Corra grant awarded to develop new Women’s Recovery House

Cyrenians, NHS Lothians LEAP, and Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership have been successful in a recent Corra Foundation grant bid to develop and implement a Women’s Recovery House in Edinburgh.

The House, for patients moving on from residential recovery in the LEAP program, offers women who do not have a safe home to return to the opportunity to continue their recovery supported by their peers.

The first of its kind in Edinburgh, the house creates a level playing field for women, who until this point have had limited options available upon completing the 12 week LEAP programme.

Amy Hutton, Director of Services at Cyrenians said, “This is a fantastic step forward in supporting the recovery community, particularly women who have been underserved in this area for quite some time.

‘We know, from experience, that highly traumatised women don’t fare well in standard service delivery environments, so to be able to offer a bespoke, safe home, truly is groundbreaking.

‘Men in Edinburgh completing the LEAP programme have benefited from a similar model for many years, so this new Women’s House really levels the playing field and helps us continue providing peer support to women who otherwise would be isolated in their recovery.”

This new funding not only allows the partnership to provide accommodation beyond the LEAP programme, but will also support the development of a Wellbeing Coordinator, providing assistance to patients throughout the LEAP programme and during their stay at the Recovery House.

Viki Fox, LEAP Manager for Cyrenians added: “The number of women attending our LEAP programme has been increasing year on year. To have this move on option available for those who would otherwise be discharged into an unsafe home, or indeed, homelessness, is a fantastic step forward to improving their quality of life and ability to stay in recovery.

‘By providing additional support through our wellbeing coordinator we will be able to offer practical and emotional support that will help build self-esteem and independence.

‘Recovery is only the first step – learning to live again beyond addiction takes time, and without support can feel overwhelming and thankless. The support from Corra Foundation allows us to address this need directly, and ultimately will provide women in Edinburgh the chance to rebuild their lives on their own terms.”