Rape survivor to relaunch centre for vulnerable women in south London

A child abuse and rape survivor who converted an abandoned house into a refuge for vulnerable girls has announced plans to reopen the centre four years after it was forced to close.

Sherica Spence, 33, from Croydon, founded the Skye Alexandra house in 2014 after meeting young women living in a hostel on the second floor above her home.

It provided support including counselling, food parcels, and semi-independent accommodation to more than 100 victims of grooming and sexual exploitation aged between 16 and 18.

The home, in Croydon, closed in 2016 after funding from the council dried up, although the team continued providing support to victims living in other hostels and centres.

But as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the UK earlier this year, Ms Spence was forced to severely cut face-to-face services to comply with lockdown measures.

“It’s been really difficult time in lockdown for our young girls with some having suicidal thoughts, feeling alone and as if no one cares for them,” she told the Standard.

“We’ve been on the phone to about five girls on a daily basis consistently checking up on them. Our programme managers, Lydia Stewart and Laura Webb, have been delivering food parcels on a weekly basis to those living in hostels or living alone and providing that one to one support.”

Ms Spence, who herself was gang-raped aged 15, said some girls had been “so desperate to survive and get money” during lockdown that they had resorted to selling sexual content online.

And due to a lack of funding, the Skye Alexandra house’s six volunteers have struggled to cope with the spike in demand.

But now two London businessman, who have followed Ms Spence’s work since 2014, have offered to fund a new home for the organisation.

The pair, who grew up in Croydon, are “tired of seeing the violence and exploitation of young people in London and simply want to help”, Ms Spence said.

They have pledged to pay for the maintenance of a new Skye Alexandra house in the borough, which Ms Spence hopes will open by the end of the year.

It will offer 24-hour-a-day care and accommodation with a “strong emphasis” on counselling and therapy, she said.

Workshops and cooking classes will also be offered.

“We’re excited for the relaunch as it means we will be able to ensure our girls get the mental and emotional support when they need it.”

The centre will work with a mixture of self-referrals and those referred by Croydon Council.

A council spokeswoman said: “Croydon works with a range of voluntary organisations who are invaluable in providing support to vulnerable women and girls.

"All organisations we work with go through rigorous assurance processes including safeguarding, to ensure they are an appropriate organisation for us to work with and support vulnerable people in Croydon.”