Pathway Project
Domestic Abuse Charity in Urgent Need of Help!
Pathway Project is a domestic abuse charity in desperate need of funds to keep operating. All donations will be greatly received - Thank you x
Story
How did Pathway start?
Pathway Project is a real grass roots service, which began in the late 80s when a woman tried to get help when her life was falling apart due to domestic abuse.
She was desperate, her children were living in constant fear and she felt that there was nothing left to live for. She reached out for help and found that there was little available, and that no-one really understood or knew much about domestic abuse and apparently she was a very isolated case.She finally managed to leave and found safety for herself and her three children with friends. The thought of others suffering in silence in that same living hell made her press on with the dream of opening a womens refuge.
The reason that I know so much about this woman is that I am her. I have moved on in life now and although I feel like a different person I still remember what it felt like to walk in those shoes.
Every service that Pathway has developed, from the 24 hour helpline which began in 1993 to our refuges, the first of which opened in 1994, came from that heart, that mind and that memory. Not just mine, but that of many women all living in their own little prisons of abuse. The oppressed women who long to escape.
Pathway has grown dramatically over the intervening years, but we still invest in the ideas and feelings of women who use our services. You get to be an expert by walking in those shoes. Not comfortable but you certainly learn a lot. Please have a look around our website. If you need help we are here for you, and will support you when you are ready to talk or find out more.If you are a professional Pathway has evolved into a highly professional but still very caring and down to earth service that women trust.
What do we do?
You may have heard of The Pathway Project, but in case you havent come across us, we are a domestic and sexual abuse service based in the Midlands
In the last 12 months we have supported over 2000 women, men and children. The statistics surrounding domestic abuse are eye opening with many reports stating that one in four women and one in six men are affected. Domestic abuse also accounts for 16% of all violent crime.
The Pathway Project provides excellent services which help people to get support through different stages of the abuse cycle. We provide support through the legal process, often representing service users at court. We work closely with other services such as local housing authorities, job centres, benefit agencies, police, doctors and social services to ensure that our service users receive the best possible help in rebuilding their lives.
Sadly our funding is shrinking year on year and we have just had the devastating news that we have lost a major funding stream, which will result in the loss of 58% of our staff by the end of September.
We urgently need cash donations to help support our service, to give us time to investigate new funding opportunities.
Please take a minute to read the stories of two remarkable survivors of domestic violence, demonstrating how invaluable the Pathway Project is at helping to rebuild shattered lives (names have been changed to protect identities).
Karens Story
I was a victim of domestic abuse for 10 years before I called the Pathway Project. I was struggling with three young children and had just received the devastating news that I had breast cancer. I made the call and was put in touch with one of the outreach support workers who listened to my story and helped me to see that I had optionWithin a week, my children and I were moved into a womens refuge and the process of rebuilding my life began. My support worker drove me over 30 miles to have radiotherapy, came to solicitors appointments and helped to sort my finances. She also helped me to cope emotionally with the stress of what was one of the darkest times of my life. With Pathways help, I have now moved out of the refuge and into my new property with my children and we are now looking forward to a future that I could never have imaged 12 month ago. I will always look back on Pathway as the place that gave me my life back and am in complete shock at the thought of such a wonderful charity losing so many services due to funding cuts.
Helens Story
I was put in touch with the Pathway Project 2 years ago (by the police after my husbands incarceration) as I was being threatened by associates of my abusive husband.They were wonderfully supportive at the lowest point in my life...My husband was physically, sexually, financially & mentally abusive. I lived in constant torment of what he would do next. This abuse had been ongoing for 20years. Until I became involved with Pathway I had no support from any of the 'normal channels' and thoughts of taking my own life loomed large. I cannot express enough my gratitude for the constant support, encouragement & actual help given, especially my allocated support worker. She has seen me through some of my darkest days. The thought of losing this amazing support system fills me with disbelief and terror for all those women still in this position of need. Another cut in these services puts real people at risk!
We have such a great team at Pathway and each and every staff memeber puts in their everything to deliver this great service to so many victims of domestic abuse. It would be awful to lose such a vital service in the midlands!
Every penny donated will be used to continue to save lives, and help us keep this key Domestic Abuse service operating for men, women and children affected by Domestic Abuse.
Thank you!
The Pathway Team x
24hr Helpline 01543 676 800
Office Number 01543 442 610
