Community Vitality 2023 - Sakeenah
Community Vitality 2023
Sakeenah
Sakeenah London & Middlesex Area Shelter and Remote Services Program
Grant: $245,593 for 2 years
The experiences of women in housing instability and homelessness are distinct and influenced by various intersecting identities, such as race, ethnicity, disability, immigration status, and socioeconomic factors. These factors contribute to multiple forms of marginalization that women face, leading to unique challenges in accessing adequate and affordable housing - an urgent issue facing London and Middlesex in and of itself. To address these issues, a systemic change is required to support racialized women experiencing gender-based violence (GBV), homelessness, and poverty.
Sakeenah was founded in 2018 from a vision of a society where everyone has safety, serenity, and strength. In London, Sakeenah has provided shelter along with essential support and services to women and children since it opened in February 2021.
The two-year $245,593 Community Vitality grant will support Sakeenah in providing sheltering in its London home and remote casework services for women from diverse cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds who require safety and support.
Rabia Din, Chair of the Board at Sakeenah, explains the need for multi-year support to tackle this growing problem. “From 2021-2022, we experienced a 136% increase in clients for London region; this year again, we anticipate similar increases and are working towards securing funding to help meet the needs of newcomer and racialized women.”
Sakeenah's approach goes beyond immediate assistance to racialized women by offering accessible spaces and services that consider their cultural perspectives and needs, such as by creating a prayer space. With the intention to bring about systemic change needed to end GBV, Sakeenah strives to engage the community as a whole, including men, in conversations about GBV. This inclusive approach aims to establish long-term community services and support for women by involving key community members in workshops and dialogues focused on addressing GBV. To this end, Sakeenah has working relationships with both mainstream agencies such as Victim Services London, CAS, and ANOVA, and cultural/religious organizations such as the London Muslim Mosque and the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration.
“With this funding, we firmly intend to create conditions for survivors of GBV to reach safety and achieve independence, while creating systemic change to end GBV for racialized women through community outreach and education to cultural/religious groups,” says Rabia.
LCF funding provides Sakeenah with a valuable runway to establish sustainable long-term funding for its operations in London. By securing the personnel and administration costs, this support fills crucial funding gaps in both the shelter and the remote service delivery for the next two years.
Find out more about the Community Vitality Grant program at LCF and Sakeenah. You can also listen to our podcast with Mariyam Zaidi, Sakeenah’s Director of Programs & Services.
Read about the other grantees: