Survive has once again secured significant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF), enabling the charity to continue delivering its specialist services and trauma-specific interventions to survivors of sexual violence across York and North Yorkshire.

Chief Executive Officer of Survive, Mags Godderidge, said:
“We are delighted to receive further funding from the Ministry of Justice. Demand for our services remains unprecedented, and this investment will go directly towards helping survivors access the support they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

However, this funding will only cover around one quarter of what we need to keep services running over the next two years. Our waiting list has remained closed to new referrals since May 2025 – because we simply don’t have enough capacity to meet demand. This means hundreds of survivors are currently unable to access the support they need to get their lives back on track. We urgently call on local commissioners to come together to provide long-term, strategic funding for our services so that every survivor gets the chance to access the support they need to move forward with their lives.”

Last year, Survive supported 1,914 people and delivered 5,375 hours of support work, counselling, trauma therapy, and EMDR psychotherapy with just 14.5 FTE staff.

The Ministry of Justice funding of £340,297.73 will run for 24 months, from April 2026 to March 2028, and includes £26,000 ring-fenced specifically for survivors living in the neighbouring East Riding of Yorkshire.

The overarching aim of RASASF is to ensure that survivors of rape and sexual abuse — at any stage of life, whether or not the crime has been reported to the police — can access holistic, trauma-informed support when they need it most.

“This is life transforming work that brings hope and ability to stay alive. Thank you.” (Survivor)