Thanks to your support and their courage, 59 brave women broke free from street sex work and addiction last year!

We have just finished our impact report for the last year and are amazed at all the women have achieved in just twelve months. The statistics show their incredible journeys, with more than a third (59 out of 147 street sex-working women) breaking free from sex work on Bristol’s streets. We also cared for 24 women who were at risk of entering street sex work, enabling all but one to avoid this lifestyle. We are so privileged to walk alongside all these incredibly courageous women in their journey from the streets to hard-won recovery.

Women in sex work are often deeply traumatised from childhood abuse and from the violence of life on the streets and face huge hurdles to overcome the challenging circumstances they live in. Of the women on the streets last year:

• 80% of the women are homeless – last year 106 women were safely housed.
• 92% of women are acutely malnourished – our volunteers fed 169 women.
• Our criminal justice caseworker supported 70 women who had committed crime – 57 made life changes to reduce their offending behaviour
• 99% of women are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol – we gave advice and support to 152 women, and 59 are now on the road to recovery.
• Violence is a daily reality for women on the streets – we linked 84 women to victim support services, including therapy, reporting to the police and testifying in court.

This year, we supported 78 women who were in recovery from addiction and the streets in building new, independent lives. Our report shows that:

• 60 women took part in skill-building or social activities.
• 14 women started volunteering, 3 went back into education and 4 got jobs.
• 40 families were helped with safe, supportive child contact.
• 32 mums improved their parenting skills
• 18 women were cared for during their pregnancy
• 94 women gained confidence and self-worth enough to believe change is possible for them.

There are fewer sex-working women on Bristol’s streets now than there used to be, and numbers continue to fall, as the examples below demonstrate:

• Police estimated there were 360 women in sex work on Bristol’s streets when One25 began – the estimate is now 147, with only 46 women out regularly (6 times a year or more).
• Volunteers on our outreach program used to help 40 women per night – they now see 5-6 women.

Together we hold hope for these women that their lives can continue to blossom. We remain mindful of the many women still out there who need One25 and those who devastatingly return back to this dangerous lifestyle. Last year eight women who had celebrated over a year of freedom from the streets and drug use relapsed and returned to us in need.

Please join us in fighting for their future.