Go Carz Makes Cash Donation to The Haven Refuge

Go Carz, the biggest private hire taxi operator across Shropshire and the West Midlands, has made a significant cash donation to a local charity which supports women and their children who are vulnerable to domestic abuse and homelessness.

The Haven offers wrap-around support; giving women and children somewhere safe, warm and welcoming where they can come to terms with the trauma they have experienced. There was a 60% increase in traffic to the charity’s website during the first three weeks of the UK’s first lockdown, during which The Haven, like many other charities, suffered a drop in donations with many fundraisers facing financial hardship and unemployment.

As the taxi firm - part of the Veezu Group – promotes safety throughout all of its operations and driver partners often hear first-hand from vulnerable women and children - the business has stepped in to help out. The Haven helps vulnerable women and children develop essential skills and confidence to remove themselves from abusive situations and has a range of communal refuges and dispersed safe housing across Wolverhampton. The charity offers several support services, including criminal justice support and resettlement programmes, to help women and children recover and rebuild a life free from the trauma of abuse.

Graham Hoof, Regional Director, said: “The Haven offers invaluable support within the local community and lockdown has been especially challenging for many within abusive relationships. “The charity has felt the impact of the pandemic because of volunteers having to self-isolate or because of staff sickness, and the same goes for fundraisers trying to raise donations, while socially distancing. “Go Carz driver partners really are at the heart of their communities and hear first-hand of some of the trauma vulnerable women and children face. “We therefore hope this will go some small way to alleviate the pressures on the charity as fundraising faces the challenges of lockdown.”

Hayley Powell, Senior Community Fundraiser at The Haven, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this donation during these ongoing difficult times. Having recently entered another lockdown, it is vital we can ensure our services remain open and available to women and their children in desperate need of fleeing abuse and homelessness. “With the majority of our fundraising events remaining cancelled, we are relying on our local community and companies like Go Carz to ensure we can keep funding services like our helpline and refuges. We are so very grateful for their support.”

Go Carz was also one of the first transport companies to introduce additional health and hygiene measures this year to make journeys as safe as possible for all passengers and driver-partners. The measures, designed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, include specialist cleaning regimes, in-vehicle protective screens, the wearing of face coverings and passengers sitting in the rear of the vehicle.