A domestic violence charity for women has lost its £5 million public contract after the council said it wanted to focus on more “inclusive service provision”.
Rise, which has worked in Brighton and Hove for more than 25 years and runs a refuge and helpline, was sidelined after an assessment presented to councillors identified a need for more support for heterosexual and gay male survivors and raised concerns about “barriers” to services for trans people.
However, the charity highlighted its existing work to safeguard LGBTQ+ people and said that it had explained to the council how it would extend its approach to include heterosexual men.
Rise said it was “disappointed”, adding that “women remain the group most subjected to, and most severely impacted by, domestic
