeds, provides support with "hidden issues" like domestic violence, mental illness and sexual exploitation.

The charity works with women and young people, primarily from South Asian communities, who have "fallen through the net" of traditional support systems.

CEO Nahid Rasool said it would use the Community Ownership Fund grant to buy and refurbish its building on Shepherds Lane.

Shantona started off with just two people running it, one of whom was Nahid Rasool, and it now has 35 members of staff

"We want women and girls to have their own dedicated space, and to come and feel safe," she said.

"We never gave up on trying to get the money to purchase it, nearly a year we waited. It is so wonderful, and we are so excited."

Shantona was founded in 1998 by local Bangladeshi women who set up a women's group to give them a space separate from the men's community centre.

Ms Rasool, who has worked for the charity since it started, said NHS services and Connect Housing were among those who would have a permanent base at the "community haven" after the refurbishment.

Shantona is already working hard to improve access to its services in Harehills, which is one of most deprived neighbourhoods in Leeds.

Nahid Rasool is one of 400 women celebrated by the Ribbons Sculpture in Leeds

The charity trains its volunteers and employees through its "community messenger" project to give them the tools to handle issues as they emerge in the community.

Ms Rasool said: "People have fears, or they aren't allowed [by those close to them] to use the services, so some pockets of people stay isolated.

"When problems start to happen, they aren't going to come to professionals, they will go to their friends and families at social gatherings. So that's how we reach them."

The community messenger project started as a response to high infant mortality rates in Inner East Leeds.

'People don't know where to go'

Ms Rasool said: "We gave people techniques to talk [to their relatives] about reporting problems early. That worked, and Harehills improved the situation."

Shantona uses the model still, with the support of 35 staff and more than 15 volunteers who speak 16 languages including Arabic, Bengali, French, Polish, Somali and Urdu.

"We get all different people coming in, it is continuously changing," Ms Rasool said.

"We have to keep raising awareness because a lot of the immigrant community have trauma and difficulties when they arrive, and keep struggling, and don't know where to go."

After the refurbishment, along with the partner agencies having permanent bases at the centre, a community cafe will be set up and run by women who use the services.

Ms Rasool said: "People improve their quality of life with us, a lot of the women are getting jobs.

"Some of our staff members have moved to work in London and other places, even at the House of Commons.

"It's good that they are moving and changing. It gives me satisfaction, and it is why I am ticking by at Shantona."

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