Hope Street: a pioneering alternative to prison for women
One Small Thing is a charity that works to meet the needs of women in the justice system and their children. Their vision is a justice system that can recognise, understand, and respond to trauma, which has led to opening their residential community Hope Street. Writer Fiona Thompson learns how grant funding from The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity is helping them to realise their mission.
“Most women in prison have been through some kind of trauma, usually from a very young age,” says Lilly Lewis, who was sentenced to eight years in jail for conspiracy to defraud.
Lilly’s time in prison was the culmination of what she calls a ‘domino effect’ of substance misuse, poor mental health and domestic abuse.
Sadly, her experience is not uncommon. Over half of women in prison have been abused as children, 76% report having a mental health problem and 70% have suffered from domestic abuse.
When women are locked up, their trauma is compounded, especially if they are also separated from their children.
“If you’ve been through trauma and have poor mental health, then putting you in a metal box isn’t the best way to help you heal,” says Lilly. “Unless you get to the root cause, you are never going to see a reduction in crime.”
Lilly has now turned her life around and is working as a Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing, the charity which runs Hope Street, a pioneering new initiative that offers support to women in the criminal justice system and their children.
Hope Street is a county-wide residential community in Hampshire that has been designed to house up to 124 women and children. It is a much-needed alternative to women receiving short custodial sentences, being unnecessarily imprisoned on remand or released from prison without support or accommodation.
The main hub building in Southampton has been designed as a healing, trauma-informed, residential environment, where women and their children have access to a range of specialist support including mental health, domestic abuse and substance use services.
Lilly worked on the development of Hope Street and was impressed when she visited the building when it opened in June 2023. She says: “The aesthetics, colours, textures and smells were extremely calming.”
One of the residents, Helen, had been at Hope Street for six months. She has a criminal record and says she used to have severe issues with alcohol use. She says that Hope Street has transformed her life. She comments: “The justice system doesn’t address the core of why people are offending. Hope Street gets to the nitty gritty. It gives you opportunities. I feel safe.”
“The criminal justice system is disproportionately harsh on female inmates, even though women are much more likely than men to be locked up for a minor offence. Put simply, prison doesn’t work for women, that’s why we’re delighted to support Hope Street, which offers women a safe environment where they can live with their children, receive specialist support and begin to heal from their trauma. The initiative is a beacon for change and we hope it will inspire others in the UK to follow this model.”
The Goldsmiths’ Company Charity has awarded grants to One Small Thing - the charity that runs Hope Street - of £30,000 in 2023, and £28,333 in 2024-2025. Both grants help to fund the salary costs for the Chief Executive.
Written by Fiona Thompson for The Goldsmiths’ Company | Photography by Fotohaus Ltd