Fermanagh Women’s Aid has been awarded a grant of up to £24,326 from building society Nationwide to support housing in the area.

The Enniskillen based charity provides support for homeless or at risk families, directly caused by domestic and sexual violence safety issues.

Nationwide invited applications for grants of up to £50,000 for housing projects that have the potential to strengthen communities and help make a difference in local areas, ranging from preventing people from being homeless, helping people into a home and supporting people to remain in their homes.

The Safer at Home project, by Fermanagh Women’s Aid, will enable women to either remain safely in their homes or to access alternative safe accommodation on both a temporary and long term basis. The project will support women practically and emotionally to address the safety risks putting them in danger of homelessness.

Ian Milligan, Nationwide’s Deputy Regional Director, said: “One in five people in Northern Ireland have been homeless or have experienced family or close friends without a home of their own, so it’s imperative that we do something about this.

“Helping people into homes of their own is at the heart of what we do as a building society, which is why we’re making funding available for local housing projects. In fact, we’re making £22 million available over the next five years across the UK to do just this and ensure everyone has a place fit to call home.”