encompass.
en|com:pass | verb 1. to surround and have, hold within - Oxford English Dictionary
Our Encompass project offers support to women caught up in sex trafficking. We take an holistic approach to the care we give to each and every woman who wants our support, regardless of their stage of life and wherever they are along their faith journey.
The three strands to Encompass are Engage, Build and Flourish.
“Azalea has been a healing place...I feel love here. I feel I belong. I hate it out there. It is so violent and filled with fear and hatred.”
engage.
A journey with Encompass begins with Engage, either with Outreach or Drop-in. We are able to offer access to crisis intervention (i.e., emergency services) and educate on harm reduction alongside meeting other physical needs with hot meals, foodbank, laundry facilities, shower, clothes store, creative activities and emotional/prayer support.
The Outreach team walk or drive the streets of Luton, in areas known for sex trafficking activity, after dark once or twice a week, meeting men and women to offer care and support in the form of homemade cakes, doughnuts, safety kits and more. Sometimes they are willing to talk for a while and sometimes agree for the team to pray for them and with them. Everyone is met with non-judgemental acceptance regardless of their situation and given the emotional support they often lack. It’s not unusual for the team to have encountered around 12-15 people per night, some of whom are known to Encompass, others who haven’t heard of us at all.
The team carry with them information leaflets to give away directing those that they meet towards Flint or Encompass Drop-in, enabling them to begin their journey towards walking free from sex trafficking. We are also able to signpost them to the support offered by ResoLUTiONs, Stepping Stones and other agencies.
We also run a weekly Alpha group which starts with a home-cooked meal, followed by worship and discussion. Our main focus during Engage is to build stable, positive relationships with the women which enable them to trust us. We hope to open up the possibility of them becoming more aware of their situation and choices, and when appropriate encourage them to access the support available through Build and facilitate this to happen.
Build.
The Build team aim to empower the women to make positive and sustained choices to begin changing their lives and moving towards recovery and engaging with our Flourish Centre. This happens through establishing relationships with the women outside of the Engage services. From a practical perspective this involves meeting the women on a one to one basis, maintaining regular phone contact and supporting women to get to appointments as well as regular liaison with other support providers. We offer support with housing, access to addiction rehabilitation, health and relationships, recognising that these are essential building blocks for a woman wanting find freedom from being sex trafficked. Our Build team refer women to ResoLUtiONs, Luton Sexual Health service and other organisations to access specialised support. This creates a strong and effective circle of support that allows each woman to be empowered to take ownership of her care and support, and fosters independence rather than co-dependence. Our hope is that we will see self-esteem, self-value and self-worth increase along with a hope for the future.
flourish.
The Flourish Recovery Centre is the space for Azalea’s recovery focused work, where we offer a varied timetable comprising of skills-based courses, therapeutic art groups and more. Through Flourish we offer any of the women in Encompass the opportunity to explore possibilities and empower them in their learning, dreaming and stepping forward. Flourish offers the potential for women to grow in their understanding of healthy boundaries and relationships, intentional living and promotes perseverance and informed decision making enabling them to live independently and sustainably in the community. It is a safe space for the women from Encompass to be together with frontline staff and volunteers during the week, sharing in meal times and conversation, as well as taking part in any number of the structured sessions available. Implicit within the practical and creative timetable of activities is the opportunity for improved mental wellbeing, personal development, healing from trauma and connection with others. There are times when difficult memories surface and emotions are raw, but there is also a lot of laughter, fun and raucous singing! It is most definitely the space to be, whether that’s being physically present, learning that you are loved, just as you are or finding yourself able to dream and plan for a life beyond sex trafficking. Here are some of the groups that we currently offer:
BARISTA TRAINING
SEWING WORKSHOP
OPEN THERAPEUTIC ART
MENTAL WELLBEING GROUP
for every guest.
For some women, their journey through Encompass causes them to want to explore matters of faith, and we run Alpha twice a week giving time and space to those who choose to attend, to discuss life’s big questions. At each session the women enjoy a home cooked meal, listen to a talk and have good conversation.
better together.
Azalea works in partnership with a number of local statutory and non-statutory organisations to ensure we offer the best all round support we can for our women and to share knowledge and expertise. Our partners include: ResoLUtiONs drug and alcohol service, Stepping Stones, Luton Sexual Health service, Luton Borough Council (in particular the Housing teams and Public Health), NOAH, Penrose, Women’s Aid, Signpost, YMCA and Terence Higgins Trust.
“Azalea are a key provider of services and advocacy for sexually exploited women in Luton. They work in partnership with several statutory agencies and other charities. Their independent position is key to ensuring that the women receive equal and non-judgmental services.”