Open Haven is there to help women that are survivors of Domestic Violence(DV). There are many organization operating in the same field, but the difference is that we are post-crisis vs. crisis. Most of the DV crisis organizations are government funded and the social workers are helping the women getting out of DV and usually have anywhere up to 4,6 or maximum 8 weeks that they can work with them.Once out of crisis, the real journey begins for these women and that’s a where there is a huge lack of support. Open Haven fills this gap by offering these women post-crisis support and help rebuilding their lives. Open Haven relies 100% on community funding!We encourage women to come to one of our Hubs on a weekly basis and we help formulate a plan with them. For example we help them to navigate the complex system of applying for welfare/housing/funded courses etc. Important to say is we do it WITH them, not FOR them, as it is really important for these women to feel they are heard and to restore their self-worth and independence.A popular programme we run at Open Haven is “drive-to-thrive”, where we help women get their driving license. You will be shocked to hear that 1 in 5 women that come to us do not have a license, as for their perpetrator that is a way to control them and keep their world small.

The success is amazing, it helps these women to gain freedom, increases their chances of finding work and also enables them to get their children to school and sports clubs! It helps break the cycle.