FAQs
Find answers to frequently asked questions here.
Our work
Q: Who do you help?
A: Ella’s works with survivors of trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violence and modern slavery. Our work is mainly with women, as they are disproportionately affected by violence and exploitation. Through our community support work, we help whole families including children. The women we work with come from countries all over the world, including the UK, and range in age from late teens to 60s. Around 45 women and 30 children a year currently benefit from our work.
Q: What do you do?
A: Ella’s works with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. We are passionate about providing the best care for as many survivors as possible. We offer safe house accommodation for women when they are most vulnerable, care to help survivors recover and move forward, and long-term community-based support to help survivors build safe, independent lives. We also campaign for changes to systems having a negative impact on survivors or making people vulnerable to exploitation.
Q: What’s the difference between your safe house work and your community support work, and why do you do both?
A: Our safe house work is with women living in our safe houses, who are not yet in a position to live in outside accommodation. Our community support is with survivors living in neighbourhoods across London – some of them in NASS (National Asylum Support Service), others in temporary accommodation, and some live in privately rented accommodation. Some of these women live alone, others have young children. Across both types of work, every person we help has a caseworker who provides intensive support tailored to their needs. You can go here to find out more about what we do.
Q: How long do women stay at your safe houses?
A: Our work is tailored to the individual survivor, so there is no set time limit. The average stay is about 18 months.
Q: For how long do you work with an individual survivor?
A: Our work is tailored to the individual, so there is no set time limit. In all we do, we aim to see survivors empowered to build lives that are safe and free, and not be dependent on Ella’s or anyone else. On average, survivors would receive casework support for up to 18 months. Many of the women we work with stay in touch as friends, even when they’re ready to live independently.
Q: Where are your safe houses?
A: Our safe houses are in South and East London. We keep exact locations confidential.
Q: How do you choose who to help/where do your referrals come from?
A: There is an urgent and vast need for our services, which is why we’re hoping to expand and reach more survivors. When a room becomes free in one of our houses, it is quickly filled. We receive referrals from social workers, police, other organisations, colleagues across the anti-trafficking sector and sometimes by survivors themselves.
Q: Do you work with people who are transgender or define their gender as non-binary?
A: We do not discriminate against anyone on any basis. We assess every referral on a case by case basis, and decide who we can work with depending on our capacity at the time as well as the suitability of the support we can offer.
Q: Can I get help from you or refer someone to your organisation?
A: For more on this, see the Get help part of this website or email referrals@ellas.org.uk
Getting involved
Q: What can I do to help Ella’s?
A: Please donate to support our work, if you can. For more on this and other ways to support Ella’s, browse through the ‘Get involved’ section on the top menu of this website. If you could support us via corporate engagement or by championing our work, or if you have other questions or ideas, please email info@ellas.or.uk
Q: I’m with a business/group/faith group/network, is there a way we could learn more and/or support your work?
A: Yes, we’d love to hear from you. If you’re a church or group, take a look here. If you’re a business or corporate, go here. And if you’d like to discuss this further please email info@ellas.org.uk
Q: Can I donate items?
A: Gifts of money are the most effective way to support our work with survivors. We very occasionally take donations of items, depending on what’s needed by the women we work with at the time, but we will appeal for these things via social media when there’s a particular need. If you’d like to donate items to help survivors of trafficking and exploitation, we suggest Little Village and Their Voice.
Q: Can I meet the people you work with?
A: The survivors we work with have been through traumatic experiences, and require us to protect their identity and locations to ensure their safety. For these reasons, it’s very rare for supporters of Ella’s to meet with the people we work with in person.
Q: Can I visit Ella’s?
A: We operate from a shared office space in London. A number of our staff work from home and from our safe houses (locations confidential). For these reasons, we can’t organise office visits. However, if you’d like to speak to us about our work and how to support, we’d be happy to call and/or arrange to meet in person if helpful – just email info@ellas.org.uk
Q: Can I volunteer or work for you?
A: Yes! Please see the jobs and volunteering page and email info@ellas.org.uk for more information.
Our organisation
Q: How big is Ella’s?
A: Ella’s has 13 members of staff and a small number of contractors, as well as volunteers, interns and a Board of Trustees. Our staff work from shared office spaces in London, as well from home and from our safe houses.
Q: How is your work funded?
A: The work of Ella’s is funded in a number of ways: grants (trusts, foundations and statutory); faith and other groups; corporate partnerships; and individual givers. In addition, some of our safe house residents are entitled to housing benefits, and this goes towards the running of our safe houses while they are living there. For more on supporting our work, browse the ‘Get involved’ section on the top menu of this website, or email info@ellas.org.uk
Q: What qualifications do your frontline staff have?
A: Our frontline staff (those providing casework support for the survivors we work with) have a variety of skills that equip them to do their jobs well, including social work and psychology. All have previous experience working with women or others at risk.
Q: Are you a religious charity?
A: We work with survivors regardless of their religious beliefs, and preaching and proselytising have no place in our work. If any of the women we’re working with ask for prayer, we will find someone who will pray with them. And we will support the women we work with to find a church, mosque, synagogue or other place of worship, if this is something they want.
Sponsor a room
Q: How do I sponsor a room?
A: Fill in the ‘Sponsor a room’ form to set up your monthly donation and register as a sponsor. Please opt in for emails if you’d like to receive our special sponsor updates four times a year!
Q: I already give monthly to Ella’s. Can I switch my giving to become a sponsor?
If you already give monthly to Ella’s, and would like to opt in for ‘Sponsor a room’, that’s fine. Just email info@ellas.org.uk to request this, including your full name. Your monthly donation will stay the same (unless you ask us to change the amount), but you will start receiving special updates for room sponsors four times a year providing we have your permission to email you.
Q: Is there a set amount to donate?
A: No. We want everyone to be able to support Ella’s if they would like to, so there is no minimum monthly donation. Please give what you can. You can increase or decrease your monthly gift at any time by contacting us at info@ellas.org.uk
Q: How will my donations be spent?
A: Your gifts will go towards: the running of our safe houses; the provision of high quality, tailored support work for women who have survived trafficking and exploitation; community outreach to help women living outside of our safe houses, including mums with young children; and securing the future growth and sustainability of Ella’s, to reach more survivors. Your donations will support the whole of our work. For small organisations like Ella’s, donating monthly to make our work possible is one of the most important things you can do to help.
Q: What will I receive as a room sponsor?
A: As long as you opt in to receive our emails when you fill in the form, we’ll email you twice a year with special sponsor updates. These updates will include news, stories and photos to give you an insight into life at Ella’s and for the women we work with, and see the impact of your support. We’ll also give you opportunities to encourage the women we work with at certain times during the year, for example by sending Christmas cards and more, if this is something you’d like to do.
Q: Is there a set time commitment?
A: No. We’d love you to stay with us as we move forward to grow and reach more survivors, and we hope that you will feel inspired to do so! But there is no set time commitment. If your circumstances change, you can cancel your monthly gift at any time.
Q: Can I visit?
A: The survivors we work with have been through traumatic experiences, and require us to protect their identity and locations to ensure their safety. For these reasons, it’s very rare for supporters of Ella’s to meet with the people we work with in person. If and when we are having supporter events, we will let you know via email.
Q: Can I donate items?
A: Gifts of money are the most effective way to support our work with survivors. We very occasionally take donations of items, depending on what’s needed by the women we work with at the time, but we will appeal for these things via social media when there’s a particular need. If you’d like to donate items to help survivors of trafficking and exploitation, we suggest Little Village and Their Voice.