We are delighted to announce the opening of our new refuge: Jan’s Place.
Jan’s Place has been set up to support women who are facing multiple disadvantages and who have been subjected to domestic and/or sexual violence, including involvement in prostitution.
Living with multiple disadvantage means that in addition to the impacts of men’s violence, women face additional barriers caused by difficulties including physical and mental health problems, poverty, problematic substance use, homelessness, involvement in the criminal justice system and the removal of children.
We provide round-the-clock, trauma-informed support. Due to our high levels of staffing, we are able to accommodate women who may be turned away from other services and we are able and willing to work with women who are currently in active substance use. It is not unusual for women with problematic substance use to be written off as chaotic or challenging, in reality they are all too frequently living with the effects of violence and abuse from a succession of perpetrators, sometimes since their childhood or infancy.
We can support women with no resource to public funds where they meet our referral criteria.
Jan’s Place is funded by the Greater London Authority under the Tier One Safe Accommodation Framework.
In memory of Jan (MJ) Mustafa
Jan’s Place is named after Mihrican Mustafa (known as Jan or MJ to her family and friends). Jan was homeless and had problems with drugs when she was killed in 2018 by a known sex offender who was found guilty of her murder and that of another woman, Henriett Szucs.
Jan was an amazing talented dancer and in her spare time would teach children how to street dance. She worked hard supporting her children, but became homeless when her housing benefit was stopped. Due to dyslexia, she hadn’t understood letters about her benefits, and so she was evicted. After many attempts asking for help and support she lost her home and felt she was a failure to her children.
Jan’s family remember her as a kind-hearted beautiful woman who adored her children and she always put her family and others first. She will be forever missed and always in her family’s heart.
Whilst it is the killer alone who bears the responsibility for Jan’s death, she was failed by multiple agencies who could and should have supported her. In Jan’s memory, we want to help prevent other women from becoming murder statistics and ask agencies to consider how they respond to women like Jan.
