Project Description

When a mother becomes homeless with her children, she faces an impossible dilemma. Mainstream services often can’t accommodate families together, temporary accommodation provides no support for the complex trauma many mothers have experienced, and without intensive help, the risk of children being taken into care becomes devastatingly real.

 

In Luton, where one in 57 people are homeless – one of the worst rates outside London – mothers with children represent some of the most marginalised families in our community. Many have fled domestic violence, others struggle with mental health or substance use, and almost all are dealing with trauma while trying to keep their families together.

 

SIG Penrose Bridge House is our specialist mother and child accommodation service, providing families with not just a roof over their heads, but a foundation to rebuild their lives together. We support mothers through their most difficult moments, helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to keep their families together and thrive independently.

 

Without intensive support, families become trapped in cycles of crisis and instability, with children experiencing trauma that affects their development for years. Our specialist approach breaks these destructive patterns by providing the time, space, and expert support families need to heal and rebuild together.

 

Your support helps us prevent family breakdown, keep children safe with their mothers, and break the cycle of homelessness.

Recent Recognition

How We Create Change

Our specialist team works intensively with each family, providing wraparound support that addresses complex challenges while ensuring children’s safety and well-being.

 

 

  • Trauma-Informed Support

    We help mothers who have experienced domestic violence, abuse, or trauma to reconnect with their children and develop confident parenting skills in a safe, supported environment.

  • Family Stabilisation

    Our Activities Coordinator and Early Years Practitioner work directly with families, providing childcare during key work sessions and creating learning opportunities that strengthen parent-child relationships.

  • Practical Life Skills

    From budgeting and tenancy skills to understanding children's developmental needs, we equip mothers with the tools they need for independent family life.

  • Long-term Living

    Rather than crisis-driven moves, we help families secure appropriate long-term housing and community support networks before they leave our service.

  • Safety First

    We assist mothers fleeing domestic violence in creating safety plans, rebuilding confidence, and accessing specialist support for ongoing threats and trauma.

  • Multi-Agency Coordination

    Our team works with social services and health teams to support families and work to ensure children stay safely with their mothers.

Benefits to the Community

Every family we support saves local authorities and social services tens of thousands of pounds. Taking children into the social care system costs over £40,000 per child annually, while emergency temporary accommodation often exceeds this and offers far less support.

 

We prevent family breakdowns before they escalate into crisis. Many of our mothers are involved with social services and face the risk of their children being removed. Through intensive support, we help families demonstrate they can provide safe, nurturing homes, keeping children with their mothers instead of in the care system.

 

Our approach strengthens Luton’s entire child protection system. By collaborating with social services, we offer an alternative to care proceedings while prioritising children’s safety. This leads to better family outcomes and eases the burden on overstretched children’s services.

 

The children we support avoid the trauma of family separation and involvement with the care system, leading to better long-term outcomes in education, mental health, and future parenting. Our stability during these vital early years creates a positive ripple that can change a child’s entire life.

  • Meeting the most complex family needs

    60% of the families we support have fled domestic violence, and 73% are dealing with mental health or substance use challenges, with many facing multiple overlapping crises that mainstream services cannot address.

  • Keeping families together

    Every mother at Bridge House who had previously lost children to care was able to keep their youngest children with them, with several families being signed off from social services completely during their stay with us.

  • Your support gives mothers a second chance.

    Bridge House is funded solely through housing benefit, making it challenging to provide the intensive specialist support families desperately need. Your donation helps us enhance our trauma-informed care, ensuring more mothers can access the help that keeps families together.

What Our Particpants Say

“Bridge House provides friendship and support at challenging times in your life. The feeling that you are not alone”

 

Sarah, previous Bridge House resident

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Get in touch

1 Waterloo Gardens London N1 1TY

Telephone : 020 3668 9270

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