County Durham Community Foundation 
Teesside charity chief speaks out.
A Teesside charity chief has spoken out about the horrifying impact of domestic abuse during lockdown.
Teesside charity chief speaks out
Richinda Taylor, chief executive for EVA Women’s Aid, says the consequences are sure to be far-reaching. And that some women ‘will not make it out of this alive’.
EVA Women’s Aid supports more than 1,000 women each year. Funding from County Durham Community Foundation has helped them bring back their mental health worker from furlough.
The Foundation is spearheading a huge campaign to support groups and charities. The campaign will deliver essential support to those affected by Coronavirus.
Supporting Teesside charities
CDCF have given £250,000 to 60 Tees Valley groups since lockdown began.
Richinda added: “We have spoken to one woman who says her partner is ‘ramping it up because he’s bored and got nothing to do’ which is just horrifying.
“Never before has this been such an issue and the impact on women’s mental health is significant.
“We really need our mental health worker and this funding has enabled us to bring her out of furlough and that’s fantastic as she can support both our service users and our staff with their queries.
“We are hoping to re-open in July and that will be a critical few months as domestic abuse through lockdown will leave a terrible legacy.
“Our staff are very concerned about the women we work with because they are literally trapped.
“There are some women who won’t make it out of this alive. And so many who can’t even pop to see a friend and get a break for a short while. To not know when this will end must be awful for them.”
Chief executive of CDCF Michelle Cooper said: “We are all trying to stay positive, but we also must be realistic about the tremendous danger some families are facing. We can’t stop domestic abuse over night, but we can do everything in our power to make sure that our responses are robust and well-funded.”
To find out more go to www.cdcf.org.uk
