We provide specialist evening, street based outreach sessions to an extremely socially isolated and hard to reach vulnerable group of women, addressing not only their sexual health needs but covering a wide range of other health and social welfare issues.
The provision of an outreach service is fundamental to our work and is achieved by driving to the locations where women work in our most valuable asset, ‘the Johnny van’ (as the women aptly named it’). This service is delivered four evenings a week and is staffed by a combination of SWWOP outreach workers, with trained volunteers and/or specialist staff from partner agencies. Outreach work has given insights into factors that make it difficult for women to attend mainstream services, and the aim of our partnerships is to make these services more accessible to the women by booking appointments on request, and by providing a familiar personal link.
Condoms are one of our other most important resources, not only to be able to provide them free to the women for their protection, but also as something practical to offer new contacts, and as a way of introducing ourselves and our service. The van is a supportive environment where women can have temporary respite from the street. |
