At LiveWest, supporting women to feel safe, secure and empowered is at the heart of our work in the communities we serve.
This International Women’s Day, we asked some of our customer facing colleagues how they feel we best support the women in our communities.
With responses ranging from involving women in community projects, supporting women in difficult relationships, to or helping them to rebuild and thrive through supported housing, we are proud of the work we do and the women in our communities.
Helping women access safe and secure housing
We know that for many women, secure housing is the foundation for everything else. Whether speaking to women struggling with high private rents or navigating local housing registers, our teams take the time to listen, offer clear advice and signpost to the right services. By helping women access more affordable and stable housing options, we support them to take important first steps towards long-term security.
Investing in women’s wellbeing
We also recognise that wellbeing and community connection are just as important as housing. Through our social value funding, we’ve supported grassroots initiatives such as Black Mothers Matter, helping ensure Black and Mixed Black women can access culturally appropriate mental health and wellbeing support in trusted local spaces. Investing in community-led groups creates safe environments where women feel heard and understood.
Group leader, Sonah Potton, reflected on the donation:
“The funding has helped us build lasting trust with participants.
“This has been instrumental in securing five-year National Lottery funding to continue and expand the group, securing its future beyond the life of this grant.”
Working in partnership
Partnership working is central to our approach. We collaborate with organisations across the South West to strengthen support for women experiencing domestic abuse, trauma or crisis.
We’ve recently supported a refuge for women and children through contractor and colleague volunteering, and we are actively exploring other opportunities to provide funding, materials, services and volunteering time to support partner organisations. We aim to make specialist support more accessible and sustainable — not just for our customers, but for the wider community.
Empowering women through community connections
Our Community Connectors also work alongside women who want to play an active role in their neighbourhoods. From setting up social groups and community pantries to developing digital skills or gardening projects, we see first-hand how volunteering can build confidence and unlock potential. With the right encouragement and training, many women grow in self-belief, form new friendships and, in some cases, move into employment.
Community Connector, Lesley Browne, says:
“Projects need volunteers - and invariably the first people to offer volunteer time are women.
“These women find this empowering, feel a renewed confidence and many have gone on to paid employment as a result.
“To see people flourish and get involved in their communities and make a difference themselves makes our efforts worthwhile.”
Supporting women to rebuild and thrive
For women rebuilding their lives after homelessness, addiction or domestic abuse, our supported housing services provide strength-based, compassionate support. By focusing on hope, stability and practical progress, we help women regain independence, reconnect with family and move forward into safer, more positive futures.
Across all of this work, our focus is simple: to create pathways for women not just to access housing, but to thrive — in their homes, in their families and within their communities.
This International Women’s Day, lets stand together in supporting and celebrating the fabulous women in our communities.