About Us

WHAG provide specialist services for vulnerable women and young families facing homelessness in Rochdale and individuals and families experiencing domestic abuse in Cheshire West and Chester, Rochdale and Wigan. We also offer healthy relationship training programmes and work policies to support the prevention of abusive relationships and assist workplaces to support staff who are experiencing domestic abuse.

WHAG was founded in 1981, so we draw on 45 years’ experience of providing housing and domestic abuse services.

We support individuals and families to overcome the experiences they have had. We empower them to build the skills and resources they need to make positive choices about their futures.

WHAG’s values are; Empowerment, Choice, Change and Strength and we aim to embed these values in all our work, with the individuals and families we work with and our staff.

Brief history of WHAG

• WHAG began life as Rochdale Women’s Housing Aid Group in 1981.  Our aim was to provide affordable supported accommodation to homeless women aged 16-65.
• At the time, there was no housing for homeless and vulnerable women in Rochdale.  The only homeless accommodation available was for single men, or women who were victims of domestic abuse.
• Rose Sumner, WHAG’s founder, set up accommodation on the Cloverhall Estate. This offered shared accommodation for homeless women.
• In 1996, working in partnership with St Vincent’s Housing Association and Rochdale Council, WHAG moved to Rose Court in Castleton and were able to increase the number of women we worked with and offer self-contained accommodation.
• WHAG began to look at wider opportunities to support individuals and families in their communities. This led to us offering domestic abuse accommodation, dispersed and outreach services across the North West.