HAC5725 Tower Hamlets Sanctuary Project

The Tower Hamlets Sanctuary Scheme Project has been funded by Homelessness Services each year since 2004 and has contributed effectively to safeguarding domestic violence survivors and their families. This year, we have widened the eligibility criteria to victims of any of the VAWG strands to account for the prevalence of these strands in borough and to ensure that any victim of VAWG is able to feel safe in their own home.

This is a partnership initiative between the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council, The Metropolitan Police and the successful Sanctuary installation company. The project offers victims of VAWG the option to remain safely and securely in their homes, through the installation of free, tailored home security.

The reasons for requiring this service are as follows:

We are committed to delivering a trauma-informed approach to working with victims of VAWG, given that a high proportion of them will have experienced some degree of trauma during their lives. Therefore we want the contractor to show that they are working in a trauma-informed way.

Every Sanctuary installation is assessed individually and tailored to the safety needs and circumstances of the individual and property involved. The Protective Security Manager will visit the home to assess and recommend the appropriate security measures, which will increase safety to the family home. The Sanctuary contractor will carry out these installations based on the recommendations of the Protective Security Manager.

The Sanctuary Co-ordinator who sits within the LBTH VAWG & Hate Crime Team will be responsible for the coordination of this service.

The start date for this contract would be 8 July 2021.