Lotus Sanctuary is a community interest company with the pure and simple intention of housing and empowering vulnerable women suffering a range of complex issues; from rough sleepers to domestic violence victims, sexually exploited women and those seeking to get free from drug and alcohol addictions. We equip our residents with the skills that are vital to leading successful, independent lives. Our houses are small with no more than four residents per property in order to avoid a “hostel” like environment, to ensure individualised support and to aid in the resident’s path to independent living. We currently have three houses in Wolverhampton, giving us the capacity to house eight women. We are raising funds to develop and expand our on going support for our residents. We need the money to continue running our weekly yoga classes, start an art class and support group. We are looking to expand our services to give our resident the best chance at recovery and success. Much Love.

What we'll deliver:

• Start a weekly art class
• Open a support group
• Continue running weekly yoga class

Why it's a great idea:

Our ethos is purely based on the empowerment of our residents. We operate on a two year stay to give the residents the maximum chance at recovery and learning to live independently. We have a holistic approach to recovery and believe that by engaging our residents in meaningful activities we will give them the best chance. Our residents generally come to us with multiple complex issues. What we find is that most have suffered some form of trauma in the past and that a "survival" mind set has set in. To begin to undo this and empower our residents we need to build their confidence. Our yoga class has already been a huge success for residents. The physical and mental health benefits of yoga are unquestionable. An art class will also add massively to the well being of residents, again helping by encouraging creativity. The support group will be open to residents and the wider community of women, again it will be centered around empowerment and coming together to talk through issues.

Steps to get it done:

• Creating an art class
• Continuing yoga class
• Starting women's lead support group